Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Shannon Robicheau Date: 3/31/2021

Group Size: Whole class & 3-4 Allotted Time: 1 hour Grade Level: 3rd

Subject or Topic: How animals adapt to their environments and their predators/prey.

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

- Standard - 3.1.3.C2: Describe animal characteristics that are necessary for survival.
- Standard - 4.1.3.E: Identify changes in the environment over time.
- Standard - 4.1.3.D: Identify organisms that are dependent on one another in a given
ecosystem.
● Define habitat and explain how a change in habitat affects an organism.

Learning Targets/Objectives:
- students will be able to define what adaptation is.
- students will be able to describe and identify animal’s characteristics that have allowed
them to adapt over time, in order for them to survive within their environment.
- students will be able to describe why adaptation within an environment is important.
Assessment Approaches: Evidence:
- Adaptations activity: The students will - Adaptations activity: The students will
complete three adaptation activity complete a sheet with guided
stations within the small groups. These questions and slots. The students will
stations focus on some adaptation write down their predictions before
characteristics that animals have to they complete the activity, and their
survive within their environments such findings once they have completed the
as agility, eyesight, and insulation. station.
- Thumbs up/down: The teacher will - Thumbs up/down: The whole class
check in on the students throughout should give a thumbs up to show that
the lesson and ask them if they there is a general understanding of the
understand the material so far. the material. The teacher will observe and
students must give a thumbs up or go over the material further if there are
down to indicate if they do or do not students with their thumbs down.
understand. If some students have - Video Facts sheet: The students will
their thumbs down, the teacher must have three slots to write down three
go over the material further. facts that they have learned. The
- Video facts sheet: The students will teacher will assess the sheets and use
watch a video as a class and fill out a the assessment scale below to
facts sheet on what they have learned determine their understanding.
during the activity.

Assessment Scale (facts sheet on seesaw):

 - 3/3: Proficient- All facts are accurate and show the students understanding in the
material.
- 2/3 : Basic- Almost all of the facts are accurate and show some of the students
understanding.
- 0-1/3 : Below basic- The facts are not accurate and the student shows little to no
understanding in the material.

Subject Matter/Content:
- How animals adapt to their environment and their predators/prey.

Prerequisites:
- Understanding habitats such as forests, deserts, grasslands.
- being able to make predictions and observe.
- Knowing some of the animals that live within their area (squirrels, bunnies, birds, deer,
etc.)
- Predators and prey
- food chain
- animal identification
- characteristics identification
- herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores.

Key Vocabulary:
- Adaptation: A change or the process of change by which an organism or species
becomes better suited to its environment.
- Characteristics: A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and
serving to identify it.
- Survival: The state or fact of continuing to live or exist, typically in spite of an
accident, ordeal, or difficult circumstances.

Content/Facts:
- Some adaptations that helps deer survive within their environment are: being fast and
agile, strong muscles for kicking and jumping high, cupped ears to pinpoint sounds,
teeth that are used to grind plants that they eat, eyes on the side of their head, noes that
can pick up scents, change their fur depending on the season and climate, and the color
of their fur help them blend into their environment.
- Some adaptations that help skunks survive within their environment are: eating extra
during the fall to build fat for the winter, scavenge through garbage cans when they are
short on supplies in the winter, and “spraying” possible predators.
- Mountain lions also have adaptations that aid them in surviving their environment such
as: large sensitive eyes that helps them see in the dark, powerful jaws to catch and eat
their prey, large soft paws that helps them stay quiet while hunting, a long tail to help
with balance while jumping and navigating the area, strong hind legs to jump far and
high, thick claws to help with catching prey and climbing,
Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:

Engage
- The teacher will start the lesson by accessing the students prior knowledge by showing
a picture of a deer. The teacher will ask the students a few questions such as:
- “I found this animal in my backyard yesterday, can anyone tell me what animal it is?”
- “Based on what you see, what can we tell about this animal? Do you think it is a
carnivore or herbivore?”
- “Do you think this animal is safe to be around based on what we have identified?”
- “What should I try to feed it?”
- “why do you think it was in my yard?”
- After the class has gone through the answers together, the teacher will thank them for
helping her using their great identification skills. This is a way to try and show the
students why this information is important.
- The teacher will then introduce the lesson, saying that they will focus on the
environment that animals live in and how they and their bodies adapt to changes.
- The teacher will then read the story “Where do Animals Live?” by Alejandro Algarra
to get the students excited and engaged with the topic.
Development/Teaching Approaches

Explain
- The teacher will then pass out the guided note sheets for the students to complete.
These will match the slides, with only the key words missing which the students will
have to fill in.
- the teacher will then pull up the slides and start the material. The lesson will start with
Eastern PA forests, and the environmental changes that occur such as weather and
resource changes depending on the seasons.
- The teacher will check up on the students once the slide is covered, and will ask them
to give a thumbs up if they understand the material and have it written down, and to put
a thumbs down if they do not. If students have their thumbs down, the teacher will go
over the material further to support the students that may not understand.
- The teacher will then cover the key information about the animals for the lesson (see
content facts) that are within PA forests.
- The teacher will start with deer, going over the environments that they live in, the food
that they eat, and how they adapt to their environment and predators.
- The teacher will then cover skunks, going over the environment, the food that they eat,
and how they adapt within their environment and predators.
- The teacher will then cover mountain lions, going over the environment that they live
in, the food that they eat, and how they adapt to their environment and prey.
- The teacher will make sure to check on the students during the coverage, asking
regularly to give a thumbs up or down.
- Once the material has been covered and the students are on track with their
understandings, the teacher will then set up a short video about animal adaptation for
the students to gain more information and context.
- Once the video is over, the students are given a minute to write down one takeaway
from the video.
 - The students will then turn and talk to their partners to discuss what they have learned
from the video and the content so far. They will be given about 3 minutes to do this.
- The students will then come back together as a class and discuss their findings as a
class .

Explore
- The teacher will then split the class up into 6 explore groups. The teacher will also set
up three explore stations with two set ups each. The students will also be given a sheet
to complete and write down their findings while completing the activities.
- For the first activity, the students will have a bucket with water and ice in it along with
a knit glow, heavy-duty glove, and a thin plastic glove. The students must stick their
hand in first to feel the cold water, then test out the different gloves to see how well it
protects them from the cold water. This works on the idea of animals having fur and
bodily functions that helps them adapt during the winter.
- The second station will have two sheets of paper on the wall that have a variety of
pictures of animals on it. The students must try and identify the animals on the sheet
without the binoculars, and then identify them again using the binoculars. This works
on the idea of animals having eyesight that helps them identify predators and prey from
far distances.
- The third station will have a start and finish line along with a pingpong ball and a
weighted sand ball. The students must roll their balls at the same time and see which
one crosses the finish line first. This works on the idea of agility and animals being
lightweight in order to run fast.
- The students will each have 10 minutes to complete each station and write down their
findings before they switch. They will have the chance to go to each station before the
end of the class.
- The teacher will come around and monitor the groups, and may ask questions to assess
the students' understanding and push their thinking and findings further.
- At the end of the exploration activity, the students will come back together as a class
and will be given time to talk about their findings.

Closure/Summarizing Strategies:

Elaborate
- The teacher will ask the students that, now that they learned more about animals and
how they adapt within environments, how do you think we adapt to our own?
- The students will be given the chance to raise their hand and describe one way they
have to sometimes adapt to their own environment. Some answers could be:
- Having their parents drive them to school when they miss the bus.
- Putting on an extra layer of clothing when it’s cold out.
- Changing plans when something important comes up.
- This answers the students “so what?” factor, by connecting the animal’s routines and
adaptations to our own experiences.
Evaluate
- The teacher will ask the students to tell her one new thing that they have learned after
the lesson. The students are given time to answer and ask any questions that they mave
have on the material.
- The teacher will then ask how the students can use the information that they have
learned so far in their own life and home. the students are given time to respond.
- The teacher can reiterate that this can be helpful when it comes to identifying an animal
that they may come in contact with, and to make sure that they are safe to be around, if
they are in the environment that they need to be in, and how you can help them if you
can (how to feed or support them).
- The teacher will then thank the students for being such hard workers, and how they are
growing to be great animal identifiers.
- The teacher will collect the video fact sheet that the students completed earlier in the
lesson and use it to assess the students understanding and retention of the material.
Accommodations/Differentiation:
Follow all IEPs

- A student in the classroom has a visual impairment. I will accommodate for the student
by having an enlarged version of all of the worksheets and material that will be used in
the lesson along with a projector to set up so that the student can see the book that is
read in the introduction section of the lesson clearly.

Materials/Resources:

- Where do Animals Live? (Curious Young Minds) by Alejandro Algarra: Alejandro, A.,
(2016), Where do Animals Live? (Curious Young Minds), B.E.S Publishing.
- buckets (2)
- water and ice
- plastic gloves
- knit gloves
- heavy-duty gardening gloves
- pens/pencils
- sheets for exploration/assessment (20)
- guided notes (20)
- heavy sand ball (2)
- ping pong balls (2)
- binoculars (2)
- Sheets with small pictures (2)
- fact sheet
- youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3OWsRFtTeI

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels
 Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Additional reflection/thoughts