ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (3) 10 :

10 ) Investigate how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing (e.g., plants having larger thorns being less likely to be eaten by predators, animals having better camouflage coloration being more likely to survive and bear offspring).

The classroom resource provides a video that will describe a variety of plant adaptations. After utilizing this resource, the students can complete the short test to assess their understanding.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (3) 10 :

10 ) Investigate how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing (e.g., plants having larger thorns being less likely to be eaten by predators, animals having better camouflage coloration being more likely to survive and bear offspring).

The classroom resource provides a video that will describe a variety of animal adaptations. After utilizing this resource, the students can complete the short test to assess their understanding.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (3) 12 :

12 ) Describe the relationship between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text, using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause and effect. [RI.3.3]

[ELA2015] (3) 19 :

19 ) By the end of the year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, at the high end of the Grades 2-3 text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RI.3.10]

[SC2015] (3) 10 :

10 ) Investigate how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing (e.g., plants having larger thorns being less likely to be eaten by predators, animals having better camouflage coloration being more likely to survive and bear offspring).

This lesson makes use of a book called Where in the Wild? Camouflaged Creatures Concealed and Revealed by David Schwartz and Yael Schy, with illustrations by Dwight Kuhn. In this lesson, students will gain an understanding that some animals have features that make them harder to find in their surroundings. Some use these features to hide from predators while others use them to help catch prey.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (3) 10 :

10 ) Investigate how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing (e.g., plants having larger thorns being less likely to be eaten by predators, animals having better camouflage coloration being more likely to survive and bear offspring).

[SC2015] (4) 11 :

11 ) Investigate different ways animals receive information through the senses, process that information, and respond to it in different ways (e.g., skunks lifting tails and spraying an odor when threatened, dogs moving ears when reacting to sound, snakes coiling or striking when sensing vibrations).

The purpose of this lesson is to expand students’ knowledge of animal features and behaviors that can help or hinder their survival in a particular habitat. Students will participate in classroom discussions and visit a website to learn more about animals and how well (or poorly) they’ve adapted to satisfying their needs in their natural habitats.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (3) 10 :

10 ) Investigate how variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing (e.g., plants having larger thorns being less likely to be eaten by predators, animals having better camouflage coloration being more likely to survive and bear offspring).

This lesson focuses on bird beaks, exploring the relationship between a bird's beak and its ability to find food and survive in a given environment. The students will design a real or imaginary bird that has an adaptation of its feet and beak for a particular method of survival.