Life Science: Animal and Plant Adaptations

Learning Strand: Life Science

Learning Standards: Children will:

recognize that plant and animals go through predictable life cycles that include birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death.

differentiate between characteristics of plants and animals that are inherited and characteristics that are not inherited.

give examples of how inherited characteristics may change over time due to changes in the environment.

explain how the structures of living things are adaptations to their environment that help them survive.

give examples of how change in the environment has caused some plants and animals to die or move to new locations.

describe how organisms meet some of their needs in an environment by using behaviors in response to information received from the environment.

recognize that some animal behaviors are instinctive and others are learned.

give examples of how organisms can cause changes in their environment to ensure survival and explaining how some of these changes may effect the ecosystem.

describe how energy from the sun is transferred within a food chain from producers to consumers to decomposers.

recognize that many plants and animals can survive harsh environments because of seasonal behaviors.

Animal Adaptation Web Adventure - Explores how camels, polar bears, the stinkbug, and humans adapt to their environments.

Dirtmeister's Science Reporters Animal Adaptations - Students are led through a series of activities where they investigate the facts, record and observe, record their findings and view samples. Examples of animal adaptations are given and sheets with questions are provided.

Kratt's Creatures Creature World - PBS Kids presents information about different animals in different locations around the world.

When Animals Use Science - "Fluffy Engineers - Do prairie dogs become engineers when they build their burrows? Do sea anemones use scientific principles to help them catch food? A team of students and professors at the Comparative Biomechanics Laboratory of Tufts University is exploring these very questions. What answers are these researchers finding?" Visit this site to find out.

NatureWorks - focuses on locating and comparing major plant and animal structures and their functions.

Great Basin Desert Ecosystem - a lesson plan that provides information on the adaptation of desert plants.

What's It Like Where You Live? - A great resource for students to gather information about the Earth's environments (Forests, Deserts, Grasslands, Rainforests, Taiga, Ponds and Lakes, Rivers and Streams, Wetlands, Shorelines,Temperate Oceans, and Tropical Oceans).

Hydrothermal Vents - Called black smokers by scientists, this is an excellent site that describes this ocean phenomena, provides definitions of scientific terms as well as the ocean's ridge system through an expedition being conducted by the American Museum of Natural History.

Sea and Sky: Reef Life - an online tour of the spectacular diversity of a coral reef.

All About Nature - Biomes, Habitats - explores the different biomes. Looks at water, temperature, soil, plants and climate.

Biomes of the World - The readability level is a bit difficult but there is lots of information.

The World's Biomes - an introduction to the major biomes of the earth.

Visit the Wetlands - Take a virtual field trip to the wetlands to explore this habitat and discover why it is important to our environment.

Coral Reefs in Danger - What dangers face the coral reefs of the world? Visit this site to learn more.

Earth Floor - links to wonderful information in a kid friendly format on biomes and adaptations.

Biome Project Resources - contains links to several biome websites.

Major Biomes of the World - presents information about the different biomes in an easy to read manner.

Biome Basics - connects to the different biomes around the world.

Food Chain - information about the players in the food chain (producers, consumers, etc.)

Interesting Facts About Food Chains - contains information about food chains and food webs in an ecosystem.

Land Biomes - short but very kid friendly easy to read information about land biomes.

Planet Pals Food Chain - presents information and a graphic organizer about the food chain.

Food Chains - presents several different food chains with some wonderful graphic organizers, includes decomposer food chains, food webs, food pyramids, etc.

Habitats of the World - A lesson plan published by Discovery School. Its objectives are that students understand the "Earth supports many different hatitats, each of which has distince features and distinct plant and animal populations", and that students learn that "animals and plants are adapted to the conditions of the habitats in which they live." It includes extension activities and resources, links, and discussion questions.

Reptile Adaptations - A lesson plan published by Discovery School. Its objectives state: "Adaptation describes the changing traits that enable reptiles to live in their environments", and "Adaptations can be found in physical and behavioral traits of reptiles." It includes discussion questions, extensions, suggested readings, and links.

Desert Animals - A lesson plan published by Discovery School. Its objectives state: To survive within an ecosystem, an animal must be physically and behaviorally adapted to the conditions of its environment", and "Animals living in the desert have physical and behavioral characteristics that make them well adapted to the desert environment."

Coasts - A lesson plan by Discovery School. It includes information about some of the life forms that inhabit different coastal regions. Includes discussion questions.

The Biome Quest - students are assigned the task of accompanying scientists on a trip to visit the different biomes. Teams consisting of a meteorologist, biologist, zoologist, and ecologist explore one biome.

 Ocean Marine Adaptations - a webquest - The task: You and your fellow marine biologists who are specialists in genetic engineering are living in the new colony of Pacificus on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean in the year 2035. You have been assigned the task of creating a new species which will be well suited to its ocean environment. In order to aid you in this task, you need to study adaptations of marine species to specific ocean environments.