Program Outline:



Program Outline:

Animal Adaptations

This outline is designed for groups of up to 100 students (1 hour). This was a very popular program at Onondaga Cave State Park when I worked there, and we often found ourselves getting requests from larger groups for this particular program. It is much easier to do with a group of 50 or less, but we “adapt” (pun intended) when we need to…thus the outline you see below! The first 30 minutes of this program include all 100 students and should be done somewhere outside, weather permitting. The Birds and Worms game is best performed in a large, open area (with room for running).

Materials needed:

■ Books showing examples of camouflage and other adaptations

■ Herbivore, Omnivore and Carnivore skulls or photos of skulls

■ Magnetic dry erase board

■ “Worms” (yellow, green, black, brown, orange, red colored cardstock – 1-1.5 inch squares with flat, square magnet glued to the back)

-If indoors, replace this game with Bats and Bugs (supplies include bandannas and bugs on sticks (drawings or photos laminated and cut out)

■ Short 10-15 minute video on animal adaptation

■ Critters with a Purpose craft supplies (see below) and habitat/animal description cards (see attached)

I. Introductions: DNR, park, self, program

II. Theme: Adaptation is a way of life for many organisms!

III. Define adaptation

A. Ways animals adapt to the night:

1. Hearing – bats

2. Sight – owls

3. Smell – coyotes, foxes

B. Ways plants/animals adapt to natural changes in the environment:

1. drought: store water and food

2. hibernation: store food, eat large quantities of food

3. migration: move to warmer climates, etc.

C. Ways humans can change their environment:

1. dams

2. pollution

3. what happens to plants and animals living in environments where these changes occur?

IV. Skulls (or photos) – adaptations to different diets

A. Carnivores: note the canines (tearing teeth for ripping meat from carrion)

1. mink and otter skulls

B. Herbivores: note the flat chewing teeth (no sharp canines – not needed)

1. deer and beaver (beaver has long incisors for stripping bark)

C. Omnivores: combination of herbivore and carnivore jaw structures

1. bear and opossum

V. Birds and Worms – The point of the game is to learn about camouflage, but don’t tell them that until afterwards.

A. Divide into 5 teams (depending on size of group)

B. Each person (one at a time from each team) must find one worm (red, brown, green, yellow, black, orange colored paper glued to magnet) and return to their team. Tag the next person in line, etc. If the teams are small, the students may be sent in twice to recover worms. The team who gets all of its birds fed first wins. Arrange worms by color on dry erase board so students can see which colors were found more than others.

C. Which of the worms were easier to see in the grass? Which were not? Why is that?

D. What other methods of camouflage can you think of? Shape of animal (leaf) and patterns on body (eye spots) (show pictures in books if time)

VI. Move groups inside (A to auditorium (15 min. video) and B to classroom)

VII. Critters with a Purpose:

A. Divide into 6 groups of 4 or 5; one group at each corner of tables

B. Rules are:

-They have 5 minutes to design a critter that fits the description given (see attached)

-DO NOT create a “real” animal.

-Give the animal a name and be prepared to describe its adaptations

E. Supplies include pipe cleaners, cotton balls, play doh, googly eyes, lids of soda bottles, toothpicks, feathers, clothespins, etc.

VIII. Switch (B to auditorium and A to classroom) and repeat. Conclude with theme.

Animal Adaptations – Indoors

In Classroom (no chairs or tables) – in case of rain:

I. Introductions, theme…

II. Define Adaptation…

III. Skulls…

IV. Bats and Bugs (group B)

A. Have children sit in circle along walls. Choose a couple of bats and several bugs. Bats are blindfolded with bandannas and bugs receive a “bug on a stick”

B. Bats say “BAT” and bugs respond with “ECHO” (similar to Marco Polo).

C. Bats try to capture bugs (stress that running will not be allowed in such a small space).

D. Discuss echolocation and how it is an adaptation to being a nocturnal creature.

V. Divide into 2 groups (A to auditorium, B stays in classroom)

VI. Critters with a Purpose

VII. Switch (A to classroom, B to auditorium)

Animal descriptions/habitats:

You are an animal that eats zooplankton.

You are an animal that eats aquatic plants and digs into the ground for protection.

You are an animal that lives along the edge of a swamp and eats flying insects.

You are an animal that lives in a tree and eats insects.

You are an animal that lives in the water, and you attach yourself to other animals, sucking out their fluids.

You are a predator that hunts smaller animals at night.

Some questions to ask participants about their animals (if time permits):

What kind of mouth/teeth does your animal have and why?

Does your animal swim in the water? If so, what does its feet look like and why?

Does your animal fly? What advantage does flying give your animal?

What color is your animal and why?

How does your animal catch its food?

Where does your animal live?

Does your animal have any special body parts? Why are they special?

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