Animal Adaptations Resources

Introduce students to the study of ecological adaptation through lesson plans, worksheets, and group activities. Supplement your science unit with printable resources and projects that will help you teach students about the different ways in which animals adapt to their environment. Use these life-science materials to examine how organisms respond to predators, seasonal change, and other threats. Explore how migration, hibernation, and physical changes protect species and help them survive.

Lesson Plans & Activities What Is Adaptation? Compare and contrast human and animal adaptations. Why Are Feathers Special? -- Activity 4.2 Use a lesson that shows why feathers are a remarkable example of animal adaptation. What Purposes Can Feathers Serve? -- Activity 4.3 Children learn how animals adapt to cold environments with the help of their feathers. Can You Make a Feather? -- Activity 4.4 Children will construct their own feather and compare it with a real bird feather. How Is Color Used by Living Things? -- Activity 4.5 This small group activity teaches students the important role color plays in animal adaptation. How Do Birds Adapt to Eating? -- Activity 4.6 In this hands-on lesson, children learn how birds have adapted their beaks in order to successfully eat. What Are Some Other Eating Adaptations? -- Activity 4.7 Your child classify animals according to their mouth shape and parts, as well as the foods they eat. What Are Human Teeth Like? -- Activity 4.8 Human teeth are compared with animal teeth to teach children about this specific adaptation. How Do Animals Move? -- Activity 4.9 In this activity younger children can imitate animal movements, while older students can play animal movement charades. How Do Some Animals Communicate? -- Activity 4.10 In small groups, students make only movements while describing a certain object. How Do Seasons Affect Animal Adaptations? -- Activity 4.11 Animals have different ways of adapting to seasonal change. In this lesson students will classify animals into three categories of adaptation: hibernate, migrate, and adapt. How Do Animals Adapt to Seasonal Change? -- Activity 4.12 Present an activity that uses globes to show that some birds migrate east and west rather than north and south. Can You Design a Better Bird? -- Activity 4.13 Children design a bird using a variety of materials. This lesson is a great culminating activity on Animal Adaptation. Explore Activity: Exploring Feeding Adaptations Students make a mouth model to explore the feeding adaptations of different animals. Materials list, advance preparation instructions, lab hints and tips, safety tips, rubric, worksheets, and answer key are provided. Explore Activity: Exploring Protective Coloring Students explore how a moth's coloring protects it from being seen in its habitat. Materials list, rubric, worksheets, and answer key are provided. Adaptations: Family Activity Suggest a family activity to parents that focuses on how living thing adapt for survival, and on vocabulary words related to adaptation. Changing and Adapting: Family Activity Suggest a family activity to parents that includes home projects and vocabulary words related to change and adaptation.

Projects Animal Adaptations Project -- Teacher Notes A comprehensive set of notes to help you guide your students through this life-science project. Animal Adaptation Project -- Student Overview In this project, students study how different organisms have adapted to their own environments. Animal Adaptations Project -- Worksheet 1 Children research and chart different organisms, their adaptations, and functions. Animal Adaptations Project -- Worksheet 2 After completing worksheet 1 of this project, students perform several tasks describing an adaptation of their choice. Animal Adaptation Project -- Scoring Rubric Give this rubric to students before they begin their animal adaptation project. Use it to evaluate the students' work in four categories: planning, model building, poster, and presentation. Printables Science and Language Arts: Design Your Own Animals Distribute a printable set of discussion questions on environmental adaptation. Adaptations: Vocabulary Use this list of vocabulary words when studying about adaptation. Surviving in the Environment: Vocabulary Distribute a printable set of vocabulary words associated with environments. Changing and Adapting: Vocabulary Use this vocabulary list when studying about adaptation and change. Kingfisher Young Knowledge: Animal Disguises Teacher's Guide Explore how animals adapt for survival in the wild with this printable teacher's guide for Animal Disguises. Extend elementary students' enjoyment of the book with activities that connect science, art, and language arts. Related Resources Animals – Teacher Resources Educate students about animal behavior, biology, and habitats with our resources for grades K-12. Learn how to classify animals with lessons and printables on vertebrates and insects. Rain Forest Teacher Resources Teach students about rain forest ecology with these lessons and printables for grades K-12. Browse our resources to find activities on tropical plants, wildlife, natural resources and more! Wildlife Teacher Resources Our lessons and printables on wildlife are perfect resources for National Wildlife Week. Bring the animal world into your classroom with activities on insects and mammals for grades K-12.