Lesson Plan: Adaptations for the Cold

“Adaptations for the Cold”

Some parts of the world don’t just experience cold and snow in the winter months; they experience that climate all year. In this lesson, students will investigate how animals like penguins, snowshoe hares and Arctic wolves have adapted to survive in the cold and snow. They will use evidence to argue that a particular animal has adapted well to this environment. They will then draw an imaginary animal that would be well-adapted to survive the cold and snow. As extensions, students can discuss what would happen to these real and imagined animals if the environment changed and/or create a second animal that would survive in a hot, dry climate instead.

Objectives
Students will:
  • construct an argument with evidence for how a specific animal survives a cold, snowy climate;
  • create an imaginary animal that would be well-suited for a cold, snowy climate.

Standards
    Next Generation Science Standards: 3-LS4-3.
  • Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all (3-LS4-3)

Materials
Products Created
  • Completed “Surviving the Cold” worksheet (two-sided)

Time
  • One class period

Sequence
    1. As a warm-up, have students list animals that live in cold and snowy places. After a few minutes, ask for volunteers to share an animal from their list. Write these on chart paper or the board at the front of the room. The list might include penguins, polar bears, seals, snowshoe hares, Arctic wolves and Arctic squirrels, among many others. If students are unfamiliar with any of these animals, show them a picture or ask another student to describe it. You will go back to this list later in the lesson.
    2. Watch the Adaptations video. Go through the “Quick Review” questions and read the highlighted interactive lyrics.
    3. Discuss how plant and animal species change very slowly to better survive in their specific environments. Check for understanding by having students choose an example of a plant or animal from the song and explain one way that species has adapted to survive in its environment.
    4. Students will work in partners or groups on the Adaptations activity. When they have finished, invite volunteers to share their answers with the class. Explain that species often adapt in more than one way. That is why each question has more than one correct answer.
    5. Return to the list you created from the warm-up. For each animal, ask students to think of a way it has adapted to survive the cold and snow. If they get stuck, ask them about particular features such as the animal’s coloring, size, how it stays warm and how it avoids sinking in the snow or slipping on ice.
    6. As students share their thinking, write the adaptations next to the animals on the list. Point out that different animal species may adapt to survive the cold and snow in similar ways. For example, white fur (polar bears and Arctic wolves) is a common adaptation in this environment because it helps animals to camouflage. Another example is adaptations to the feet and legs of animals (penguins and snowshoe hare) to move on snow and ice.
    7. Hand out the “Surviving the Cold” worksheet. Students can choose any of the animals from the list. They may work in partners or independently to draw the animal and fill out the graphic organizer on page 1.
    8. Copy the sentences below on the board and instruct students to fill in the blanks for their chosen species. Then, students can take turns sharing these arguments aloud with the class.
      My argument: The _______ species has adapted to survive the cold and snow. Its __________ helps it by ____________________. Its __________ helps it by ____________________.
    9. For the remainder of class, students should work on page 2 of the “Surviving the Cold” worksheet. Now, they are creating an imaginary animal species that has adapted to survive the cold and snow. They should first fill out the graphic organizer, giving their species a name and describing two unique adaptations it has to survive the snow and cold. Then, they can draw their imagined animal. They may include more than two adaptations if they choose as well.
    10. To close class, students should write down a second argument, this time filling in the blanks for their imagined species. They should then take turns sharing their arguments and drawings with the class.

Wrap Up/Extensions
    1. Discuss what would happen to these real and imagined animals if their environment changed. What if the snow and ice melted or the weather got warmer? Would they be able to survive?
    2. Have students repeat the activities for a real or imagined animal that is adapted to survive a hot, dry climate.

Guided Reflection
  • “I used to think _______, and now I think _______.”
  • “One thing I learned is __________, and one question I still have is _________.”