- Performance Task
- Created by Norwalk Admin
- 36 Student Check-ins
- 7 Products
Introduction
Driving Question
- Why do adaptations occur?
- What is an adaptation?
- What can park rangers teach people?
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Big Idea
- Environments are full of different types of plants and animals that have adapted to their environment.
- Humans must be able to adapt to their environment to survive.
Essential Questions
- What do humans do to stay protected and alive in their environment?
G.R.A.S.P.
Your goal is to teach people about animals and their adaptations.
Role
You are a park ranger working at a local visitors center. One of your jobs is to study the changes animals make that help them live so that you can educate people about animals and their environments.
Audience
You will be giving information to all different types of people. People of all ages and backgrounds come to visitor centers looking for information and facts about different places to visit.
Situation
Animal adaptations are the important changes that have occurred in animals over time that have helped them stay alive and survive in their environments. An environment is the setting of where we live with plants and animals. You are working for a visitor center in which your job is to tell the people who visit about the different kinds of environments on our Earth. People come to the visitor center looking for information that might help them choose where they want to go visit. Your job is to tell the visitors all about the animals and local wildlife that live in that area. It will be helpful to study the different adaptations that animals have had to make in order to understand the animal and the environment.
Illustration
suggested starting product:
Illustrate a picture of an animal that lives in your environment. Be sure to label your illustration and give it a title.
Brochure
Create a brochure on the animal adaptations in a particular environment. This brochure will highlight the adaptations that have helped these animals survive. Your brochure should contain at least five animals that live in the environment. (Be sure to be specific in naming the type of adaptation it is, it could be physical or behavioral. ) Be sure to include a variety of pictures of the animals you choose.
Chart
Make a chart of the different adaptation types (physical or behavioral) you found in your research of the animals within the environment. Use the chart to ask and answer questions about the total number of adaptations, how many are in each group (physical or behavioral) and how many more or less physical or behavioral adaptations you found.
Photostory/Adaptations
With your class or with the help of an adult, you are going to create a Photostory about the animal adaptations that you learned about. You will need to include photos of each animal along with a short description of that animal and its adaptation. Be sure to include which adaptations are found in young animals and which are found in adult animals.
Research Map
With the help of an adult, conduct research on the different animals in a given environment and their adaptations that help them survive. With the information make a map of the environment showing the different animals. Design symbols to represent the types of adaptations they have and create a map key.
Model
You are going to create a model of an animal. You may use modeling clay or other helpful classroom material. This animal model will need to include physical features that will help it to survive in its environment. (Some examples of these features might be sharp teeth for eating other animals, large eyes to help see in the dark, or spines to help protect it from other creatures.) When you are finished you will be asked to explain the details of your model.
Journal Prompt
suggested final product:
Tell me what you learned about animals and how they survive.
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Defined Learning Videos
Runtime: 4:42
Runtime: 2:08
Defined Learning Resources
Ecosystems
Constructed Response
An Ecosystem is the environment where both living and non-living things live together. The word ecosystem comes from two words: ecology and system.
Environment
Constructed Response
The environment is everything in the world around us. Our environment is also the community we live in with other living things.
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Illustration
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What animals live in your environment?
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What do those animals need to survive?
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What does that animal look like?
Brochure
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Why do animals have to adapt to their environment?
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What is an environment?
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How do humans adapt to their environment?
Photostory/Adaptations
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What animal features help an animal survive?
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How do adaptations help an animal live?
Chart
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What are some behavioral adaptations of animals?
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How many were physical? How many were behavioral?
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What are some physical adaptations of animals?
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How many more or less physical adaptations did you find compared to behavioral adaptations?
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How many total adaptations did you find?
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How do adaptations help animals?
Research Map
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How many different environments can you find on a map?
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What is a map?
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What can we learn from maps?
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What is a map?
Journal Prompt
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What have you learned about animals in their environments?
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What do animals need in their environments?
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What are some reasons that animals adapt to their environments?
Model
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How do animals features help an animal live in their environment?
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What is an animal habitat?
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What are animal features?
Process Video
Design Process
Brainstorm Ideas
It's time to think about product development. You will begin with ideation, which is the start of the creative process. During the ideation phase, you will brainstorm with your group about all the potential ways you could approach this product. Remember, the more creative and innovative your ideas are at this stage, the better! Your group will need to check and make sure that each of your initial ideas are meeting the requirements related to the goal, audience and product description. What are the directions or criteria that need to be followed? Who is your audience and what will they need from this product?
Analyze & Decide
As you discuss the possibilities during your brainstorming, you will narrow the ideas down to those that seem like they would best solve the problem or address the challenge. Once you have narrowed down to two or three ideas, grab some paper and a pencil and make an outline or sketch a plan for each one. What will the product need to include? How will you best use the information that you found in your research to create it? What would the product look like based upon each idea?
After outlining your product ideas. Discuss with your group and decide on ONE that you would like to move forward with. When you have selected one idea, you will move on to the creation phase, keeping in mind that you may go through several rounds of creation and revision before you are ready to present.
Create & Revise
It is possible that while you are creating the first version of your product, you will develop more questions that need to be answered before you can continue. If so, you may need to do additional research. Reflect on how any new information affects your product and make revisions as needed.
Your group should also be looking at the rubric during the creation phase. Here, you can practice thinking critically and collaborating with your peers to understand what needs to be included in your product. Then, you should reflect on whether or not your initial work meets those criteria. If you realize that it does not, you may need to go back and make additional revisions.
As you work through the process of creating and revising your product, communication with your teacher and classmates will be very valuable. Asking for help and discussing your product with others can help you clarify whether or not your product meets the goal of the task and is appropriate for the audience.
Remember, creating this product is a fun opportunity to apply what you have learned about important topics in a more creative and independent way.
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Brainstorming: Based on your group's analysis of the research, brainstorm potential solutions, designs, and recommendations
Enter your brainstorming ideas below.
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Analyze/Decide: Based on your group's brainstorming - decide on the best ways to move forward and create a product that meets the needs of the target audience and addresses the goal of the task.
Write below what you or your team have decided to create.
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Illustration
suggested starting product:
Illustrate a picture of an animal that lives in your environment. Be sure to label your illustration and give it a title.
Online submission requires login. Log In
Brochure
Create a brochure on the animal adaptations in a particular environment. This brochure will highlight the adaptations that have helped these animals survive. Your brochure should contain at least five animals that live in the environment. (Be sure to be specific in naming the type of adaptation it is, it could be physical or behavioral. ) Be sure to include a variety of pictures of the animals you choose.
Online submission requires login. Log In
Chart
Make a chart of the different adaptation types (physical or behavioral) you found in your research of the animals within the environment. Use the chart to ask and answer questions about the total number of adaptations, how many are in each group (physical or behavioral) and how many more or less physical or behavioral adaptations you found.
Online submission requires login. Log In
Photostory/Adaptations
With your class or with the help of an adult, you are going to create a Photostory about the animal adaptations that you learned about. You will need to include photos of each animal along with a short description of that animal and its adaptation. Be sure to include which adaptations are found in young animals and which are found in adult animals.
Online submission requires login. Log In
Research Map
With the help of an adult, conduct research on the different animals in a given environment and their adaptations that help them survive. With the information make a map of the environment showing the different animals. Design symbols to represent the types of adaptations they have and create a map key.
Online submission requires login. Log In
Model
You are going to create a model of an animal. You may use modeling clay or other helpful classroom material. This animal model will need to include physical features that will help it to survive in its environment. (Some examples of these features might be sharp teeth for eating other animals, large eyes to help see in the dark, or spines to help protect it from other creatures.) When you are finished you will be asked to explain the details of your model.
Online submission requires login. Log In
Journal Prompt
suggested final product:
Tell me what you learned about animals and how they survive.
Online submission requires login. Log In
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Constructed Responses
Environment
The environment is everything in the world around us. Our environment is also the community we live in with other living things.
Ecosystems
An Ecosystem is the environment where both living and non-living things live together. The word ecosystem comes from two words: ecology and system.
Teacher Case Studies