A
How do animals protect themselves?
By: Rachel Connelly
A. Standards - 6.3.2 Summarize the basic functions of the
structures of animals that allow them to defend themselves, to
move, and to obtain resources.
B. Performance Objectives
- The students should be able to summarize the basic functions
of animal structures (defense).
- The students should be able to identify individual animal
structures of defense and their primary functions.
C. Hook
- What is your favorite animal?
D. Materials for each group- Stuffed, Taxidermy, or Plastic
Animals
for each student- Defense Activity PacketE. Body of the Lesson
PlanConcept Exploration
The teacher asks the following questions:I. What is your
favorite animal?
Target Response:
Any Insect or Animal
II. Why do you like it so much? (you can skip this question and
go straight to the next question)
Target Response:
Anything here just trying to see how much they know about their
animal
III. Why does your favorite animal have certain features and
structures?
Target Response:
Wings flying, getting away, collecting food
Legs moving, getting away
Fur keeping warm
Claws protecting, ripping apart things
Teeth eating, ripping things, biting, protecting
Ears hearing far away
Color camouflage, mimicry
Thick Skin protection, keep from dehydrating
Many more.
For question III you can also give or take an example from the
favorite animal question to help tie things together. For example
you say butterfly and ask them how would I draw a butterfly on the
board, what kind of features and structures would the butterfly
need (add on as they say the features). Then they would say spots,
pretty colors, wings, and then you would ask well what would the
butterfly use that for. Trying to get them to say the above
responses such as flying, getting away, collecting food,
camouflage, or mimicry. After the students have had time to
explore, the teacher focuses the students attention to think about
how the animal protects itself (also can tie in earlier when
thinking about features and structures).
Concept Introduction
At this stage of the lesson the teacher explains that each
animal has different structures that help it to survive in its
environment (just like the example that was given at the end of the
exploration of this activity). The teacher will then introduce the
scientific concepts of defense, by writing them on the board (or in
powerpoint). The students will then be asked the following
questions and use the new vocabulary to help explain their
observations (might want to have students write this word in their
notebook somewhere as a reference later).
Defense how animals protect themselves
The teacher asks students the following question:
What types of structures do the animals use for defense and what
are their functions?
Target Response:
Spikes, teeth, horns, whip tails, big tails, poison, puffing up
to look bigger (change in size), camouflage (skin color), emitting
odor (smell), spray, plates, playing dead, running fast, burrowing,
claws, quills, stingers, venom, shells, emitting body fluids (ink),
speed, jumping, wings, climbing, paws, nails.
You can help the students a lot here by putting pictures up on
the powerpoint or board (instead of just making them list, might
want to put the list on the board). This way they can see and
remember that this animal has this certain type of defense, plus it
gets children more excited about the lesson.
F. Concept Application
The teacher then splits the class up into groups of 3 or 4,
provides the students with animals for exploration, and hands out
the Defense Activity Packet. The students are required to make
observations about the animals on their desks. The students will be
allowed three minutes (could be five minutes depending on class and
how much time you have) with each animal and asked to write down as
many observations as they can. After the three minutes are up the
teacher moves the animals clockwise to the next table, that way no
confusion of students getting up and not knowing where to go. Note:
each group does not have to do every animal, this way then
discussing it afterwards you do not get all the same responses. The
teacher now leads a discussion about what they observed about the
animals, and asks the question do all of these animals protect
themselves the same way.
G. Evaluation
The students are then asked to flip to the second sheet in their
Defense Activity Packet. This worksheet can either be done for
homework, as a class, or in class individually or group. Here you
can explain that they need to use the observations that they made
earlier. They write down the name of one animal, put a structure of
defense (can be an observation), and then the function of defense.
Note: you might want to go over a few examples just so the students
understand how to fill out the chart. Example: Elephant, Trunk,
Grabbing things/Hitting things. This sheet can be turned in for a
grade or discussed orally depending on the length of class.
