Designed for Students in Grades 4 - 6
This IAdventure is an interactive story that allows your students to work in pairs to solve a problem by identifying and comparing adaptations of animals.  Along the way students will link to web sites to research and compare adaptation of animals in seven different habitats and how they allow the animals to survive there.  They will observe, compare and infer what adaptations best suit the animals of each habitat.  Based on these findings they will create an imaginary creature of their own in it's habitat.  They will write a paragraph explaining the adaptations of the animal and why they are important for the animals survival.

 
 
 

Curriculum Standards

Process Standards:
Goal 1:2 Conduct research to answer questions and evaluate information and ideas
Goal 1:4 Use technological tools and other resources to locate, select and organize information
Goal 1:6 Discover and evaluate patterns and relationships in information, ideas and structures
Goal 2:2 Review and revise communications to improve accuracy and clarity
Goal 3:3 Develop and apply strategies based on one's own experience in preventing or solving problems
Goal 3:5 Reason inductively from a set of specific facts and deductively from general premises
Goal 4:1 Explain reasoning and identify information used to support decisions
Content Standards:
CA:1 Speaking and writing standard English (including grammar, usage, punctuation, spelling, capitalization)
CA:6 Participating in formal and informal presentations and discussions of issues and ideas
S:3 Characteristics and interactions of living organisms with their environments
S:7 Processes of scientific inquiry (such as formulating and testing hypotheses)
S:8 Impact of science, technology and human activity on resources and the environment
SS:5 The major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movement, regions) and relationships to changes in society and environment
SS:The use of tools of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps documents)
 
 

Resources Needed

Internet connected computers
Power Point program to view a slide show off internet
Data Sheets for each student
12 in x 18 in piece of construction paper
Colored pencils or markers
Scoring guide for each student

Below you will see a copy of the data sheets that will be used by the students
 
 

Adaptation Date Sheet

 

Name:______________________________

Physical Adaptations	Behavioral Adaptations

Click Here for Adaptations data sheet file and print

Adaptation Data Sheet

Name:__________________________

Habitat:________________________________

Animal Names	Adaptations & Types Example:  Wings - physical                   Social Group - behavioral	How does the adaptations help the animal survive?

Click Here for Habitat data sheet file and print

Assessment The student prompt and scoring guide for assessment is located at the conclusion of the iAdventure for the students:
You will receive a grade for four areas of learning.  One part of your grade will be earned based on cooperation with your partner.  Another part of your grade will be earned based on the data sheets that you completed on each Habitat, the animals that live there, and their adaptations.  The next part of your grade will be earned for the picture you draw of your creature in it's environment, with at least three of it's adaptations.  The final part of your grade will be on the paragraph you write to explain your creature; including all the required information from above.  The paragraph will be graded on content, mechanics, and appearance.  Mechanics includes correct grammar, correct use of capital letters, punctuation, and indenting your paragraph.  You will need to write a rough draft of your paragraph before adding the final copy below the picture.  Your grade will be reduced by 5% if project requires more than the paper provided in class.

Scoring Guide

Name_____________________________________

 
 
 
 
 

	Exemplary 4	Accomplished 3	Developing 2	Beginning 1	Score
Date Sheet
Research, Gathering Information	Collects a great deal of information -- all relates to the topic.	Collects some basic information -- most relates to the topic.	Collects very little information -- some relates to the topic.	Does not collect any information that relates to the topic
Paragraph
Content	Contains the information required with supporting details.	Contains the information required with some supporting details.	Contains most of the information required with few supporting details.	Does not contain the information required.
Mechanics	Uses capital letter and punctuation correctly with no spelling errors.	Uses capital letters and punctuation where appropriate with few erros and few spelling errors.	Uses some capital letters and punctuation where appropriate and noticeable spelling errors.	Does not use capital letters and punctuation where appropriate and many spelling errors.
Appearance	Paper is wrinkle free, contains neat handwriting and mistakes are erased.	Paper is generally wrinkle free, easy to read and mistakes are erased.	Paper may be wrinkled, may contain sloppy handwriting, and/or mistakes are not erased.	Paper is wrinkled, contains sloppy handwriting, and mistakes are not erased.
Take Responsibility
Shares Equally	Always does the assigned work without having to be reminded.	Usually does the assigned work -- rarely needs to be reminded.	Rarely does the assigned work -- often needs reminding.	Always relies on others to do the work.
Cooperates with teammate	Never argues with teammate.	Rarely argues.	Sometimes argues.	Usually argues with teammate.
Drawing
Adaptations	Contains the adaptations required with great detail.	Contains the adaptations required with few details.	Contains most of the required details.	Does not contain required adaptations.
Environment	Contains the environment required with great detail.	Contains the environment required with few details.	Contains most of the required environment.	Does not contains the required environment.
Appearance	Paper is wrinkle free, contains neat drawing, and paper is clean.	Paper is generally wrinkle free, contains fairly neat drawing and is generally clean.	Paper may be wrinkled, may contain sloppy drawing and/or mistakes not erased.	Paper is wrinkled, contains sloppy drawing and mistakes are not erased.
				Total