Lesson Plan #6
Duration: 1 day
Objectives:
Students will gain a better understanding of how desert animals survive the harsh climate.
Students will recognize that animals go through adaptations to accommodate harsh conditions.
Students will compare and contrast adaptations of living things to a desert habitat.
Materials:
Computer with Internet Access
Key Vocabulary:
Adapt: to make fit
Dormant: when a living thing remains still and inactive, as though asleep, to save energy and survive bad conditions
Nocturnal: active at night
Diurnal: active during the daytime rather than at night
Amphibian: animal with a backbone and four legs that usually hatches in water, but later develops lungs and becomes a land dweller
Reptile: cold-blooded animal, usually covered with scales or plates; most hatch from eggs
Arthropod: animal with an outside skeleton and jointed legs
Procedures:
1. Divide the class into research teams of three or four students.
2. Ask each team to select an animal form the List Of Desert Animals. Have them announce their selection so there's no duplication.
3. Challenge the teams to find information about their animal from magazines, reference books and Internet sites. Make copies of Desert Animal Data Sheet for each team.
4. Have the students fill out necessary information.
Assessment:
Students will be evaluated on the information collected in their Desert Animal Data Sheet.
Home Learning:
Students will choose another animal and complete a Desert Animal Data Sheet.