Everybody knows that animals need food to eat, water to drink, air to breathe, and a place to live. Did you also know that animals need to have a way to protect themselves from danger? We might not think of this one very often, but it's true!
What are some enemies of animals?
You might think of predators first, and you would be right! We know that some animals - like tigers or sharks - hunt smaller animals for food. So, we know that animals need to have some way to defend themselves from other animals (including human animals like us!).
Did you ever think that an animal's environment might be its enemy, too? It could be! Think about animals that live in Antarctica, in the coldest places on the earth! Think about animals that live in the deserts, in the hottest places on the earth! There are some really dangerous places on our earth, but animals live just about everywhere!
In this WebQuest, we are going to learn about
animal adaptations. These are very special ways that animals
survive and meet their needs for food, air, water, protection from enemies,
and having a place to live. Let's get ready to find out about some
amazing animal adaptations!
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You are going to do several things as you become an animal adaptations expert. First, you will learn about adaptations - what they are, different ways that animals adapt, and different reasons that animals adapt. Then, you will become an animal expert on one animal. You will learn so much about this one animal that you will be able to teach everyone else about this animal and its special adaptations. Finally, you will get to create an animorph animal that has special abilities to adapt to all kinds of different environments. Ready to become an adaptation expert? Then let's get started!
First, let's be sure you know everything that you will do in this unit of study:
As an adaptation expert, you will do these things:
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Process:
1. Print the Research
Guide. As you complete the following steps, keep your worksheet
with you and record your answers.
2. Read some special information about how animals survive. Start by learning about what adaptations are! Click here!
3. Pick an animal to research. You can get a list of animals by clicking here or you can select from a list by clicking here.
4. Use books, magazines, electronic encyclopedias, and web sites to fill out your research guide. As you find out about adaptations of your animal, put your animal's name in the correct place on our class animal adaptation chart. Your animal may be listed in more than one category. Be prepared to talk about the adaptation when you add your animal to the list.
5. Write your report. Be sure to start with a very interesting introduction. Then tell about any special adaptations. Close your report with a good conclusion that makes your reader want to learn more! After you write your report, check it for spelling and grammar errors. When you are happy with the report, use a computer to word process the report.
6. When you have finished typing your report, give it to your teacher so that it can be included in the class book about animal adaptations.
7. Draw a picture of your animal. It should be drawn on a piece of paper about the size of a postcard. You will scan this picture later and add it to your PowerPoint slide.
8. On a piece of paper, not in your report, summarize what you have learned about your animal. List the animal's name and its most impressive adaptations. You will use this paper with its information later to create your PowerPoint slide.
9. Your teacher will take your whole class to the computer lab to create your PowerPoint slide. Then your teacher will link all of the slides together to make a class slide show. Be sure that you have spelled all of the words correctly and that you have shared the very most important, interesting adaptation information with your classmates.
10. Next is the fun, creative part! Make up an animal that can morph so that it can live in a variety of environments. Draw a series of pictures of your animal as it morphs to exist in at least three different situations. On the picture, you should label the special adaptations and explain how the adaptation helps your animal to survive.
11. Share your AnimalMorph with your
classmates!
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Multimedia Animal Encyclopedia on CD Rom
Encarta Encyclopedia on CD Rom
Animal Books from the Media Center
Internet Resources (Some of these resources are listed above, but some are additional resources that will help you to find more information):
Enchanted
Learning
The
Birmingham Zoo
Mrs.
Hamilton's Class Pages
The
Electronic Zoo
Animals
Abound
Migration
- Moving Day
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Evaluation:
Your work in this project will be evaluated
using the following rubric:
| Excellent | Satisfactory | Needs Improvement | Unacceptable | |
| Research Guide | Guide is completely filled out with appropriate information | Guide is filled out correctly, but some adaptations may have been overlooked | Some adaptations are listed, but many adaptations have been overlooked | Guide was not utilized or was not shown to teacher |
| Report | Report is complete with a strong introduction, interesting facts, and good conclusion | Facts in report are accurate; introduction/conclusion are not strong | Report contains inaccuracies OR report is incomplete | Report is incomplete and/or many inaccuracies are evident |
| Report - Mechanics | Report is free of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors | Report contains few errors, none of which affect the reader's understanding | Report contains some errors most of which affect understanding | Report contains many errors which affect understanding |
| Illustration | Illustration is in color, shows animal in habitat with attention to adaptation | One element is missing from drawing: color, habitat, or adaptation | Two elements are missing from drawing | No drawing is included in final product |
| PowerPoint Slide | Slide contains summary with adaptations, description of animal, habitat, interesting fact, and drawing | One element is missing from slide | Two elements are missing from slide | Three or more elements are missing from slide |
| AnimalMorph | Series of drawings is complete with at least three situations, adaptations labeled, and explanations of adaptations provided | One element is missing from Morph requirements | Two elements are missing from Morph requirements | Three or more elements are missing from Morph requirements |
| References | References are listed on research guide; at least one book, one CD, and one Internet site was used | References are listed; at least two types of references were used | References are listed; one type of reference was used | References are not listed |
| Chart | Animal is listed in all appropriate categories | Animal is listed in most appropriate categories | Animal is listed, but may not be listed in appropriate categories | Animal is not listed on chart |
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Now you have become an animal expert!
Have you learned interesting facts about an amazing creature? Where
can you go from here? Even though it is not part of your assignment,
you may want to create something special to share with your class - maybe
a diorama showing your animal in its habitat. You're the expert!
Share your knowledge today!
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