Grade: 4 Content Area: Science, Ecosystems, and Structural Adaptations Child/Group: Small Group, 7 students I. SOL: 4.

5 The student will investigate and understand how plants and animals in an ecosystem interact with one another and the nonliving environment. Key concepts include a) plant and animal adaptations. The students will understand the concept of body color as a structural adaptation. They will know the definition of camouflage and understand how it helps animals to survive in their environment. 1. Moth templates (already cut) 2. Pictures of animal camouflage on mini iPad 3. Crayons 4. Scissors 5. Tape Transition: All students will come in from specials and I will sit them on the rug. I will explain to them that we will continue learning about behavioral and structural adaptations.

II. Objective (s):

III. Materials:

IV: Presentation

Key Questions: What is an example of a structural adaptation? What is an example of a behavioral adaptation? I will break them up into the 3 stations 7 kids in each group. The groups will already be decided. I will explain the independent station to the whole class before we break up into stations. All 3 stations will already be set up.

At my station: 1. State goals/objectives (~2 minute): Today we are going to continue talking about structural adaptations. Key Questions: What do you know already about structural adaptations? What type of adaptations have to do with body color? Today we are going to concentrate on camouflage, which is a body color structural adaptation. 2. Definition and examples of Camouflage (~2 minutes): Camouflage is when an animals body coloring allows them to blend into their environment. Look at these pictures. (Show them pictures on the iPad).

Key Questions: Can you find the animals? Why or why not? Why do the animals need to do this? What types of animals need to do this? Why dont humans need to do this? Be sure to talk about protection from predators. Tie this into why humans dont need to camouflage (because we are not actively hunted by predators). If necessary, explain what predators are (animals that hunt other animals for food). Predators of moths are bats, owls, birds, and lizards. 3. Explain activity (~2 minutes): Explain that we are going to color in moths so that they blend into a place in our classroom. Show students my example. Tell them that they can pick anywhere in the room and color in their moth so that a predator would have trouble finding the animal in the classroom. Tell them that the next day, a predator will come into the room and try to find their moths. (The predator will be the Assistant Principal). 4. Activity (~5 minutes): Give students materials (moth templates, tape, crayons) and time to color in moths. Allow them to move around the room.

Behavior Management: Remind students to be respectful of their classmates at other stations Tell them exactly how much time they have left as the time ticks down and make sure a timer is available to them so that they know how much time there is left exactly V: Assessment: Summative Assessment: - The ecosystems unit culminates in a project that will test whether students understand structural adaptations Formative Assessment: - Exit question : Why would an animal need camouflage? (Deeper understanding question: Why dont humans need to camouflage)

VI: Differentiation Universal Design for Learning: - Students will have a visual of camouflage examples - Students will receive verbal instruction about what camouflage is and why it is important - Students will be talking about camouflage with their classmates

Students will be cutting and drawing, using their hands to actually make examples of the concept of camouflage

VII: Technology:

Pictures of animal camouflage will be on mini iPad.

Moth Template: