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 Special
Feature Lesson:
Design Your Own Animal
Overview:
Students "invent" a new animal that is adapted for land, air and water,
using clues to decide which physical features it should have to make use
of all three environments.
Print out copies of the Design Your Own Animal sheet. Make enough photocopies
for each student to use.Review the Special Feature story. Ask students
to share examples from the article of how a mallard duck is designed for
life in the air, on water and on land. Review the definition of an adaptation.
Ask students to share other examples of how animals are adapted to life
in water, on land, or in the air. Challenge them to identify behaviors
(such as swimming, running, flight) or physical features (such as gills,
wings or thick fur) that help animals survive in the environments in which
they live. Hand out copies of the Design Your Own Animal sheet. Review
the instructions with students. Challenge them to draw or cut out pictures
to build their own animal. Give the activity an interesting twist by allowing
students to include technological features (such as wheels) in their animal
designs. Allow time for students to share their finished animals
as a class and compare how each design is different or similar. Discuss
real life examples of animals that have the adaptations listed on the sheet.
Extension Idea:
Challenge students to create another animal; this time, students can
choose their own adaptations.
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