Coco Zhao

Lesson 6
Date taught: April 13, 2022
Life Science
Whole class lesson

Science: Habitats and Adaptations

Lesson Objective
● After direct instruction about what an adaptation is, what a habitat is, and how key
aspects of various habitats cause organisms to develop different adaptations, students will
infer the preferred habitat of an organism based upon their physical features and what
adaptations they have.
Standards Addressed
● 3-LS4-3. Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity
○ Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms
can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
● Disciplinary Core Ideas
○ LS4.C: Adaptation
■ For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well,
some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
○ LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
■ Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats
affects the organisms living there.
Anticipatory Set
● Begin by having students think about what environment we, as humans, live in and what
kinds of traits/features we have that help us live and survive in that environment
○ “Hi friends! So let’s talk about how we, as humans, live in a certain environment
that is most beneficial to us. For example, we don’t live in the ocean because we
probably couldn’t survive there for very long. So what kind of environment do we
live in? … Exactly––excellent thinking. Now what are some characteristics or
features about humans that allow us to survive in our particular environment? …”
■ Encourage students to focus on what humans have (such as hands and
legs) rather than what the world has (such as buildings and roads)
■ Equity of voice: try to call on as many students as possible to make sure
all students feel heard, but also be mindful of time!
Perceived Objective and Rationale
● “Today we are going to be learning about what an adaptation is, what a habitat is, and
how key aspects of various habitats cause organisms to develop different adaptations.
This is an important topic to learn about because adaptations are crucial towards the
 survival of living organisms, and understanding how different organisms are able to
survive in different habitats allow students to gain a deeper knowledge about the
biodiversity of life on earth.”
Input and Modeling
● Introduce key vocabulary words
○ Habitat: a place where plants and animals live
○ Adaptation: what a plant or animal has or does that helps them live
○ “Just like humans, animals and plants and most other organisms also have traits
that allow them to live and thrive in a certain environment. These are called
adaptations––everyone say adaptations with me … ADAPTATIONS. Now a
habitat is that environment or area where an organism lives––everyone say habitat
with me … HABITAT.”
● Show students pictures of three different habitats, one-by-one: ocean, mountain, and
desert
○ For each picture/habitat:
■ “Can someone raise their hand tell me what habitat they think this picture
shows? … Nice thinking! Now what are some key qualities we notice
about this habitat? … So could we, as humans, survive in this habitat
based on our adaptations?”
● Start explaining directions of activity
○ “My scientists, now you all are going to do a little experiment about the habitats
and adaptations of different animals and plants. *hold up experiment sheet* On
this piece of paper, you will see the names of a few plants and animals written
out. On each table group, there will be a picture and list of adaptations of one of
the organisms from the paper. Then, you all will rotate from one table to another,
like stations, to investigate what habitat you believe this organism belongs to,
using the picture and adaptation list. Once you have made your educated guess,
you will write it in this first column labeled ‘Predictions.’ What column are you
going to write it in? … Nice listening skills. And for right now, you may just
leave the second column blank.”
■ Emphasize that the rotation is happening unmonitored because there is
trust in the students to wisely rotate whenever they are ready, in a safe
manner
Check for Understanding
● “So who can tell me what an adaptation is? Please raise your hand ... Great thinking!
What are some examples of various habitats? What habitat are we living in? ... Finally,
what column are we writing our educated guesses in? ...”
Guided + Independent Practice
● Students begin their experiment activity, rotating from table to table, while filling out the
first column of their sheet
 ○ Set a timer for around 10 minutes
● Once students have finished rotating, encourage them to compare answers with another
classmate who is also done
Assessment
● Assess the Independent Practice to see how students learned the skill
● Fill out the second column of the sheet together as a class with the correct responses, and
have students check their answers
○ Ask for students to volunteer their answers and why they believe it’s correct, if
they’re comfortable sharing
○ If there’s time, ask students to also share one thing they learned about the different
plants and animals on the sheet while they were rotating
Closure
● “What is one interesting fact you all learned today? … Thank you for sharing! So, why is
this topic important for us to know? … Great thinking! Thank you all so much for your
hard work today!”

Differentiation
● For students who need more support: create a separate, personal station with all the same
materials for the student to work individually and in a quieter space, or provide them with
the materials ahead of time
● For students who need less support: take away the adaptation list and allows students to
do their own research online to learn more about the specific organisms