Animal Adaptation Cards
Grade 4 | ELA, Science, ADST
Grade 4 | ELA, Science, ADST
Embedded Files
Learners demonstrate their knowledge of animal adaptations and biomes by designing trading cards for animals in two ways. First, as a real animal living in its native biome, describing its physical and behavioral adaptations that ensure its success. Then, as an “evolved” animal transplanted into a biome it normally does not inhabit. In this evolved form, students describe the physical and behavioral adaptations they assign to this new animal to transfer their knowledge. Card designs are created in Canva and students are asked to draw both animals by hand.
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How it supports the curriculum
How it supports the curriculum
Big Ideas
Big Ideas
Science: All living things sense and respond to their environment.
ADST: Designs can be improved with prototyping and testing. Skills are developed through practice, effort, and action.
Content Connections
Content Connections
Science: biomes as large regions with similar environmental features
Science: sensing and responding of animals
ELA: paragraph structure, grammar, sentence structure
Curricular Competencies
Curricular Competencies
ADST: Ideating: generate potential ideas and add to others' ideas; choose an idea to pursue. Making: make a product using known procedures; use trial and error to make changes. Sharing: decide on how and with whom to share their product.
Science: Sort and classify data and information. Identify patterns and connections in data. Transfer and apply learning to new situations. Generate and introduce new or refined ideas when problem solving. Represent and communicate ideas and findings in a variety of ways, using digital technologies as appropriate
ELA: Use writing and design processes to plan, develop, and create texts for a variety of purposes and audiences. Communicate in writing using paragraphs and conventions. Transform ideas and information to create original texts.
Classroom Things Needed
Classroom Things Needed
Technology: Chromebooks, Printer, Laminator
Services: Google Classroom, Seesaw, Canva
Materials: Printing Paper, Drawing Materials
Teacher Skills needed
Teacher Skills needed
👉 Note: We can help build your confidence with all of these skills before and during the project!
Google Classroom: Creating assignments and collecting projects from external apps like Canva.
Canva: Assigning templates to students, layers, text modifications, exporting as PDF.
Printing: Sizing PDFs for printing, multipage printing, collecting PDFs for printing.
Seesaw: Assigning reflection templates, supporting student reflection in Seesaw.
Student Skills needed
Student Skills needed
👉 Note: Just like the teacher skills, we can help build students' confidence with all of these skills before and during the project!
Google Classroom: Navigate Classroom confidently, find assignment, hand in work, connect external apps like Canva to Google Classroom.
Canva: Manipulate layers, resize images, edit text boxes, typing short passages of text, changing fonts. prioritize readability and clarity of information.
Seesaw: Sign in, document learning, answer reflection questions, turn in activities.
Project Outline
Duration: 2-3 weeks
Project Outline
Duration: 2-3 weeks
Phase 1: Entry Event
Phase 1: Entry Event
Launch Activity: Learners analyze sample trading cards (pokemon, sports, collector) Introduced to roles of the project (Researcher, Writer, Designer)
Mini Lesson: Defining Biomes, animal adaptations, structural vs behavioural adaptations
Phase 2: Field Researcher
Phase 2: Field Researcher
Lesson: Building scientific understanding of biomes
Working Block: <biomes and animal adaptation lesson needs to be developed>
Reflection:
Phase 3: Writer
Phase 3: Writer
Lesson: Transforming research into scientific writing for first draft of their real-animal trading card
Working Block: write description for animal
Mini-Lesson: design a brand-new animal that could survive in a chosen biome
Working Block: Write description for new animal.
Reflection:
Phase 4: Card Designer
Phase 4: Card Designer
Launch Activity: Design Cycle Introduction
Mini-Lesson: Canva lesson (Layers, text boxes, inserting graphics, duplicating designs, turning in work to Google Classroom)
Working Block:
Reflection:
Phase 5: Exhibition
Phase 5: Exhibition
Teacher Task: Printing the Cards
Cards are presented to buddy classes and students invite their younger buddies to write a story about their designed animal.
Animal adaption cards created by students.
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