Resources: Research tools such as books or the internet.
Support Handout (1): The handout provides a scaffolded research sheet where children pick an animal and research how it survives in its habitat.
Core Handout (2): The handout provides pictures of 5 different animals; the children can pick one and use the prompts to complete their research.
Stretch Handout (3): On this handout, the children are asked to choose an animal and design their own table/categories to research.
Challenge Handout (4): The handout provides a design sheet where the children adapt their animal to live in a different environment.
Enquiry Approach - Research
Using information from a variety of sources to answer scientific questions.
Enquiry Skill - Making predictions
Using prior knowledge to make informed suggestions on what may happen in a scientific enquiry.
Use the starter slides to recap on the children’s learning from the previous lesson before guiding them to think about the concept of ‘adaptation’ in a general way. This is also an opportunity to enable the children to think back to their learning in Year 4, where they looked at animal habitats and how environments can change. What does adapt mean? Can they think of a time they have had to adapt?
The lesson presentation recaps on the different habitats around the world and how animals need different characteristics to survive. It will give the example of foxes and how they have different characteristics based on where they live. The children will watch the expert film where Mike provides examples of adaptations in animals.
Expert Film: Mike Linley tells us about geckos and chameleons and how they are adapted to survive.
The presentation then focuses on the adaptation of the camel to suit its environment. The children will learn in detail how a camel’s body can withstand very hot temperatures and survive in the desert.
Using the handout, ask the children to select an animal to research. Ask them to find out how their animal has adapted to suit its environment. The handout will give some prompting questions to guide the children's research. Some children may be able to research more than one animal.
Challenge Task: Ask the children to draw and explain how their chosen animal would have to adapt to survive in a different habitat of their choice.
Animals have changed and adapted over a long period of time so they are perfectly suited to their habitat. With this in mind, discuss the danger that climate change poses to animals and ask the children to predict any adaptations that might happen.
Animal adaptations are the ways in which animals have evolved to better survive in their environments. Adaptations can be physical, behavioural, or physiological, and they often develop over many generations through the process of natural selection.
Physical adaptations are changes in an animal's body structure or form that help it to better survive in its environment. Examples of physical adaptations include:
Camouflage: Some animals have evolved to blend in with their surroundings in order to avoid predators or to better hunt prey. Examples of camouflaged animals include chameleons, which can change their skin colour to match their surroundings, and polar bears, which have white fur to blend in with the snow and ice.
Protective coverings: Some animals have evolved protective coverings to protect themselves from predators. Examples include shells on turtles and snails, spines on porcupines and hedgehogs, and armour on armadillos.
Specialised appendages: Many animals have evolved specialised appendages to help them move through their environments. Examples include wings on birds, flippers on seals and whales, and webbed feet on ducks and frogs.
Behavioural adaptations are changes in an animal's behaviour or habits that help it to better survive in its environment. Examples of behavioural adaptations include:
Hibernation: Many animals hibernate during the winter in order to conserve energy and survive when food is scarce. Examples of hibernating animals include bears, bats, and ground squirrels.
Migration: Some animals migrate over long distances in order to find food, mate, or avoid harsh weather conditions. Examples of migrating animals include birds, whales, and monarch butterflies.
Social behaviours: Some animals have evolved complex social behaviours in order to better survive in their environments. Examples include ant colonies, wolf packs, and primate groups.
Physiological adaptations are changes in an animal's body chemistry or internal processes that help it to better survive in its environment. Examples of physiological adaptations include:
Water conservation: Many desert animals have evolved ways to conserve water, such as producing concentrated urine or storing water in their bodies. Examples include camels and kangaroo rats.
Thermoregulation: Many animals have evolved ways to regulate their body temperature in order to survive in different environments. Examples include dogs panting to cool themselves, and arctic animals having thick fur and a layer of blubber to keep them warm.
Venom and toxins: Some animals have evolved venom or toxins as a defence mechanism or to help them catch prey. Examples include snakes, spiders, and poison dart frogs.
Overall, animal adaptations are the result of the process of natural selection, in which individuals with advantageous traits are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those traits to their offspring. Over time, this can lead to the development of a wide range of physical, behavioural, and physiological adaptations that help animals better survive in their environments.
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