Build an Animal
Time: 45-60 minutes
Materials:
Clay or play dough / Pipe cleaners / Tooth picks / String / Craft sticks / Colored paperFeathers / Tape / Habitat sheets / Colored pencils / Plain paper
*These materials are just ideas. Animals can be created with just about anything that is available. PLEASE RETURN AS MANY SUPPLIES AS POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY PLAY-DOH!
The diversity of organisms on Earth is staggering. However, all organisms have an important characteristic, the ability to survive in a particular environment. In order to survive, each must have certain adaptations in terms of anatomy and behavior that are suited to the environment.
Students should gain an understanding of how individual organisms adapt and relate to an environment.
Directions
Suppose that the class is a team of genetic engineers that are creating an entirely new species. They will need to make sure that their new animal is able to survive and thrive in a given environment.
Challenge students to defend their ideas and be ready to explain exactly how their animal will be suited for each category below. Emphasize how organisms within an environment interact with each other.
1. Review information on biomes (land and water), classification of animals and adaptations needed to survive in each environment.
2. Work in groups of two or three. Turn each habitat over so they do not know what there are choosing. Have each group select a biome. There are six different biomes, so some groups may use the same biome.
3. Have each group discuss what adaptations their animal would need to survive in the biome they received. Have groups record their decisions.
4. Decide what the animal would look like and sketch a picture of the animal.
5. Label different characteristics of the animal and explain why they chose that characteristic.
6. Describe the animal’s behavior, including the way it obtains food, the kind of dwelling it lives in, its defensive behavior, and how it moves and gets oxygen. Record this information.
7. Use any provided materials to create a model of your animal. This is where you need to be creative! The stranger the animal the better as long as it lives in a real biome and has adaptations suited to that area.
Discussion
1. Describe the specific physical conditions that exist in your animal’s environment including climate and land forms. (Temp, wind, rain, soil and sunshine)
2. For each of the conditions mentioned above, describe a characteristic of your animal that makes it well suited for the environment.
3. On the basis of what you saw when you looked at another student’s animal model, formulate a HYPOTHESIS about the environment to which the animal is adapted. Explain your answer.
4. Remember to summarize what environment your animal lives in and adaptations your animal has to help it exist.