This FutureFit Project is a supplemental project-based lesson covering adaptations of animals living in polar regions. It is designed to reinforce core science subject material while also incorporating social-emotional learning and 21st Century skills and concepts.
OVERVIEW:
This FutureFit lesson is designed to supplement a standard 12-15 unit lesson for Grades 4-6 Science by offering a unique project that ties together the core academic concepts with a set of FutureFit social-emotional and 21st Century Skills.
STUDENT/GROUP OUTPUT:
Students will:
- Research a polar animal adaptation
- Create an investigation to demonstrate the adaptation
- Present the demonstration to their classmates
SUGGESTED SUBJECT PREREQUISITES:
It is suggested that students should have familiarity with the following subject material as background for this lesson:
- A basic understanding of animal adaptations
- A basic understanding of habitats and ecosystems
SEQUENCE AND PACING
This project-based lesson includes enough material for use in five 45-minutes periods of instruction. If a more focused lesson is appropriate, select the 3-day Short Lesson. The Concept Check version provides activities which reinforce the core math concepts.
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES & MATERIALS (suggested):
- Internet access
- Materials required for student presentations (see list)
STANDARDS ALIGNMENT
These activities support the following NGSS curriculum standards:
- 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction
- 1-LS1-2: Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways
