Learning Resource Type

Classroom Resource

Animal Adaptations in the Ocean

Subject Area

Science

Grade(s)

4, 7

Overview

Students review what animal adaptations are, identify marine animal adaptations in a photo gallery, and predict how types of adaptations vary with ocean habitats.

    Science (2015) Grade(s): 4

    SC15.4.11

    Investigate different ways animals receive information through the senses, process that information, and respond to it in different ways (e.g., skunks lifting tails and spraying an odor when threatened, dogs moving ears when reacting to sound, snakes coiling or striking when sensing vibrations).

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SC15.4.11

    Vocabulary

    • investigate
    • evidence
    • transmit
    • perception
    • receptors
    • senses
    • sensory information
    • process
    • memories

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Different types of sense receptors detect specific types of information within the environment.
    • Sense receptors send information about the surroundings to the brain.
    • Information that is transmitted to the brain by sense receptors can be processed immediately as perceptions of the environment and/or stored as memories.
    • Immediate perceptions or memories processed by the brain influences an animal's actions or responses to features in the environment.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Identify different ways animals receive, process, and respond to information.
    • Identify evidence of different ways animals receive, process, and respond to information to be investigated.
    • Plan ways to Investigate different ways animals receive, process, and respond to information.
    • Collect and communicate data of different ways animals receive, process, and respond to information.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Sensory input, the brain, and behavioral output are all parts of a system that allows animals to engage in appropriate behaviors.

    Scientific and Engineering Practices

    Planning and Carrying out Investigations

    Crosscutting Concepts

    Systems and System Models
    Science (2015) Grade(s): 7

    SC15.7.10

    Use evidence and scientific reasoning to explain how characteristic animal behaviors (e.g., building nests to protect young from cold, herding to protect young from predators, attracting mates for breeding by producing special sounds and displaying colorful plumage, transferring pollen or seeds to create conditions for seed germination and growth) and specialized plant structures (e.g., flower brightness, nectar, and odor attracting birds that transfer pollen; hard outer shells on seeds providing protection prior to germination) affect the probability of successful reproduction of both animals and plants.

    Unpacked Content

    UP:SC15.7.10

    Vocabulary

    • Evidence
    • Cause and effect
    • Scientific Reasoning
    • Characteristics
    • Behaviors
    • Specialization
    • Probability
    • Reproduction
    • Validity
    • Reliability
    • Relevance

    Knowledge

    Students know:
    • Animals engage in characteristic behaviors that increase the odds of reproduction.
    • Plants reproduce in a variety of ways, sometimes depending on animal behavior and specialized features for reproduction.

    Skills

    Students are able to:
    • Make a claim to support a given explanation of a phenomenon, including the idea that characteristic animal behaviors and specialized plant structures affect the probability of successful reproduction of animals and plants respectively.
    • dentify the given evidence that supports the claim (e.g., evidence from data and scientific literature).
    • Evaluate the evidence and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence used to support the claim.
    • Use reasoning to connect the appropriate evidence to the claim, using oral or written arguments.

    Understanding

    Students understand that:
    • Many characteristics and behaviors of animals and plants increase the likelihood of successful reproduction.
    • Animal behavior plays a role in the likelihood of successful reproduction in plants.
    • Because successful reproduction has several causes and contributing factors, the cause and effect relationships between any of these characteristics and reproductive likelihood can be accurately reflected only in terms of probability.

    Scientific and Engineering Practices

    Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

    Crosscutting Concepts

    Cause and Effect
    Link to Resource

    CR Resource Type

    Learning Activity

    Resource Provider

    National Geographic
    Accessibility
    License

    License Type

    Custom
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