Friday, 4/3/20
Neighborhood Animals
Today, take a field trip to your yard. Bring along a pencil, piece of paper, and something to write on. Look for any animals you see near your home. Quietly sit still and observe your yard. As you see an animal write it down on your paper and watch it for a while. Then...
- Make a T-chart listing the physical and behavioral adaptations that you notice.
- Then think about the behavioral adaptations you wrote down. Do you think the animal learned this behavior or is it instinct?
- How does each adaptation help the animal survive where it lives?
Challenge yourself to see how many different animals you can find.
Thursday, 4/2/20
Defense Adaptations
Many animals have unique defense adaptations to keep them safe from the many predators around them. Watch this video, and answer the questions below about the animals in the video. You may want to pause the video as you go to write down your answers. If you want, you can print the worksheet with questions here.
1. Why does the blue-tongued skink have a blue tongue?
2. What can skinks and many other lizards do with their tails and why?
3. What adaptation do green-cheeked parakeets normally have in the wild to keep them hidden from predators?
4. What does the word "camouflage" mean in the English language?
5. What special defense adaptation does the emperor scorpion have since it does not have strong venom in its tail?
6. How are the quills of an African crested porcupine able to make noise?
Wednesday, 4/1/20
Migrations
Do you remember our Story of Migration in reading a few weeks back? Remember the large grasshopper migration in the story? This will remind you a lot of that. Although it isn't a migration, the over-abundance of a creature will occur this year (2020) in our very own backyards. It's the year for periodic cicadas in the Eastern part of the United States. A cicada is a large winged insect. You may have seen their outer shells on trees in the past or heard them on a early summer evening. Follow the steps below to find out more!
1. Watch the Cicada Video.
2. Check out the map for the location of different Cicada broods or groups Eastern part of America. We live in the orange area.
3. Check out these photos of cicadas.
4. Read more here about them. Also, be sure to check out the fun video on this page too that highlights the cool and unique sound of cicadas.
Tuesday, 3/31/20
Adaptation Study Jams!
Using the links below, complete the two activities on Animal Adaptations and Plant Adaptations.
Step 1: Watch the Animal Adaptations Video Here.
Step 2: Write down the four key vocabulary definitions on paper from the Study Jam page (adaptation, camouflage, natural selection, and instinct).
Step 3: "Test Yourself" on the Study Jam page. Try to get at least 5 correct.
Step 4: Review your answers for any that you missed.
Step 5: Watch the Plant Adaptations Video Here.
Step 6: Write down the two new key vocabulary definitions on your paper from the Study Jam page (environment and adapt).
Step 7: "Test Yourself" on the Study Jam page. Try to get at least 5 correct again.
Step 8: Review your answers for any that you missed.
Monday, 3/30/20
No New Activity Online Today
No new activity is posted online today to give your family time to pickup your new packets from school and plan how your family will use them between now and Spring Break. Also, if you didn't complete any of the activities below from the previous two weeks, you can do some of those today.
Friday, 3/27/20
Activity #7
Notes on Instinct and Learned Behaviors
In today's activity, you will create a Venn-Diagram for Instinct and Learned Behaviors. Simply drawn your own Venn-Diagram on paper or download and print the Venn-Diagram I have supplied. Then watch the video below, and add the notes from the video to your Venn-Diagram. If you need more or less time than the video provides, you can pause it, rewind it, or skip ahead as needed. Enjoy!
Thursday, 3/26/20
Activity #6
Instinct and Learned Behaviors
Animals behave in many unique and different ways. Some of these behaviors have to be taught to them. For example, a bear cub spends a few years with its mother learning how to hunt for its food. This is an example of a learned behavior. You learn many things in your life. You learned to talk, read, and walk. Many animals learn many behaviors too. Sometimes, there are certain behaviors that an animal is born able to do. Baby sea turtles can swim immediately after they are born. In fact, their mother is no where around. This type of behavior is known as an instinct or innate behavior. You could cry from birth. No one had to teach you to cry. This is an instinct or innate behavior.
Today's activity is to watch the video below comparing the differences between learned and innate or instinctual behaviors. The video is older, but has some great examples. After watching, or during the video make a T-chart with "Learned Behaviors" on one side and "Instinct Behaviors" on the other. Keep track of the animals and their behavior using the chart you create.
Animal Behavior Video
Wednesday, 3/25/20
Activity #5
San Diego Zoo Field Trip
Today we are going to the San Diego Zoo. This is one of the best zoo's in America. I actually had the opportunity to visit it about 3 years ago. It was awesome!
-
Read Cold-weather critters to learn how other animals have adapted to living in harsh, cold climates. Be sure to scroll down the page and read about all of the animals.
-
On a piece of paper, make a chart for each of the animals you read about and their specific physical (body) adaptations that help them survive in the cold. Do you notice any physical adaptations that these animals have in common? Do you notice any adaptations that are unique to each animal? In your comparison of cold-weather critters, include the polar bear that you learned about yesterday. See if you can find a behavioral (behavior / act) adaptation about one of the animals you read about.
-
Watch the Arctic Ducks video at the top of the Cold-Weather Critters page.
-
Add the Arctic Ducks and their adaptations to your chart.
-
Now, just for fun visit this Polar Bear link to learn even more about polar bears. Plus there is another cool video about them and a webcam to watch live on the page.
-
Continue browsing the San Diego Zoo website as much as you like. It has many cool things to see and learn about animals!