UNIT THREE • THIRD GRADE Adaptations 3deltastudies.weebly.com/uploads/4/6/2/3/46233367/ds... · 2020-03-04 · • Field guides to birds such as Peterson First Guide to Birds of

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UNIT THREE • THIRD GRADE

Adaptations

San Joaquin County Office of EducationOffice of Science and Special Projects

Funding provided byCalifornia Bay-Delta Authority

DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM


ADAPTATIONS

Acknowledgements

Project Director

Judi Wilson, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Project Coordinators

Heather Fogg, San Joaquin County Office of EducationJulie Schardt, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Project Facilitator

Olga Clymire, Lake County Office of Education

Principal Curriculum Writer

Kim Odenweller, Stockton Unified School District

Other Curriculum Writers

Rita Canales, Manteca Unified School DistrictSuzanne De Leon, California Department of Fish and GameTia Golden, Stockton Unified School DistrictNancy Gourley, Lodi Unified School DistrictDale Sanders, Community PartnerSteve Wiltse, Stockton Unified School District

Field Testers

Rita Canales, Manteca Unified School DistrictMelanie Foss, Stockton Unified School DistrictTia Golden, Stockton Unified School DistrictJan Utterback, Stockton Unified School District

Reviewers For Technical Accuracy

Jay Bell, Lodi Unified School DistrictOlga Clymire, Lake County Office of EducationSuzanne Deleón, California Department of Fish and GameJohn Fulton, San Luis National Wildlife RefugeDonna Snell, Ceres Unified School DistrictJames Starr, California Department of Fish and GameSteve Stocking, San Joaquin Delta College

UNIT THREE

Acknowledgements (continued)

Illustrator

Carol Dellinger, Dellinger Design

Layout Artist

Jo-Anne Rosen, Wordrunner

Technical Assistant

Melanie Newsome, San Joaquin County Office of Education

Community Partners

Suzanne Deleón, California Department of Fish and GameJohn Fulton, San Luis National Wildlife RefugeLynn Hansen, Modesto Junior CollegeRenee Hill, San Joaquin County Department of Public Works, Solid Waste DivisionDonna Hummel, U.S. Department of Fish and WildlifeDale Sanders, Environmental EducatorJames Starr, California Department of Fish and GameSteve Stocking, San Joaquin Delta College

Other Acknowledgements

Dr. Fredrick Wentworth, Superintendent, San Joaquin County Office of EducationDr. Gary Deirossi, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services, San Joaquin

County Office of EducationCalifornia Bay-Delta Authority


Contents

Overview ...................................................................................... 1

Story Line..................................................................................... 3

Instructional Materials Required .................................................. 5

LESSON 1:Delta Organisms and Their Environment .................................... 7

LESSON 2:Bird Adaptations .......................................................................... 23

LESSON 3:Adaptations of Various Organisms in the Delta ............................ 33

LESSON 4:Camouflage .................................................................................. 55

LESSON 5:Food Chains and Changes in the Environment ............................ 59

Assessment for Unit Three............................................................ 67

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ADAPTATIONS

Overview

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS FOR GRADE THREE

Life Science

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance forsurvival.

Understandings❚ An adaptation is any physical or behavioral trait that helps a living thing to survive.❚ Habitat is the home of a plant or animal, which includes the area where the organ-

ism gets its food, water, space, and cover.❚ Living organisms can cause changes in the environment where they live; some

changes may be detrimental to the organism whereas others are beneficial.

Essential Questions�What are adaptations?�How do adaptations of an organism improve its survival?�How does camouflage help an animal to survive?

Knowledge and SkillsStudents will know:

�The definition of camouflage, adaptation, environment, and habitat.

Students will be able to:

� Identify organisms in a specific environment and describe how their adaptationshelp them to survive.

�Place individual organisms into the correct habitat based on their adaptations.�Write a paragraph explaining some adaptations of specific organisms.�Describe how camouflage helps an animal to survive.�Place organisms in food chains.

Notes

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ADAPTATIONS

Story Line

Teachers will begin this unit by introducing the students to the Sacramento-SanJoaquin Delta and to three types of environments found there: land, water, and the

shoreline. This will be done through Lesson 1, “Delta Organisms and Their Environ-ment,” where students will produce a mural of a variety of organisms living in the threetypes of environments. They will learn which plants and animals live in each of theseenvironments and how these areas provide suitable habitats for these organisms. Studentswill also identify at least one adaptation that allows a specific organism to live in a particu-lar habitat.

The second lesson, “Bird Adaptations,” concentrates on adaptations that help birds tosurvive in their habitat. Students will conduct an investigation to learn that the beakstructure of most birds is adapted to acquiring a specific type of food in the birds’ habi-tats. They will also identify other adaptations, such as feet and legs that birds have to helpthem to survive in specific habitats.

In Lesson 3, “Adaptations of Various Organisms in the Delta,” students identify adapta-tions of a variety of organisms that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and deter-mine how these specialized characteristics may improve the organisms’ chances for sur-vival. They create booklets or posters about a specific organism.

In Lesson 4, “Camouflage,” students further explore the concept of adaptations as theylearn how some animals use camouflage to improve their chances for survival.

Lesson 5, “Food Chains and Changes in the Environment,” provides students with theidea that animals eat certain foods to survive and almost all animals are part of foodchains which begin with plants. If there are too many animals in an area, changes in theenvironment will occur, and some of these changes may be harmful while others are benefi-cial to other organisms.

Notes

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ADAPTATIONS

Instructional Materials RequiredThe following list contains materials that may not be readily available in a classroom or at school,but are necessary to conduct the lessons for this unit. These materials can be compiled into a kitand shared among teachers within a school or district.

The names and contact information of the companies where these products may be purchasedare provided. Other companies may also carry similar items. The listing of companies in thiscurriculum guide does not mean endorsement of these companies by the San Joaquin CountyOffice of Education or by the California Bay-Delta Authority.

Lesson 1• One large piece (at least six feet long, or adapt the size to available space) of Kraft or

butcher paper.• A large map of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (such as “The Delta” from the Water

Education Foundation)• Video: South Slough “Tide of the Heron” (Friends of South Slough Reserve)

Lesson 2• For the six stations:

• Station 1: Several foam peanuts (polystyrene packing peanuts) or one polystyrene cupbroken into 1-inch square pieces floating in a bowl of water

• Station 2: Pipe cleaner cut into 1” pieces buried under the sand or soil in a bowl• Station 3: Sunflower seeds in a bowl• Station 4: Rice grains pressed into a piece polystyrene or a piece of clay• Station 5: Cotton balls in a bowl• Station 6: Grass clipping or paper shredded like pieces of grass in a bowl of water

• Five sets of “beaks” with each set containing: One pair of chopsticks, one clothespin, oneslotted spoon or pasta server, one pair of tweezers, and one tong.

• Field guides to birds such as Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America by Roger ToryPeterson; Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification by Chandler S. Robbins,Bertel Bruun, and Herbert S. Zim; The Audubon Society Field Guide to North AmericanBirds: Western Region by Miklos D. F. Udvardy (Amazon)

• OPTIONAL: Hawk talon resin mold (Raptor Kit; SB26205M from Nasco)

Lesson 3• Other than art materials such as colored pencils, crayons, and felt-tipped pens no addi-

tional special materials are needed.

• •

6 UNIT 3 | MATERIALS•

Lesson 4• Book: I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky (Amazon)• Small plastic insects or other animals or colorful pictures of animals that can blend into an

environment (Discovery Store)• Video: Camouflage, Cuttlefish, and Chameleons Changing Colors, National Geographic Kids

Video (Delta Education)

Lesson 5• Book: Who Eats What? by Patricia Lauber (Amazon)• Plastic cups: four extra large, ten 8-10 oz., and 25 3 oz.• Popcorn (obtain about one-half of a grocery sack of popcorn or three microwave popcorn

bags) or the same amount of dry macaroni

Possible Providers of Materials� Acorn Naturalists: 800-422-8886 phone; 800-452-2802 fax; www.acornnaturalists.com� Amazon: www.amazon.com� Delta Education: K-6; PO Box 3000, Nashua, NH 03061-3000; 800-442-5444 (phone);

800-282-9560 (FAX); www.delta-education.com� Discovery Store: 1-800-627-9399; www.Discovery.com or http://shopping.discovery.com.� Friends of South Slough Reserve: PO BOX 5446, Charleston, OR 97420; 541-297-1093� Nasco: (Science 2002 Catalog); 800-558-9595 (phone); 209-545-1669 (fax);

www.eNASCO.com; Modesto Branch E-mail: [email protected]� Sierra Laurel Press: PO Box 1422, Sutter Creek, CA 95685� Water Education Foundation: 717 K Street, #517, Sacramento, CA 95814; 916-444-6240;

www.water-ed.org

Other Helpful Resources• Ecology Handbook: California’s Sierra Foothills, Central Valley, and Delta by Derek Madden,

Ken Charters, and Cathy Snyder. (L1, L2, L3, L4, L5) (Sierra Laurel Press)• How Do Animals Adapt? (The Science of Living Things) by Bobbie Kalman (L2)• Staying Alive (Nature Undercover) by Beatrice McLeod, et al. (L2)• What Are Camouflage and Mimicry? by Bobbie Kalman and John Crossingham (The

Science of Living Things series) (L4)• What Are Food Chains and Webs? by Bobbie Kalman (L5)

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UNIT 3 • LESSON 1

Delta Organisms and Their Environment


Life Science

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival.b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as . . .

forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

ObjectiveStudents will produce a mural with three types of environments found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta: land, water, and the shoreline. They will learn which plants andanimals live in each of these environments and how these areas provide suitable habitatsfor these organisms. Students will also identify at least one adaptation that allows a spe-cific organism to live in a particular habitat.

BackgroundThe Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a valuable resource that receives water runoff fromnumerous rivers, such as the San Joaquin River, the Sacramento River, and all their tribu-taries. The northern rivers (Sacramento, Feather, and American) flow down from the SierraNevada mountain range and drain into the Sacramento River. The southern Sierra Nevadarivers (Cosumnes, Mokelumne, Calaveras, Tuolumne, and Merced) drain into the SanJoaquin River. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers join at the Sacramento-San JoaquinDelta to flow into the San Francisco Bay and on to the Pacific Ocean.

People who live in the Delta depend on it for water, agriculture, recreational activities,and for a place to live. Many people who do not live in the Delta also depend on its waterfor drinking and for other purposes. People share this environment with a variety of otherliving things.

The Delta environment contains both aquatic and terrestrial habitats and the plants andanimals that live there have special adaptations to survive in their particular habitat.Adaptations are things that plants and animals have or are able to do, that help them tosurvive (e.g., fish have fins to move through the water). A habitat is the home place ofanimals or plants and contains everything an animal or plant needs to survive, such asfood, water, shelter, and space. The three major environments in the Sacramento-SanJoaquin Delta are the water, the land, and the shoreline.

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UNIT 3 | LESSON 18 •

WATERThe Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta has shallow and deep open water and dead-endsloughs. Some of the animals and plants adapted to this habitat include certain species offish, mammals (e.g., beavers and river otters), frogs, turtles, birds (e.g., ducks, WhitePelicans), and a variety of plants (e.g., water hyacinth, duckweed, and tules). Some ani-mals live in the water most of the time, but may visit the shoreline or land environmentswhen feeding or for other purposes (e.g., breeding or raising their young).

LANDThe land environment includes trees, such as oaks; shrubs, such as redbud; native Sacra-mento Orcutt grasses and non-native Bermuda and pampas grasses; rocks; and soil. Someof the animals that live there are foxes, opossum, owls, woodpeckers, jays, lizards, toads,grasshoppers, and worms. Many animals go to the water environment to drink, bathe, orto obtain food.

SHORELINEThe shoreline, where the water meets the land, includes the riparian habitat (trees and otherplants close to or on the water’s edge) and the human-made Delta levee habitat of rock andsoil. The riparian habitat includes trees, such as willow, cottonwood, and black locust; andshrubs, such as wild rose, wild grapes, and blackberry. Animals that are adapted to live onthe shoreline include raccoons, herons, egrets, garter snakes, crayfish, mosquitoes, anddragonflies. Delta levees may have vegetation such as tules, cattails, and grasses or may bebare rock. Some plants and animals that live along the shoreline have special adaptationsthat help them live underwater part of the time and on land part of the time, e.g., frogs,tules, cattails, and pickleweed.

A note about scientific terminology:The University of Chicago Press recommends a down style for names of wild plants andanimals, capitalizing only proper nouns and adjectives (e.g., tule elk, pronghorn antelope,deer, California vole, Chinook salmon, pickleweed, black oak). However, the Ornitho-logical Society recommends that the first letter of each word in a bird’s name be capital-ized (e.g., Northern Harrier, Swainson’s Hawk, Burrowing Owl, Great Blue Heron) unlesshyphenated (Red-tailed Hawk) or used as a general term, such as owl, hawk, heron. Thisunit follows these recommendations.

Preparation�Prepare the Delta mural. Several students could help to do this. Obtain one large

piece (at least six feet long, or adapt the size to available space) of butcher paper orpaper used to cover bulletin boards. Draw a meandering river in blue. Rip up somebrown paper (from paper grocery sacks) to represent upper land areas and cut somegreen construction paper for grass and other plants and glue them on the butcherpaper.

• •

9UNIT 3 | LESSON 1 •

Materials✔ Large map of the Delta (such as “The Delta” from the Water Education Foundation)✔ Video: South Slough “Tide of the Heron”✔ Full-page illustrations of “Coyote,” “Salmon,” and “Garter Snake”✔ Copies of the Delta animal and plant illustrations, four to a page (provided in

lesson); each illustration should be cut apart✔ Transparent tape✔ Felt pens, colored pencils (if students will be coloring the organisms)✔ Resource books about organisms of the Delta

TimePreparation: 30 minutesLesson: 60-90 minutes

Motivation�Explain to students that they live in an area in California called the Sacramento-San

Joaquin Delta. Show students a map of the Delta area. Point out the two majorrivers of the Delta area: the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River. Locate onthe map the general area of the community where the students live.

�Brainstorm with students some different types of environments in the Delta area (forexample, streams, rivers, cities, towns, agricultural areas, recreational areas, wilder-ness areas). Tell students that in this lesson they will study three types of environ-ments where a variety of organisms live: land, water, and shoreline. If needed, dis-cuss the definition of an organism (an organism is a living thing).

�Tell students that they will see a video that shows various environments and askthem to identify what organisms live on land, in water, or on the shoreline. Showthe video South Slough “Tide of the Heron.”

Note: The answers in italics are examples of students’ answers.

�Ask students questions about the video, focusing on the various environments andwhat lives there. For example, where do the various animals seen in the video live?(Bear, bobcat, cougar, deer, and Red-tailed Hawks live on land; salmon and river otterslive in the water; and the Great Blue Heron, White Egret, Red-Winged Blackbird, andraccoon live on the shoreline.) Could some organisms live in more than one place?(Yes, some organisms live in one type of environment but may look for food or raise theiryoung in another type of environment.)

Procedure

1 Show students the three full-page illustrations of the coyote, Chinook salmon, and thegarter snake. Ask students where they think each of these organisms live: on land(coyote), on or in the water (salmon), or on the shoreline (snake).

• •

UNIT 3 | LESSON 110 •

2 Post the Delta mural prepared in the “Preparation” section.

3 Distribute one illustration of an organism to each student. If there is time, allowstudents to color their organisms.

4 Ask students to come up to the mural one at a time and to predict or identify the areawhere their organism might live: land, water, or shoreline. Each student should alsodescribe why this habitat is most appropriate for this organism. If needed, conduct adiscussion with the class to obtain agreement before the organism is taped to the mural.If students cannot agree, ask where they might get additional information (e.g., from abook; from the Internet; from a speaker, such as specialist from the California Depart-ment of Fish and Game, who is invited to visit their classroom) and then provide theresources and the time for students to acquire the information. Note that many ani-mals can live in more than one type of environment.

Note: A quicker way to do this activity is show each of the organism cards to the classand ask students to vote on its habitat: in open water; on the shore; on the land. Thentape the organisms to an appropriate location on the mural.

Possible habitats for each organism: L – Land, S – Shoreline, W – Water

1. Kit fox (L) 15. Toad (L)2. Beaver (W) 16. Harvest mouse (L)3. Willow tree (S, L) 17. Sacramento sucker (W)4. Common Crow (L) 18. Tree frog (L, S, W)5. Great Blue Heron (S) 19. Crayfish (S, W)6. Red-tailed Hawk (L) 20. Duck (S, W)7. Western fence lizard (L) 21. Grasshopper (L)8. White catfish (W) 22. Mosquito (L, S, W)9. River otter (S, W) 23. Water boatman (Beetle) (W)10. Opossum (L) 24. Ladybug (L)11. Turtle (S, W) 25. Cattails (S, W)12. Great Horned Owl (L) 26. Live oak (L)13. Great Egret (S) 27. Blackberries (L, S)14. Anna’s Hummingbird (L) 28. Tules (S, W)

5 Introduce the word “adaptation.” An adaptation is something that an organism has oris able to do, that helps it to survive (e.g., a fish has fins to move through the water).Usually, the reason an animal or plant lives where it does is because of the adaptationsit has. For example, a fish lives in open water because it is adapted to live in the water;it has gills that allow it to breathe in water, fins and a tail to move through the water,and waterproof skin.

6 Have students describe at least one adaptation (e.g., feet, mouth, fins, feathers, gills/lungs, eyesight, scales, leaves, stalks, etc.) that allows their organisms to live in thatparticular environment.

• •


7 Discuss with students what could happen if the environment where an animal or plantlives changes. For example, what could happen to organisms that live in the water ifthere is less water in a stream or river because of drought or because people divertedthe water for various uses?

Assessment�Ask students to write a short description of one organism that was placed on the

mural. The paragraph should describe where this organism lives and how it is adaptedto live there. These descriptions could be placed around the mural.

Extension�Encourage students to use the Internet to acquire information about specific organisms.

Resources� WEBSITES

• http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/dwr/Has pictures of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta habitat and animals. Use keywords like “Chinook Salmon” and “Stanislaus River” to locate some desired pictures.

• http://ceres.ca.gov/wetlands/geo_info/delta.htmlA good colored map of the Delta.

� BOOKS

• Ponds and Streams by John Stidworthy (Nature Club series)• Pond and River by Steve Parker (Eyewitness Books series)• Woods, Ponds, and Fields by Ellen Doris (Real Kids, Real Science Books series)• Ecology Handbook: California’s Sierra Foothills, Central Valley, and Delta by Derek

Madden, Ken Charters, and Cathy Snyder

� VIDEOS

• South Slough “Tide of the Heron” (Odyssey Productions)Although this video focuses on an area in Oregon, most animals shown also live inthe Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area. These animals are: Great Blue Heron, deer,Red-Tailed Hawk, Bald Eagle, bear, raccoon, river otter, bobcat, cougar, beaver,White Egret, Red-Winged Blackbird, salmon. The video also shows a variety ofplants, including sundews, lichens, ferns, and pickleweed.

• Magic School Bus Hops HomeThis video reinforces the concept of habitat.

� MAP

• “The Delta” from the Water Education Foundation; www.water-ed.org.

12 UNIT 3 | LESSON 1•

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• 23


UNIT 3 • LESSON 2

Bird Adaptations


Life Science

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance forsurvival.a. Students know . . .animals have structures that serve different functions in growth,

survival, and reproduction.

ObjectiveStudents will conduct an investigation to learn that the beak structure of most birds isadapted to acquiring a specific type of food in the birds’ habitats. They will also identifyother adaptations, such as feet and legs that birds have to help them to survive in specifichabitats.

BackgroundEach organism is adapted to live in its habitat and to obtain the things it needs in order tosurvive. The beaks of most birds are adapted to eat specific things in their environment.The way a beak looks offer clues on what the bird with that particular beak might eat. Forexample, a seed-eating bird, like a sparrow, has a short, thick, and strong beak to crackseeds. A woodpecker’s beak is narrow and strong and is used for chiseling bark and woodto get the insects living there. The beak of a heron or an egret is long and narrow andshaped for spearing fish, crayfish, and frogs. Hawks and owls have hooked sharp beaks fortearing prey. Some ducks have a sieve-like edge on their beaks to strain out water as theyswallow water plants. Whereas fish-eating ducks, like Mergansers, have beaks suited tograb fish.

Not only are the beaks adapted to what the birds eat but also the feet and legs of birds canprovide clues to where the birds live. For example, webbed feet of a duck are best suitedfor a water habitat, whereas the running feet of pheasants make them suitable for walkingor running on land. The feet and legs of egrets and herons are adapted to wade in shallowwaters when these birds are hunting for food.

The behavior of birds can also provide clues of where they live and what they eat. Forexample, a Great Blue Heron keeps very still while fishing in shallow water to avoid beingseen by the fish it wants to catch and eat.

• •


In this lesson a variety of foods and bird beaks are simulated as described below:

STATION 1: Foam peanuts and clay represent fish eaten by herons and Mergansers. Thebeaks of these birds are simulated by chopsticks used for spearing fish; or tongs andclothespins for grabbing fish.

STATION 2: Pipe cleaners or buttons represent worms and other invertebrates eaten bysandpipers. The beaks of these birds are simulated by tweezers or chopsticks for pokinginto sand and grabbing the worms.

STATION 3: Sunflower seeds represent seeds eaten by sparrows. The beaks of these birds aresimulated by pliers for grabbing and cracking seeds.

STATION 4: Rice represents insects eaten by woodpeckers. The beaks of these birds aresimulated by tweezers for grabbing insects.

STATION 5: Cotton balls represent mice eaten by hawks. The beaks of these birds aresimulated by pliers for tearing meat.

STATION 6: Grass clippings or shredded newspaper represent aquatic plants eaten by someducks and geese. The beaks of these birds are simulated by a slotted spoon or pasta serverto allow water to leak out leaving the plants in the beak for the bird to swallow.

Preparation�Prepare six “food” stations:

• Station 1: Several foam peanuts (polystyrene packing peanuts) or one polystyrenecup broken into 1-inch square pieces floating in a bowl of water and one clumpof clay shaped like a fish to sink to the bottom

• Station 2: Pipe cleaner cut into 1" pieces or buttons buried under the sand or soilin a bowl

• Station 3: Sunflower seeds in a bowl• Station 4: Rice grains pressed into a piece of polystyrene or a piece of clay• Station 5: Cotton balls• Station 6: Grass clipping or paper shredded like pieces of grass in a bowl of water

�Gather five sets of “beaks” with each set containing: One pair of chopsticks, oneclothespin, one slotted spoon or pasta server, one pair of tweezers, one tong, and onepair of pliers.

Materials✔ Materials described in the “Preparation” section✔ A copy of the “Birds’ Beaks Exploration Sheet” for each group✔ Illustrations of a Mallard and an egret✔ Several pictures of bird beaks (included in this lesson)

• •


✔ Several pictures of bird feet and legs (included in this lesson)✔ OPTIONAL: Hawk talon resin mold

TimePreparation: 30 minutesLesson: 60 minutes

Motivation� Show a picture of a Mallard and show a pasta server. Ask students: “How is a duck’s

beak like a pasta server?” Explain that all birds have beaks that are adapted to thetype of food they eat. For example, a Mallard’s beak is broad with sieve-like ridges,which allows the water to run out while the vegetation is retained and swallowed.We can say that this ducks’ beak works somewhat like a pasta server.

� Show a picture of an egret. Ask students what this bird might eat? Explain that somefish-eating birds, like herons and egrets, have beaks like spears, which they use tocatch their food, like fish and frogs.

Procedure

1 Tell students that they will be experimenting with various tools that represent birdbeaks to find out which tool is most suited to pick up a specific food.

2 Divide students into five teams and distribute a copy of the “Birds’ Beaks ExplorationSheet” to each group. Show students the various types of food that are set up at the sixstations.

3 Provide each team with a set of tools that represent a variety of bird beaks. Havestudents hypothesize which tool would be best to use to pick up each type of food.Ask groups to complete Part A on their Exploration Sheets. You might choose toassign certain beaks to specific students within each group.

4 Once groups have completed Part A, they may go to each station to try to pick up thefood with the “beak” they thought was best suited. They can try other beaks and thencomplete Part C of their Exploration Sheets.

5 After all groups have completed Part C of their Exploration Sheets, discuss whethertheir hypothesis was correct or incorrect from the actual trial.

6 Discuss how different beaks help birds eat and that this difference is an adaptationthat helps birds to survive. Remind students that an adaptation is a physical character-istic or behavior that helps an organism to survive.

• •


7 Show students pictures of bird beaks and ask them to describe the characteristics ofeach beak and what each bird might eat. Students should be aware that different typesof birds have different beaks depending on what they eat. (A hawk eats mice and otheranimals; a heron eats fish and frogs; a sparrow eats seeds and some insects; a sandpipereats worms and other invertebrates; a blackbird eats insects and some seeds; a gooseeats aquatic plants; a Merganser eats fish; and a woodpecker eats insects in and undertree bark.)

8 Discuss:• Why might seed-eating birds need shorter and heavier beaks?• How do long beaks help birds?• Why do some birds have sharp curved beaks?• What type of beak is best for a bird that eats insects found in trees?• What type of item can represent a hawk’s beak?

9 Show illustrations of birds’ feet and legs. Ask students to carefully observe how eachfoot is formed. How are the feet/legs different? What special feature does each foothave? How would the bird use these features to help it survive? Where would this birdfind most of its food source: on or near the ground, on or near the water, climbing intrees? Is this bird a wader? How would you know if this bird spends time in or nearwater? Do you think this bird walks/runs after its food? Do you think this bird is apredator?

Key to “Bird’s Feet”: 1) duck’s webbed foot for swimming; 2) sparrow’s perching footfor perching on a branch; 3) woodpecker’s foot for climbing trees; 4) hawk’s grabbingfoot for catching prey; 5) pheasant’s running foot.

Assessment�Give each student one or two tools that represent beak samples. Have them draw an

imaginary bird with the special tool next to the food it might eat. Ask them todescribe how the beak is used to get the food.

� If available, display the resin model of a hawk’s talon. Have students describe inwriting the feet, what these feet are adapted to do, what this bird eats, how it ac-quires its food, and what type of habitat it lives in.

�Using illustrations of various birds’ feet and legs and have students identify wherebirds with such feet and legs might live: on the water, on the shore, or on land.

�Ask students to match some of the bird’s beaks to their feet and legs. Then askstudents to write a paragraph describing the relationship among the type of beak,type of feet or legs, the bird’s habitat, and what it eats.

• •


Extension�Encourage students to use the Internet to see colorful examples of birds, their beaks,

and feet.�Take students on a field trip to a park or wildlife refuge to view birds.

Resources� BOOKS

• Birding in and Around San Joaquin County by the San Joaquin Audubon Society• Watching Water Birds by Jim Arnosky• All About Owls by Jim Arnosky• Birds, Birds, Birds! (Ranger Rick’s NatureScope series) National Wildlife Federation

(an activity guide)• Peterson First Guide to Birds of North America by Roger Tory Peterson• Birds of North America: A Guide to Field Identification by Chandler S. Robbins,

Bertel Bruun, and Herbert S. Zim• The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds: Western Region by Miklos

D. F. Udvardy• Other field guides to birds to allow students to see various beaks, feet, and birds in

their habitats

� WEBSITES

• http://www.birdday.orgPromotes conservation and knowledge about migratory birds on all flyways.

• http://sssp.fws.govShorebird curriculum to encourage shorebird tracking, monitoring, habitat restora-tion, and other projects.

• http://www.sanjoaquinaudubon.org/checklist.htmlA “Field Checklist of the Birds of San Joaquin County” compiled by David Yee

• http://www.audubon.orgWebsite for the National Audubon Society where a listing of local Audubon chap-ters can be found (see “States and Centers”)


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• 33


UNIT 3 • LESSON 3

Adaptations of Various Organisms in the Delta


Life Science

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance forsurvival.a. Students know . . . animals have structures that serve different functions in growth,

survival, and reproduction.b. Students know examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as . . .

forests, grasslands, and wetlands.

ObjectiveStudents will identify adaptations of a variety of organisms that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and determine how these specialized characteristics may improve theorganisms’ chances for survival. Students play a “Who Am I?” game to identify adapta-tions and create a booklet or poster about one animal and its adaptations.

BackgroundPlants and animals of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta exhibit differences in physicalappearance and behavior. Each plant or animal is designed to live and reproduce in itshabitat where it finds food, water, shelter, and space. The Delta environment containsboth aquatic and terrestrial habitats and the plants and animals that live there have specialadaptations to survive in their particular habitat. Adaptations are things that plants andanimals have or are able to do, that help them to survive (e.g., fish have fins to movethrough the water). Behavioral adaptations describe what an animal does or how it acts inorder to survive (e.g., birds migrate to warmer climates in the winter). This lesson identifiesthe adaptations of various organisms and explores how these help the organism to survive.

Preparation�Make copies of the illustration of the bat for each student.�Make copies of the following illustrations at the end of this lesson: mallard, red-

tailed hawk, sparrow, hummingbird, woodpecker, owl, egret, frog, snake, lizard,mouse, mosquito, and fish.

�Make copies of the “Organism Information Cards” and cut apart into cards.�Place the information about the Mallard (“Teacher’s Example of a Clue Card”) on

an overhead transparency, chalkboard, or chart paper.

• •


�OPTIONAL: Glue illustrations on cardstock and tape the information concerningadaptations on the back.

Materials✔ Illustration of a bat (in this lesson)✔ Illustrations of various organisms that live in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta area

(in this lesson)✔ Two sheets of paper for each student✔ Art materials such as colored pencils, crayons, and felt-tipped pens


Motivation�Distribute an illustration of the “Pallid Bat” to each student. Tell students that there

are at least 17 species of bats that live in or visit the Delta area. The bat in the illus-tration is called a pallid bat. Whereas most bats catch flying insects (and often eattheir weight in mosquitoes and other insects every night), the pallid bat feeds notonly on flying insects like moths, but also on ground-dwelling insects like scorpions,June beetles, and Jerusalem crickets. It may eat its prey on the spot or carry it to aroosting area to eat.

�Ask the class to pick out the adaptations they see and to describe how these adapta-tions help the bat to survive. For example:• Big ears to hear (echo-location) where its prey (mosquitoes and other insects) is

located• Feet to hold on to surfaces like rocks in caves, roofs in houses and barns, or wood

in tree cavities• Fur for warmth• Wings to fly to catch food and to get away from predators, like owls

�Ask students to label at least three adaptations of a bat and to write a sentence abouteach of these adaptations. Students who have completed this work can color the bat.(This can also be done as a homework assignment.)

Procedure

1 Describe how to play the game “Who Am I?” Use the Mallard as an example. Show theinformation about the Mallard on an overhead transparency, chalkboard, or chart paper.Tell the class that each student within a group will read one clue changing the wordingas if he or she is the organism talking about itself. For example, for the Mallard:

• •


• One student would say, “I have a broad beak with sieve-like ridges.”• The next student would say, “I have large webbed feet to allow me to dive and swim.”• The third student would say, “I have wings and feathers to allow me to fly, to keep

me warm, and to warm the eggs I lay.”• Then the first student would say “I have oil that waterproofs my feathers so I con-

stantly ‘preen’ to re-oil and align my feathers.”• Then the entire group says “Who Am I?” and the class guesses the name of the

organism.• Finally, the group shows the illustration of the animal. (Show the illustration of the

Mallard.)

2 Provide a Clue Card to a group of two or three students and the corresponding illus-tration of the animal. Tell students to keep the animals they have a secret from otherclass members. Allow students to practice the clues within their groups. You mightwant to have students write down what they will say.

3 Play the game until all groups had a turn. You could spread this out over several daysand allow students to work on the next part of the lesson between group presenta-tions.

4 Do A (students make a booklet) or B (students make a poster).

A. Give each student a picture of an organism included in this lesson. Provide twosheets of paper to each student and have them fold these in half to make a booklet.Have each student do the following for his or her organism:• Write on the cover of the journal: “Who am I?” and draw one adaptation of the

organism (e.g., one paw, a nose, a beak, an eye).• On the other side of the “cover” page write your name, date, room number, and

teacher’s name.• On the page after the “cover” (page 1), draw your organism’s habitat.• On other side of the habitat page (page 2), describe its habitat.• On the next page (page 3), draw a picture of the organism.• On the backside of the organism page (page 4), draw and label at least three

adaptations of the organism.• On the first side of the last page (page 5) in one or two paragraphs, describe

how these adaptations help the organism to survive (or improve its chances tosurvive).

• Extra credit: On the backside of the booklet write what this organism might eatand what might eat it.

B. Provide one sheet of paper to each student and ask students to develop a poster forone real organism. Students should draw the organism and label at least three of itsadaptations. Then have them write a paragraph to describe the adaptations andhow these keep the organism alive.


5 Ask students:• Which adaptations support the survival of each animal?• What helps these animals get what they need from their habitat?• What types of adaptations might help an animal to reproduce? (For example in

birds, this might be a bird with the most colorful plumage, one with the bestsong, one that has selected the best nesting site, or one that is the largest.)

• What do some organisms do or act in order to survive.

Assessment�Check the “Who am I?” booklets or the posters.�Have students design an imaginary organism on a piece of paper or in their journals.

Then they should label the adaptations, state where the organisms they designedmight live, and describe how they might act to help them to survive.

Extensions�Read to the class Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (a story about a bat). Have students

research information on bats and share their findings with the class.�Conduct an experiment to show that fur keeps an animal warm. Use two soup cans.

Glue wool or fake fur on the outside of one can. Place an equal amount of warmwater into each can and measure the temperature over time.

ResourcesBOOKS

• How Do Animals Adapt? by Bobbie Kalman (The Science of Living Things series)• Staying Alive by Beatrice McLeod, et al. (Nature Undercover series)• Animals in Flight by S. Jenkins and R. Page• Stellaluna by Janell Cannon• Outside and Inside Bats by Sandra Markle• Amazing Bats by Frank Greenaway• Bats by Gail Gibbons• Bats by Robin Bernard


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• 55


UNIT 3 • LESSON 4

Camouflage


Life Science

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance forsurvival.a. Students know . . .animals have structures that serve different functions in growth,

survival, and reproduction.d. Students know when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive

and reproduce; others die or move to new locations.

ObjectiveStudents will learn that some animals use camouflage to improve their chances for survival.

BackgroundOrganisms of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta exhibit differences in physical appear-ance and behavior. Each organism is designed to live in its habitat, which provides theorganism with air, water, food, and shelter. Adaptations are things that plants and animalshave or are able to do, that help them to survive (e.g., a deer blends into the environ-ment). Behavioral adaptations describe what an animal does or how it acts in order tosurvive (e.g., a bird might stop moving when hearing danger approaching).

One specific adaptation that many animals have is protective coloration that allows themto blend into their environment. This is called camouflage. This adaptation can protect ananimal from being seen by predators (animals that might eat them) or to avoid being seenby animals that could become its food.

Preparation�Locate an area on the school grounds where students might see insects, spiders,

birds, or other animals that are camouflaged. If such an area is not available, thenplace plastic animals or pictures of animals in an area where they can blend into theenvironment for students to find.

Materials✔ Book: I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky✔ If there is no area on the school grounds where some camouflaged organisms can be

• •


seen, gather some small plastic insects or other animals or colorful pictures of ani-mals that can blend into an environment.

✔ Video: Camouflage, Cuttlefish, and Chameleons Changing Colors (National Geo-graphic Kids Video)

✔ Paper for each student on which to draw✔ Art materials such as colored pencils, crayons, and felt-tipped pens


Motivation


�Discuss with students: What colors are most animals? (brown, earth colors) Whymight they be these colors? What advantage might it be to a deer to be brown?

�Read to students the book I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky. Discuss whatadaptations the animals in the book had to help them to survive. (Most animals werecamouflaged.) If needed, introduce the meaning of the word “camouflage.” Tellstudents that camouflage is a protective coloration that allows an organism to blendinto its environment to avoid being seen by predators (animals that might eat them)or to avoid being seen by animals that could become its food.

Procedure

1 Do either Part A or Part B.

A. Take students outside and ask them to find insects, spiders, birds, and other ani-mals that are camouflaged. When students find such an organism, encourage theclass to observe it without disturbing it. Ask students to describe the color andshape of the organism that allows it to blend into its environment.

B. If there is no area on the school grounds where some camouflaged organisms can beseen, gather some small plastic insects or other animals or colorful pictures ofanimals that can blend into an environment and place them in a certain area.Encourage students to find these organisms and ask students to describe the colorand shape of the organism that allows it to blend into its environment.

2 Show the video Camouflage, Cuttlefish, and Chameleons Changing Colors. Discuss someof the animals and their habitats shown in the video and have students describe howtheir protective coloration blends with the environment.

• •


3 Brainstorm parts of the Delta environment (things that are present in the environ-ment such as tree, bank of a river, water, log, rock, leaf, flower) and list these on thechalkboard.

4 Provide paper and drawing materials to students. Ask each student to draw and color apart of an environment that could be found in the Delta. Then students should drawand color at least one animal that lives there or could live there that is camouflaged.They can refer to the animals they studied in the past three lessons or look up in areference book or on the Internet another animal that lives in the Delta area.

5 Once students have completed drawing their camouflaged animal in its habitat,mount each picture on a bulletin board and allow all students to view the gallery andtry to identify the camouflaged organism.

6 Tell students that even with protective coloration, it is still important for the animal tobehave in a way that helps it to hide. Ask students how a fawn behaves if it sensesdanger approaching. (It lies very still and quiet to blend into the environment). Explainthat behavioral adaptations describe what an animal does or how it acts in order tosurvive. For example, a fawn will usually lay quietly when hearing danger approach-ing; a camouflaged praying mantis will move slowly toward its prey until it is closeenough to catch it; and some insects that look like leaves even mimic a leaf blowing inthe breeze.

7 Discuss the following with students:• How can an area change? (Fire, drought, people’s construction projects)• What types of changes could affect the animal you drew? For example, trees are

cut down so your animal can no longer blend into the tree bark; there is less foodthat the animal eats because of drought or flood or poisons; too many predatorsin the area; not enough water or shelter.

Assessment�Discuss with students how the animals that students drew get what they need from

their habitat and how camouflage helps them to survive. Also ask students to de-scribe what their organisms do or how they act in order to survive. This can be awritten assignment.

Extensions�Have students dress up to blend into a certain environment.�Have students design animals out of clay or paper mache and then paint them in

camouflage colors and hide them in designated areas for other students to find.

• •


Resources� BOOKS

• I See Animals Hiding by Jim Arnosky• What Are Camouflage and Mimicry? by Bobbie Kalman and John Crossingham

(The Science of Living Things series)• Animals Disguises by Sarah Lovett (Extremely Weird series)• Clever Camouflagers by Anthony D. Fredericks, et al. (World Discovery series)• Mimicry and Camouflage in Nature by Ruth Soffer• What Color Is Camouflage? by Carolyn B Otto• Animals in Camouflage by Phyllis Limbacher Tildes• Find the Bird by Cate Foley (Welcome Books series)

� VIDEO

• Camouflage, Cuttlefish, and Chameleons Changing Colors, National Geographic KidsVideo GeoKids series, National Geographic Society, 1994.

• 59


UNIT 3 • LESSON 5

Food Chains and Changes in the Environment


Life Science

3. Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance forsurvivalc. Students know living organisms can cause changes in the environment where they

live; some changes may be detrimental to the organism whereas others are beneficial.d. Students know when the environment changes, some plants and animals survive

and reproduce; others die or move to new locations.

ObjectiveStudents will learn about food chains and how living organisms can cause changes in theenvironment where they live.

BackgroundIn a community, each organism lives and interacts with other living things. One type ofrelationship within a community is based on who eats what. For example, a mouse or ameadow vole eats seeds of wild wheat; a snake eats mice and voles; and a hawk eats snakes,mice, and voles. A linear feeding relationship starting with a plant and usually endingwith a predator is called a “food chain.” Another example of a food chain is a plant that iseaten by a rabbit that is eaten by a hawk. Various food chains in an ecosystem are inter-connected to make a food web.

Additional examples of food chains found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta are listedbelow:

• Plants —> Insects —> Songbirds —> Hawks• Plants —> Insects —> Fish —> Turtles• Plants —> Insects —> Frogs —> Herons• Plants —> Ducks —> Grey Foxes• Plants —> (Seeds) —> Mice —> Owls

Organisms can cause changes in the environment where they live; some changes may beharmful to some organisms whereas others are beneficial. For example, when there are toomany predators (e.g., snakes) of one type in an area, the numbers of prey (e.g., mice orvoles) may be greatly reduced, making it more difficult for the predators to obtain thefood they need to survive. This situation would also affect other predators (like hawks and

• •


foxes) that may not get enough food to eat. On the other hand, with less prey in the area,the prey may find it easier to get its food and shelter because there is less competition forfood and shelter. This allows the remaining prey to produce more young, providing morefood for predators.

Humans can affect the food webs both negatively and positively. For example, if peoplespray an herbicide that kills a certain plant and this plant provides food for a certainspecies of fish, then that species of fish is at risk as well as all the other animals above it inthe food chain.

Preparation�Locate a large area of lawn or blacktop on the school grounds to play the “Food

Chain Game.”

Materials✔ Illustrations of the “Meadow Vole,” “King Snake,” and “Red-Tailed Hawk” (in this

lesson)✔ Book: Who Eats What? by Patricia Lauber✔ Plastic cups: four extra large, ten 8-10 oz., and 25 3 oz.✔ Popcorn (about one-half of a grocery sack of popcorn or three microwave popcorn

bags) or the same amount of dry macaroni✔ A strip of white construction paper (4" x 8") to each student✔ Art materials such as colored pencils, crayons, and felt-tipped pens

TimePreparation: 30 minutesLesson: 60-90 minutes

Motivation


�Ask the students what they had for breakfast and list answers on the chalkboard.Select a few of the foods and determine their origin. Create a linear feeding relation-ship going backwards to what eats what. For example: humans eat bacon whichcomes from pigs which eat plants; humans eat eggs which come from chickenswhich eat insects which eat plants or humans eat eggs which come from chickenswhich eat corn which comes from plants. Ask students why we need to eat? (We needto eat food to get energy to move, live, and grow.)

�Explain to students that food chains represent the food energy that is transferredfrom one organism to another. Therefore almost all food chains begin with a plant.

• •


If we ate a hamburger for lunch, how would we describe the meat we ate using afood chain example? (grass to cow to person)

Procedure

1 Read Who Eats What? by Patricia Lauber. What types of food chains were mentionedin the book?

2 Show the illustrations of the meadow vole, the king snake, and the Red-Tailed Hawk.Explain that these three animals live together in the same environment. Ask the classto describe the feeding relationship that can be made with these three animals. Whatis missing to make this a food chain? (Plants are needed, like grasses or another plant thatmakes seeds that the meadow vole can eat.)

3 Discuss how each of these animals can make changes in their environment. For ex-ample, the vole eats seeds but also stores some seeds in its burrow, thereby helping todistribute the seeds throughout the community; it digs holes, creating new homes forother animals and loosening the soil; it is eaten by various predators.

4 Lead students to the area to play the “Food Chain Game.” Have students form acircle. Spread the popcorn on the ground in a large area of lawn or blacktop andexplain the rules. The object of the game is to collect popcorn (or macaroni) into one’sstomach and to avoid being tagged or “eaten.” Students survive by having a full cup ofpopcorn when the game is over. Students who are tagged or lose their cup of popcorndid not survive.

Rules of the Game• Assign a role to students: one student is to be a hawk, four students are to be

snakes, and the rest of the students are voles.• One student gets the extra large cup (symbolizing the hawk’s stomach)• Four students get the 8 oz. cups (symbolizing the snakes’ stomachs)• The rest of the class gets the smallest cups (symbolizing the vole’s stomach)• The popcorn represents seeds and other plant parts.• Voles can only pick up popcorn from the ground and put it in their cup one at a

time, trying to fill up their cup/stomach while not getting tagged.• Snakes can only “eat” by tagging a vole and getting the popcorn in the vole’s cup.

When a snake tags a vole the vole and snake must stop (“freeze”). The vole thengives all of the popcorn in its cup/stomach to the snake’s cup and then sits on theground and is out of the game until a new game starts.

• Hawks can only “eat” by tagging a snake or a vole. When they tag a snake or avole, the snake or vole must stop and give the hawk all of the popcorn in its cup/stomach and sit on the ground and is out of the game until a new game starts.

• •


5 Have students repeat the rules to show that they understand them. Assign roles anddistribute cups.

6 Play the game for about four minutes. Then count the number of voles, snakes, andhawks that survived. If the students’ cups/stomachs are not full or if they were tagged,it means that they did not survive. Discuss why certain types of animals survivedbetter than others, what problems they had filling their stomachs, what problems theyhad avoiding getting tagged, and what they could change in the game to ensure thesurvival of more of the animals. (For example, change the number of each type ofanimal, change the way they can be tagged or chased, change the cup size).

7 Play the game again, with four students playing hawks, ten playing snakes, and therest being voles.

8 After five minutes, identify who “died” in the game and who lived.

9 Discuss what this game can teach us about animals. For example, animals depend onother plant and animals as food sources. Ask:• What happens if there are too many predators? (They eat up all the prey and then

there is not enough food for them.)• How might each organism in the food chain cause changes to its environment?

(If there are too many voles, they can eat all the plants in the area and then starve todeath. If there are too many snakes or too many hawks, they can eat all the voles andthen there will not be enough food for snakes or hawks.)

10 Tell students that they have just seen first-hand how the population of a certainanimal can easily be affected by how much food is available. Are there other thingsthat could affect the amount of food? (poisons, like pesticides; introduction of a newspecies; air and water pollution)

11 Discuss: Which changes in an environment might be beneficial and which might beharmful?

Assessment�Give students strips of white construction paper (4" x 8") to make a paper chain

representing a food chain of the Delta. Demonstrate how they might draw theanimal/plant or write its name on each strip and loop the strips together to make achain. Ask students to display and discuss their food chains for the class. Studentsshould mention how each organism can create a change in its environment.

�Provide illustrations of organisms from previous lessons and ask students to showexamples of food chains using these organisms. This could also be made into a gamewhere groups of students try to make the largest number of food chains with theavailable illustrations.

• •


Extensions�Using the food chains made by students in the “Assessment” section, place all the chains

on the floor and use yarn to connect animals and plants from their chain to other chains.This can be done by giving each student two pieces of yarn to connect two of their linksto two other chains. Direct discussion to discover the interconnectedness of all thefood chains with each other and how the loss of one loop might affect the food web.

�Have students conduct research on invasive species and how they are adapted to theDelta environment. Also have students consider the impact of invasive species onnative species.

Resources� BOOKS

• Who Eats What? by Patricia Lauber• What Are Food Chains and Webs? by Bobbie Kalman


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• 67


Assessment for Unit ThreeAnswer Key

1. Great Egret: ShorelineGarter Snake: ShorelineChinook Salmon: WaterValley Oak: LandGreat Blue Heron: ShorelineRed-tailed Hawk: LandWestern Pond Turtle: Water

2. Some possible answers:

Fish: Scales, fins, tail, streamlined body, gills

Duck: Webbed feet, feathers, camouflage coloring, beak for getting food and forprotection

Lizard: Scales for protection, quick movements for escaping predators, good vision toseek out food and escaping predators

Grasshopper: Mouth parts designed to chew vegetation; wings to fly to find food,mates, and to avoid predators; legs to avoid predators

3. A. Great Blue Heron or Great Egret (any other heron or egret)B. SnakeC. MosquitoD. Any type of hawkE. FishF. Raccoon

4. A. MeatB. Fish or insectsC. Algae and other aquatic plantsE. Seeds

5. A. In waterB. In treesC. On land

6. Sentences about an animal and its adaptations for life in the Delta will vary fromstudent to student.

68 UNIT 3 | ASSESSMENT•

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Notes

Documents

UNIT THREE • THIRD GRADE Adaptations 3deltastudies.weebly.com/uploads/4/6/2/3/46233367/ds... · 2020-03-04 · • Field guides to birds such as Peterson First Guide to Birds of