ND Curriculum Initiative

Subject & Standards

Understandings & Goals

Enduring Understanding: That the process of adaptation is universal and life long and that adaptations must take place for survival. Goal (s) Students will identify adaptations in mammals and explain their importance to that particular animal. Students will transfer their understanding of adaptations to other animals or plants. Students will understand that change may occur. Students will explore different means of technology. Students will work with the process of science inquiry by observing, questioning, investigating, and reflecting.

Questions Answered

Essential questions: Why are adaptations necessary? How can we communicate our understanding? Objectives: Students will investigate bats and their adaptations. Students will research other animal’s adaptations for survival. Students will transfer learning to other topics; e.g. plant survival.

Assessment

What quiz and test items e.g. simple content-focused questions that require a single, best answer) will provide evidence of understanding? Worksheets and self-reflection journal entries What academic prompts e.g. open-ended questions or problems that require students to think critically and then to prepare a response / product / performance) will provide evidence of understanding? mind mapping, brainstorming, venn diagrams, open-ended questions at the different stages that will require the students to transfer knowledge What performance tasks and projects e.g. complex challenges that are authentic, mirror the real world and require a performance or product) will you include that will provide evidence of student understanding?  research, report, and a presentation or performance that teaches about adaptations given over ITV What other evidence e.g. observations, work samples, dialogues, student self-assessment) of understanding will you collect? teacher observations, self-reflecting journal entries, samples of the venn and mapping elements, the research and report, and a student and teacher evaluation of the project presentation, and a evaluation from the other participating school

Instructional Strategies

The inquiry-based strategy will work well with my unit on adaptation. The students will be gathering information and data using all of their senses. They will be engaged in learning through discovery and exploration. Student’s will be motivated with an activity that gets them physically involved with the topic of adaptations and then they will question adaptation for survival. Discussions that emphasize predicting will be part of the unit. The students will then choose an animal that they will research. The information will be mapped and from the map they will then report and teach their animal’s adaptation to another class over ITV. Reflection will come from the students, teacher and the other participating classroom. All the components of inquiry-based learning work together to produce authentic learning. The teamwork involved will promote cooperative learning.