Desert Voices Collaboration

Goal: For students to learn about the animals that live in the desert and their adaptations that help them to survive.

Objectives Students have the potential to:

1. Learn several different animals that live in the desert.

2. Learn what an adaptation is.

3. Learn some of the animal adaptations for living in a desert environment.

Grade Level: 4th and up

Time: 20 - 40 minutes

Materials: Desert Voices, by Bryd Baylor and Peter Parnoll, paper, crayons, colored pencils, and butcher paper.

Activity Procedures

1. Engage students with the question, "Who has ever been in the desert? What did you find there?" Build discussion to assess student knowledge of animals, plants, and conditions that are found in the desert. Highlight that the desert con be a very difficult place to live, because of the heat, lack of water, lack of vegetation, and lack of food.

2. Explore deserts with the students by reading Desert Voices aloud. Ask students to listen very carefully to how the different animals act and how they might feel living in the desert. Read the story through with passionate inflection. Once done, ask students to list for you all the different creatures that the story discussed living in the desert. Write the creatures up on the board and one thing about that animal [something it does or how it might feel in the desert].

3. Explain how each animal in the story actually does live in the desert and that from this story, you can actually learn a lot about the science of living in the desert. This special science is called desert ecology. Explain that in this story, the things that animals do to stay alive in the desert are called an adaptations. Think of all the hard things about living in a desert. The animals that live there all have special body parts (like special legs for running fast or a body shape that can burrow underground easily) or special behaviors (like hiding in shade, not coming out till night when it is cool, or sleeping all summer long) that help them survive. These are called adaptations. All adaptations are for a special reason. As a large group, discuss some of the adaptations they heard about in the story and reasons why they have them. [Could also include Human Thumb adaptation game here to demonstrate one human adaptation]

4. Pass out slips of paper with the special desert creature on it. Ask the students to listen very carefully to the story again, listening especially for their special animal. Ask students to listen for what the animal does and any special adaptations for living in the desert. Some of the things animals do might be hard to figure out as an adaptation That is ok.

5. Elaborate by reading the story a second time and allowing the students to take notes, draw, or discuss adaptations as you read.

6. Evaluate learning by having the students do one of the following:

1. Have students draw a picture of their special desert animal in their desert home and two other animals that live there. Have them label 5 things in the picture OR label 3 adaptations of the animal OR write/tell a short story of their animal to the rest of the class

2. Have all students with the same animal collaboratively draw a large picture of their animal, its home, and at least 4 other animals from the story. Label all the adaptations they can think of. Small groups could also do a story or charade acting out their animal for the class.

3. Have the entire class do a large mural of the desert, including all animals that they heard about in the story. Each student would be responsible for their special creature, 4 things that create does in the desert, and helping with at least 3 other animals.

Assessment

  • Observe evaluation component. Did students include several animals in their drawing, story, or charade? Did the student seem engaged in their evaluation project?
  • Do the students label or attempt to describe adaptations in their drawings. Do the adaptations seem to match the challenges posed by the landscape in their work (i.e., does the fast rabbit have something to run from in the picture?
  • Observe student drawings, stories, or charades. Did they label, use, or act out any desert adaptations in their evaluation project?

Content Standards:

AZ: Sci- S4C1,3,4; LA- R-S1C6, R-S3C1; SS- 4SC-F4

CO: Sci- 1, 3.1, 3.4; R/W- 4; Geo- 1, 2; Art- 1

NM: Sci- (4th) II II II 1,2,3; (6th) II II I 1,3; (6th) II II II 2; (7th) II II II 10; LA- (K-4) 1 A,B 1; (K-4) 3 A,B,C 1,2; (K-4) 4 A,D,G 1; (K-4) 5 A,B,D,E 1,2,3,5; (K-4) 6 A,B,C 1; (5-8) 4 A,D,G 3,6

UT: Sci- (K-2) Std 3, Obj 2; (4) Std 5, Obj 1, 2, 4; (5) Std 5, Obj 2; LA- (3-6) Std 1-8; (7) Std 6, Obj 1-3; Std 7, Obj 1-3