Los Nietos School District, CA

Project GLAD Los Nietos School District, CA ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS (Grade Level 3) IDEA PAGES

I. UNIT THEME—Include cross-cultural sensitivity theme  Adaptations in physical structure or behavior improve an organism’s chance for survival  Animals have adaptations according to their environment  Animals adapt to changes in their environment, or move/die/become extinct

II. FOCUS/MOTIVATION  Big Book – Desert Bighorn Sheep, Desert Tortoise, Bald Eagles  Poems and Chants  Inquiry Charts  Observation Charts  Biologist Awards  Cognitive Content Dictionary with signal word  Read Alouds  Realia

III. CLOSURE  Process charts and learnings  Personal Exploration  Framed poetry  Presentation of chants and poems  Portfolios  Student Made Big Books  On-Going Assessement- logs  Evaluation, letter home to parents

IV. CONCEPTS CONTENT STANDARDS—HISTORY/SOCIAL SCIENCE

3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places and environments in a spatial context by: 1. identifying geographical features found in their local region (e.g. deserts, mountains, valleys, hills, coastal areas, oceans, lakes)

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 1 IDEA PAGES Page 2

CONTENT STANDARDS—SCIENCE

Life Sciences 3.0 Adaptations in physical structure or behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival. As a basis for understanding this concept, students know. a. Plants and animals have structures that serve different functions in growth, survival and reproduction. b. Examples of diverse life forms in different environments, such as oceans, deserts, tundra, forests, grasslands, and wetlands. c. When the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce and others die or move to new locations.

Investigation and Experimentation 5.0 Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept, and to address the content of the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigation. a. Repeat observations to improve accuracy and know that the results of similar scientific investigations seldom turn out exactly the same because of differences in the things being investigated, methods being used, or uncertainty in the observation. b. Differentiate evidence from opinion and know that scientists do not rely on claims or conclusions unless they are backed by observations that can be confirmed. d. Predict the outcome of a simple investigation, and compare the result to the prediction.

V. VOCABULARY arid burrow camouflage climate consumes crevice detaches dormant drought endangered enormous environment extinction herbivore mammal moisture nocturnal odor population predators prey protection regurgitated shallow symbiotic talons temperate temperature territorial threatened vertebrate viviparous

VI. CONTENT STANDARDS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS READING

1.0 Word Analysis, Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development

Word Recognition 1.1 Read narrative and expository text aloud with grade appropriate fluency and accuracy and with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.

Vocabulary and Concept Development 1.2 Apply knowledge of word origins derivations, synonyms, antonyms, and idioms to determine the meaning of words and phrases. 1.3 Use knowledge of root words to determine the meaning of unknown words within a passage. 1.4 Use knowledge of antonyms, synonyms, homophones, and homographs to determine the meanings of words. 1.5 Use a thesaurus to determine related words and concepts. 1.6 Use sentence and word context to find the meaning of unknown words.

Reading Comprehension 2.0 Students read and understand grade-level-appropriate material. They draw upon a variety of comprehension strategies as needed (e.g. generating and responding to essential questions, making predictions, comparing information from several sources.

Structural Features of Informational Materials 2.1 Identify structural patterns found in informational text (e.g. compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequential or chronological order, proposition and support) to strengthen comprehension.

Comprehension and Analysis of Grade Level-Appropriate Text 2.2 Ask questions and support answers by connecting prior knowledge with literal information found in, and inferred from, the text. 2.3 Demonstrate comprehension by identifying answers in the text. 2.4 Recall major points in the text and make and modify predictions about forthcoming information. 2.5 Distinguish the main idea and supporting details in expository text. 2.6 Extract appropriate and significant information from the text, including problems and solutions.

Literary Response and Analysis

3.0 Students read and respond to a wide variety of significant works of children’s literature. They distinguish between the structural features of the text and literary terms or elements (e.g. theme, plot, setting, characters).

Structural Features of Literature 3.1 Distinguish common forms of literature (e.g., poetry, drama, fiction, nonfiction).

Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text 3.2 Comprehend basic plots of classic fairy tales, myths, folktales, legends, and fables from around the world. 3.3 Determine what characters are like by what they say or do and by how the author or illustrator portrays them. 3.4 Determine the underlying theme or author's message in fiction and nonfiction text. 3.5 Recognize the similarities of sounds in words and rhythmic patterns

WRITING

Writing Strategies 1.0 Students write clear and coherent sentences and paragraphs that develop a central idea. Their writing shows they consider the audience and purpose. Students progress through the stages of the writing process (e.g. prewriting, drafting, revising, editing successive versions).

Organization and Focus 1.1 Create a single paragraph: a. Develop a topic sentence. b. Include simple supporting facts and details. 1.2 Create multiple-paragraph compositions: a. Provide an introductory paragraph b. Establish and support a central idea with a topic sentence at or near the beginning of the first paragraph. c. Include supporting paragraphs with simple facts, details, and explanations. d. Conclude with a paragraph that summarizes the points. e. Use correct indention

Penmanship

1.2 Write legibly in cursive or joined italic, allowing margins and correct spacing between letters in a word and words in a sentence.

Research 1.3 Understand the structure and organization of various reference materials (e.g., Dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, encyclopedia).

Evaluation and Revision 1.10 Revise drafts to improve the coherence and logical progression of ideas by using an established rubric.

Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics) 2.0 Students write compositions that describe and explain familiar objects, events, and experiences. Student writing, demonstrates a command of standard American English and the drafting, research and organizational strategies outlined. 2.1 Write narratives: a. Provide a context within which an action takes place. b. Include well-chosen details to develop the plot. c. Provide insight into why the selected incident is memorable. 2.3 Write personal and formal letters, thank-you notes, and invitations: b. Include the date, proper salutation, body, closing, and signature.

2.4 Write summaries that contain the main ideas of the reading selection and the most significant details. WRITTEN AND ORAL ENGLISH LANGUAGE CONVENTIONS

1.0 Written and Oral English Language Conventions Sentence Structure 1.1 Understand and be able to use complete and correct declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in writing and speaking. 1.2 Combine short, related sentences with appositives, participial phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and prepositional phrases.

Grammar 1.3 Identify and use past, present, and future verb tenses properly in writing and speaking.

Punctuation 1.5 Punctuate dates, city and state, and titles of books correctly. 1.6 Use commas in dates, locations, and addresses and for items in a series.

Capitalization 1.7 Capitalize geographical names, holidays, historical periods, and special events correctly.

Spelling 1.7 Spell correctly one-syllable words that have blends, contractions, compounds, orthographic patterns (e.g., qu, consonant doubling, changing the ending of a word from -y to -ies when forming the plural), and common homophones (e.g., hair-hare). 1.9 Arrange words in alphabetic order.

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Listening and Speaking Strategies

Students listen critically and respond appropriately to oral communication. They speak in a manner that guides the listener to understand important ideas using proper phrasing, pitch, and modulation.

Comprehension 1.1 Retell, paraphrase, and explain what has been said by a speaker. 1.2 Connect and relate prior experiences, insights, and ideas to those of a speaker.

Speaking Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)

2.0 Students deliver brief recitations and oral presentations about familiar experiences of interests that are organized about familiar experiences or interests that are organized around a coherent thesis statement.

2.1 Make brief narrative presentations: a. Provide a context for an incident that is the subject of the presentation. b. Provide insight into why the selected incident is memorable. c. Include well-chosen details to develop character, setting, and plot. 2.2 Plan and present dramatic interpretations of experiences, stories, poems, or plays with clear diction, pitch, tempo, and tone. 2.3 Make descriptive presentations that use concrete sensory details to set forth and support unified impressions of people, places, things, or experiences.

2.4 Recite brief poems, soliloquies, or dramatic dialogues, using clear diction, tempo, volume, and phrasing

ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT (ELD) STANDARDS

LISTENING AND SPEAKING

Comprehension Beginning Begin to speak with a few words or sentences, using some English phonemes and rudimentary English grammatical forms (e.g., single words or phrases). Answer simple questions with one- to two-word responses. Retell familiar stories and participate in short conversations by using appropriate gestures, expressions, and illustrative objects.

Early Intermediate Begin to be understood when speaking, but may have some inconsistent use of standard English grammatical form and sounds (e.g. plurals, simple past tense, pronouns [he/she]). Ask and answer questions using phrases or simple sentences. Restate and execute multi-step oral directions.

Intermediate Ask and answer instructional questions with some supporting elements (e.g., “Is it your turn to go to the computer lab?”) Listen attentively to stories/information and identify key details and concepts using both verbal and non-verbal responses.

Early Advanced Listen attentively to more complex stories/information on new topics across content areas, and identify the main points, and supporting details.

Advanced Listen attentively to stories and subject area topics, and identify the main points and supporting details. Demonstrate understanding of idiomatic expressions by responding to and using such expressions appropriately (e.g., “Give me a hand.”)

Comprehension/Organization and Delivery of Oral Communication Beginning Independently use common social greetings and simple repetitive phrases (e.g., “May I go and play?”).

Early Intermediate Orally identify the main points of simple conversations and stories that are read aloud using phrases or simple sentences. Orally communicate basic needs (e.g., “May I get a drink of water?”).

Recite familiar rhymes, songs, and simple stories.

Intermediate Be understood when speaking, using consistent standard English grammatical forms and sounds; however, some rules may not be in evidence (e.g., third person singular, male and female pronouns). Actively participate in social conversations with peers and adults on familiar topics by asking and answering questions and soliciting information. Retell stories and talk about school related activities using expanded vocabulary, descriptive words, and paraphrasing.

Early Advanced Retell stories in greater detail including characters, setting, and plot, summary, and analysis. Be understood when speaking using consistent standard English grammatical forms, sounds, intonation, pitch, and modulation, but may have random errors. Actively participate and initiate more extended social conversations with peers and adults on unfamiliar topics by asking and answering questions, restating and soliciting information. Recognize appropriate ways of speaking that vary based on purpose, audience, and subject matter. Ask and answer instructional questions with more extensive supporting elements (e.g., “What part of the story was most important?”). Use simple figurative language and idiomatic expressions to communicate ideas to a variety of audiences (e.g., “It’s raining cats and dogs.”).

Advanced Negotiate and initiate social conversations by questioning restating, soliciting information and paraphrasing. Consistently use appropriate ways of speaking and writing that vary based on purpose, audience, and subject matter. Identify the main ideas, points of view, and fact/fiction in broadcast and print media. Speak clearly and comprehensibly using standard English grammatical forms, sounds, intonation, pitch and modulation.

WORD ANALYSIS

Concepts of Print, Phonemic Awareness, Vocabulary and Concept Development Beginning Recognizes English phonemes that correspond to phonemes Students already hear and produce while reading aloud

Early Intermediate While reading orally, recognize and produce English phonemes that do not correspond to phonemes students already hear and produce (e.g., “a” in cat and final consonants).

Intermediate Pronounce most English Phonemes correctly while reading aloud.

Early Advanced Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and text in content area.

Advanced Apply knowledge of word relationships, such as roots and affixes, to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas.

Phonemic Awareness, Decoding and Word Recognition Beginning Recognize sound/symbol relationships in own writing.

Early Intermediate Recognize common English morphemes in phrases and simple sentences (e.g., basic syllabication rules and phonics).

Intermediate Pronounce most English phonemes correctly while reading aloud. Use common English morphemes in oral and silent reading.

Early Advanced Apply knowledge of common English morphemes in oral and silent reading to derive meaning from literature and texts in content areas.

Advanced Apply knowledge of word relationships, such as roots and affixes to derive meaning from literature and tests in content areas.

READING Fluency and Systematic Vocabulary Development

Vocabulary & Concept Development Beginning Read aloud simple words in stories or games (e.g., nouns and adjectives). Respond appropriately to some social and academic interactions (e.g. simple question/answer, negotiate play).

Early Intermediate Apply knowledge of content related vocabulary to discussions and reading. Read simple vocabulary phrases and sentences independently. Use knowledge of English morphemes, phonics, and syntax to decode and interpret the meaning of unfamiliar words in simple sentences.

Demonstrate internalization of English grammar, usage, and work choice by recognizing and correcting some errors when speaking or reading aloud. Read own writing of narrative and expository text aloud with some pacing, intonation, and expression

Intermediate Create a dictionary of frequently used words. Use knowledge of English morphemes, phonics, and syntax to decode and interpret the meaning of unfamiliar words in written texts Demonstrate internalization of English grammar, usage, and word choice by recognizing and correcting errors when speaking or reading aloud. Read grade appropriate narrative and expository texts aloud with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression. Use content related vocabulary in discussions and reading. Recognize some common roots and affixes when attached to known vocabulary (e.g., speak, speaker).

Early Advanced Use knowledge of English morphemes, phonics and syntax to decode and interpret the meaning of unfamiliar words. Recognize words that sometimes have multiple meanings in literature and texts in content areas (e.g., present (gift), present (time). Use some common roots and affixes when attached to known vocabulary. Recognize simple analogies and metaphors in literature and texts in content areas (e.g., “fly like a bird”). Use decoding skills and knowledge of academic and social vocabulary to achieve independent reading. Use some common idioms in discussions and reading (e.g., “scared silly”). Read increasingly complex narrative and expository texts aloud with appropriate pacing, intonation and expression.

Advanced Apply knowledge of common roots and affixes when attached to known vocabulary. Recognize that words sometimes have multiple meanings and apply this knowledge consistently. Apply this knowledge of academic and social vocabulary to achieve independent reading. Use common idioms, some analogies and metaphors in discussion and reading. Use a standard dictionary to determine measuring of unknown words. Read narrative and expository text aloud with appropriate pacing, intonation, and expression.

Reading Comprehension

Comprehension & Analysis of Grade-Level Appropriate Text Beginning (Blank)

Early Intermediate (Blank)

Intermediate Use detailed sentences to orally respond to comprehension questions about written text (e.g., ”The brown bear lives with his family in the forest.”). Read and identify text features such as titles, table of contents, chapter headings, diagrams, charts, glossaries, and indexes in written texts. Read and use detailed sentences to orally identify main ideas and use them to make predictions and provide supporting details for predictions made.

Early Advanced Describe main ideas and supporting details of a text. Generate and respond to comprehension questions related to the text. Describe relationships between text and their experience.

Advanced Use resources in the text (such as ideas, illustrations, titles, etc.) to draw inferences, conclusions, and to make generalizations.

Comprehension Beginning Respond orally to stories read to them by answering factual comprehension questions, using one- or two-word responses (e.g., “brown bear”). Orally identify relationship between simple text read to them and their won experience using key words and/or phrases. Understand and follow simple one-step directions for classroom or work- related activities.

Early Intermediate Read and listen to simple stories and demonstrate understanding by using simple sentences to respond to explicit detailed questions (e.g., “The bear is brown.”) Read and orally identify relationships between written text and their own experience using simple sentences. Understand and follow simple two-step directions of classroom or work- related activities.

Intermediate Read and use more detailed sentences to orally describe relationships between text and their own experiences.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 11 IDEA PAGES Page 12 Understand and follow some multi-step directions for classroom-related activities.

Early Advanced/ Locate and identify the function of text features such as Advanced format, diagrams, charts, glossaries, and indexes.

Comprehension and Analysis of Appropriate Text Beginning Identify the basic sequences of events in stories read to them, using key words or pictures Identify the main idea in a story read aloud using key word and/or phrases. Point out text features such as title, table of contents, and chapter headings.

Early Intermediate Orally identify the basic sequence of written text using simple sentences. Read and orally identify the main ideas and use them to draw inferences about written text using simple sentences. Read and identify basic text features such as title, table of contents, and chapter headings.

Intermediate Read and orally identify examples of fact/opinion and cause/effect in literature and content area texts.

Early Advanced Describe main ideas and supporting details of a text. Generate and respond to comprehension questions related to the text. Describe relationships between text and their experience.

Advanced Use resources in the text (such as ideas, illustrations, titles, etc.) to draw inferences, conclusions, and to make generalizations.

Literacy Response Narrative Analysis of Grade-Level-Appropriate Text /Structural Features Beginner Listen to a story and respond orally in one or two words to factual comprehension questions. Identify orally different characters and settings in simple literary texts by using words or phrases. Distinguish between fiction and nonfiction by giving one- or two-word oral responses. Create pictures, lists, charts, and tables to identify the characteristics of fairy tales, folktales, myths, and legends.

Early Intermediate Respond orally to factual comprehension questions about brief literary texts by answering in simple sentences.

Read literary texts and orally identify the main events of the plot by using simple sentences. Recite simple poems. Describe orally in simple sentences the setting of a literary work. Distinguish orally between poetry, drama, and short stories by using simple sentences. Describe orally in simple sentences a character in a literary selection according to his or her actions.

Intermediate Use expanded vocabulary and descriptive words in paraphrasing oral and written responses to texts. Apply knowledge of language to derive meaning from literary texts and comprehend them.

Early Advanced Identify and describe figurative language (e.g., similes, metaphors, and personification). Distinguish between literary connotations and symbols from culture to culture. Read a literary selection and orally identify metaphors and similes. Identify the motives of characters in a work of fiction. Recognize and describe themes stated directly in a text. Read a literary selection and orally identify the speaker or narrator by using simple sentences. Read a literary selection and orally identify the main conflict in the plot and its resolution. Recognize the difference between the first-person and third-person points of view in a literary text.

Advanced Describe the major characteristics of poetry, drama, fiction, and nonfiction. Identify various techniques to influence readers’ perspectives and evaluate the author’s use of the techniques. Recognize and describe themes stated directly or implied in literary texts. Compare and contrast the motives of characters in a work of fiction.

WRITING Beginner Write simple sentences using key words commonly used Write phrases and simple sentences that follow syntactical order

Intermediate Following a model given by the teacher, write a short paragraph of at least four sentences

Write legible simple sentences that respond to topics from language arts and other content areas Create cohesive paragraphs that develop a simple idea with consistent use of Standard English grammatical forms Write simple sentences about an event/character from written text Produce independent writing that is understood when read regardless of the inclusion of some inconsistent use of standard grammatical forms

Advanced Develop a clear thesis and support it using analogies and quotations and facts appropriately Write a multi-paragraph essay with consistent use of standard grammatical forms

Writing Conventions Beginner Use capital letters to write own name

Intermediate Use capital letters to begin a sentence and for proper nouns

Advanced Use a period or question mark at the end of a sentence Produce independent writing that includes partial consistency in the use of capitalization, periods, and correct spelling Produce independent writing with consistent use of capitalization, punctuation and correct spelling

MATH/SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES SKILLS/UNDERSTANDINGS  Science --names of animals --organizing --classifying --sequencing --grouping --developing hypotheses  Social Science --use maps, tables, graphs, photographs to organize information

VI. RESOURCES AND MATERIALS –Nonfiction

Shrubs and Trees of the Southern California Deserts by Jim W. Dole and Betty B. Rose ISBN: 0965415104

The Desert Tortoise: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions by: James W. Cornett

Wildlife California by Chronicle Books ISBN: 0877018863

California’s Wild Heritage: Threatened and Endangered Animals in the Golden State by Peter Steinhart ISBN: 0871566311

Where the Bald Eagles Gather by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent ISBN: 0899192300

About Sharks by Hal Scharp ISBN: 0879610794

Desert Bighorn Sheep by Dale E. Toweill ISBN: 0937794368

Sharks by The Book Studio ISBN: 190570979

Animals in Hot and Cold Habitats by Children’s Publishing ISBN: 1577685261

Eagles By: Sally Morgan ISBN: 9781595664891

Sharks By: Sally Morgan ISBN: 9781595664891

Sharks By: Seymour Simon ISBN: 0590767801

Sharks and Other Sea Creatures Dictionary: An A to Z of Sea Life By: Clint Twist ISBN: 0439572975

Bighorn Sheep By: JoAnn Early Macken ISBN: 0836863151

All About Wild Animals: Sharks By: Garth Stevens Publishing ISBN: 0836841883

Classifying Living Things By: Raymond Jones ISBN: 0792254074

Animals and Their Adaptations By: Kate Boehm Jerome ISBN: 079225404

Bird By: David Burnie

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS – Fiction

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain By: Dalgliesh, Alice

Catwings By: Fleishman, Sid

Anansi and The Moss-Covered Rock By: Kimmel, Eric A.

The Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book About Animal Habitats (Magic School Bus) By: Pat Relf, Nancy Stevenson

Abel’s Island By: Streig, Willliam

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS – Textbook Science California Edition By: Harcourt Brace

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS – Poetry

Soar with the Eagles, Anonymous (Old Fable)

Adaptation Yes Ma’am, Phil Brown

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS – Community (Field Trips/Local Resources) Discovery Science Center 2500 N. Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 (714) 542-2823

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles 900 Exposition Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90007 (213) 763-DINO

Long Beach Aquarium 100 Aquarium Way Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 590-3100

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium 3720 Stephen M. White Drive San Pedro, California USA 90731 (310) 548-7562

Whittier Narrows 2668 Pacific Park Dr Whittier, CA 90601 (562) 692-0874

Joshua Tree National Park 74485 National Park Drive Twentynine Palms, CA 92277

RESOURCES AND MATERIALS – Technology www.desertusa.com www.learningenglish.org www.enchantedlearning.com www.ric.edu www.baldeagleinfo.com www.junglewalk.com www.dictionary.com

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 18 Project GLAD Los Nietos School District Animal Adaptations (Grade Level 3) UNIT PLANNING PAGES

FOCUS/MOTIVATION  Inquiry Charts: “How do animals survive in their habitat?” & “What do we want to know?”  Observation Charts  Big Book: Desert Bighorn Sheep; Animal Adaptations  Portfolios  Super Zoologists Awards  Read Aloud  Chants and Poetry  Cognitive Content Dictionary- with signal word  Field Trip

INPUT  Pictorial Input: Comparative Pictorial: Desert Tortoise & Bighorn Sheep  Narrative Input: L.T. (Little Tortoise, by Charlyn Fijan & Nicole Chavez)  Graphic Organizers: 6 Kingdoms of Living Things  Graphic Organizer: World Map: California and Los Angeles inset  10/2 Lecture with primary language

GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE  T-Graph: Teamwork and Team Points  Picture File Cards- Exploration Report  Chants  Poetry  Sentence Patterning Chart (Farmer in the Dell): Adaptations/Animals  Expert Group  Process Grid: Adaptations

READING/WRITING ACTIVITIES  Whole Class Modeling o Co-op Strip Paragraph: Animals have many features and behaviors that help them survive o DRTA o Poetry Frames o Flip Chants o Story Map

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 19 o Shared reading

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 20 UNIT PLANNING PAGES Page 2

. Main Idea & Details/Text Features o Found Poetry  Small Group (anything modeled whole class) o Expert Groups o Process Charts o Flex Reading Groups o ELD Group Frame o Clunkers and Links- At or Above o Skills o Struggling/Emergent o Story Map o Cooperative Strip Paragraph o Flip Chants o Team Tasks o Team Writing: animal adaptations o Team Action Plan: Big Horn Sheep- endangered o Ear to Ear Reading o Focused Reading  Individual o DEAR Time o Personal Exploration o Interactive Journals o Learning Logs o Sketch and Write o Individual Tasks- anything practiced in teams o Add to the Walls o Poetry Booklet o Reading/Writing Choice Time o Writer’s Workshop . Mini-lesson . Write . Conference  Author’s Chair  Publishing

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES FOR INTEGRATION  Role playing  Here There Frame  Graph kinds of animals in population stages

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 21  Songs: Animal Rap Songs from Bindi Irwin  “The Important Books”

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 22 UNIT PLANNING PAGES Page 2

 Poetry and Chants

CLOSURE  Process all charts and information  Presentation of any team projects  Presentation of personal exploration  Assessment conference with teacher  Compare and contrast paragraph  Sketch and Write  Process Inquiry Chart  Team Evaluation  Evaluate Week/Portfolios

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 23 Project GLAD Los Nietos School District ANIMAL ADAPTATIONS (Grade Level 3) SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLAN

Day 1:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION:  Standards- Super Zoologist Awards  Cognitive Content Dictionary- with signal word- adaptations  Observation Charts  Inquiry Charts  Big Book- Adaptations  Portfolios INPUT  Graphic Organizer- World Map with California Inset o Learning Log- ELD Review o 10/2 Lecture with discussion  Graphic Organizer- 6 Kingdoms of Living Things o 10/2 Lecture with discussion GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE  T-Graph- Teamwork o Team Points  Picture File Card Sort- observation, categorizing o Exploration Report- adaptations  Chants/Poems READING/WRITING  Writer’s Workshop o Mini-Lesson- Generating Ideas o Write o Author’s Chair  Interactive Journal CLOSURE  Home/School Connection #1

Day 2:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION:  3 Standards/Awards  Cognitive Content Dictionary- with a signal word- organism  Process Home/School Connection #1- all share  Review input with word cards  Highlight chants- add sketches picture file cards

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 24 SAMPLE DAILY LESSON PLAN Page 2

 Big Book- Big Horn Sheep or Desert Tortoise

INPUT  Narrative Input- The Vast Desert Floor o 10/2 Lecture with discussion  Comparative Pictorial- tortoise/bighorn sheep o 10/2 Lecture with primary language o Learning Log o ELD Review GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE  Chants/Poems READING/WRITING  Expert Groups: Bald Eagle, Great White Shark  Team Tasks  Writer’s Workshop- Mini-Lesson o Writing o Author’s Chair CLOSURE  Home School Connection #2  Process Charts  Interactive Journal Writing

Day 3:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION:  Awards/ 3 Standards  Cognitive Content Dictionary- with signal word- predator  Process Home/School Connection #2  Poetry- highlight, sketch, add picture file card  Review input with: word cards  Review Narrative with word cards and conversation bubbles INPUT  Graphic Organizer- Population Stages (thriving to extinction) o 10/2 Lecture with primary language o Learning Log o ELD Review GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE  Sentence Patterning Chart- Adaptations o Reading/Trading Game o Flip Chant  Mind Map

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 25  Process Grid- heads together

READING/WRITING  Co-op strip paragraph- read, respond, revise, edit  Interactive Journal  Writer’s Workshop o Write-continue o Author’s Chair CLOSURE  Review Inquiry and Observation Charts

Day 4:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION:  3 Standards/ Awards  Cognitive Content Dictionary- with signal word- ectothermic GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE  Chants/Poetry  Story Map  Flexible groups o ELD Group Frame (at or above grade level) o Clunker and Links o Team Tasks o Oral Evaluations READING/WRITING  Writer’s Workshop o Write-mini lesson o Author’s Chair CLOSURE  Team Presentations, process behaviors on T-Graph  Home School Connections

Day 5:

FOCUS/MOTIVATION:  Cognitive Content Dictionary- self selected vocabulary  Review Poetry  Chants GUIDED ORAL PRACTICE  Strip Books- Animals are….  Found Poetry  Chants/Poems  Poetry Frame  Strip Book- Animals are…

READING/WRITING  Flex Group Reading- Emergent Readers- rebuild Co-op strip paragraph o Team Tasks o Team Presentations  Ear to Ear Reading  Listen and sketch  Reading/Writing workshop start with journals CLOSURE  Review Inquiry Chart  Letter Home  Big Book: The Important Thing- by teams  Evaluate Week- metacognition: What helped you learn?

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 28 Animal Adaptations

Big Book

By Charlyn Fijan

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 29 I just thought you might like to know that adaptations are important to an animal’s survival.

 Animals have features they inherit from their parents to help them survive in their habitat.  They also instinctively behave in special ways to stay alive.  Animals have different adaptations that vary because they live in diverse environments from an ocean to a pond, or from a flat sandy desert to rocky hills and mountains.

I just thought you might like to know that adaptations are important to an animal’s survival.

 Animals have physical features that help them live in their environment.  Desert tortoises have features that help them exist in the hot, dry desert.  They have strong legs for digging burrows so they have a cool place to stay in the extreme heat of the day.  They also have a reservoir or a place to store water in the bottom of their shell. When there is plenty of water they fill it up. Then they can survive on this stored water for up to a year!

 Desert bighorn sheep live in the desert too, but in higher elevations.  They do not look anything like a desert tortoise. They are excellent climbers. They have strong, powerful hind legs for scaling steep cliffs that may have ledges only inches wide.  They also have a two toed hoof that has a pad on the bottom that gives them good traction so they do not fall.

 Some adaptations help animals hide from their predator or allow them to sneak up on their prey  These animals have camouflage, or a coloring that allows them to blend into their surrounding.  The bighorn sheep has tan fur dappled with white to appear like the color of the rocks.  A desert tortoise can retract its head and limbs, appearing like a hard rock.  A great white shark has bluish gray skin so it is unseen by its prey.

 Animals also need to reproduce or have offspring in order for their species to survive.  Some animals have features to help battle for their mate. That way the fittest of the species reproduces giving birth to stronger healthier offspring.  Desert bighorn sheep have horns and have butting contests to decide who chooses a mate.  Desert tortoises have a gular horn at the front of their bottom shell. While this horn is useful for protection, the males will use this horn in battle to flip the other over. Again the one that survives has proven itself worthy to reproduce.

 Animals also have behaviors that keep them safe.  Bald eagles build their nests in extremely high places so they and their young are protected from predators. They also migrate as the season changes, so food is plentiful and they can raise their young in warmer weather.  Desert bighorn sheep travel in herds making it hard for a single predator to attack.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 35 Desert Bighorn Sheep The Important Book…..

By: Charlyn Fijan

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 36 The important thing about animal adaptations is that it helps their species to survive.

Did you know that the Desert Bighorn sheep is a hoofed mammal that inhabits our local desert foothills and mountains ranges? They are from the family that includes antelope, cattle, goats and sheep.

Desert Bighorn are a subspecies of the Bighorn sheep that live throughout the Rocky Mountains. They are the largest native animal inhabiting the desert of our continent.

These amazing creatures have ancestors that lived over 100,000 years ago. But these relatives did not live in the desert. Instead, they lived in the cold mountains of Asia and migrated over a temporary land bridge to North America during the ice age.

The Desert Bighorn sheep is an animal that has learned to adapt in order to survive. Competition for food and the threat of predators pushed the Desert Bighorn into steep, rocky slopes and cliffs. The Desert Bighorn was forced to continually adapt as the climate grew warmer.

But, the important thing about animal adaptations is that it helps their species to survive.

The Desert Bighorn are great jumpers and climbers and zigzag up and down cliffs and slopes with ease. Their hooves are two-toed and sharp-edged, with a rough pad on the bottom that provides good traction.

They can balance on ledges only 2 inches wide and bounce over spaces 20 feet wide. Their acute eye sight aids them in jumping and also allows them to observe animals moving up to a mile away.

The Bighorn’s agility and ability to access impassable areas helps to protect them from their predators.

If you saw a desert bighorn sheep you would notice it is covered with a brown coat accented with patches of white on its rump, muzzle, back of legs and around the eyes. Their coloring helps the Bighorn blend into the dry, craggy cliffs where they nest.

In addition, their coat is made from hollow hairs that protect them from extreme temperatures. They also perspire little, and can allow their body temperature to reach 107 degrees, allowing for better body water conservation.

Bighorn grow to 3 and a half feet tall and 5 feet long and can weigh up to 280 pounds. The weight of the desert bighorn fluctuates with the seasons, shedding unwanted pounds in the hot weather and gaining fat and thicker fleece for the winter.

You will often find Bighorn sheep grazing in herds, which protects them from individual predators. The male rams stay apart in a smaller “bachelor” herd from the ewes (female sheep) and their lambs.

But the Bighorns have some unusual customs. From September to October, known as the rutting season, the males have butting contests to determine their rank and also their mate. The massive horns crash together repeatedly until one gives up. Their horns are made of keratin, the same material from which our fingernails are made. The horns spiral backwards from the head, with ridges called annuli, which mark their years of growth. Rams have massive horns that form a C-shaped curl. Rams “butting” can reach speeds of more than 20 mph with a force of 2400 pounds.

Ewes have short, slender horns that never form more than a half- curl. Births take place in the spring after a gestation period of 150-180 days. One to two lambs are born and are completely weaned by 4 to 6 months of age.

Bighorn are herbivores. The word herbivore means “plant- eater”. They graze on a variety of desert plants where they get most of their moisture, when water is scarce.

When summer temperatures become extreme and water sources dry up, Desert Bighorns rest most of the day and feed at night. It is believed that desert bighorn can live without drinking any water for as much as six months.

They are fond of cacti and succulents and use their hooves and horns to remove the prickly spines. The plants found in the Mojave Desert that are most important in the bighorn sheep’s diet are sagebrush, Mormon Tea, and yuccas.

Bighorns swallow their food without much chewing. Later they regurgitate the food (called a cud) and chew on it thoroughly before swallowing again. Bighorns have a 9-stage digestive process that allows them to take the maximum amount of nutrition from their food.

But your chances of seeing a Desert Bighorn decrease every year. The Desert Bighorn sheep along with its related species in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada are threatened with extinction. Human activities are responsible for the Bighorn’s decline. In the desert areas off-road vehicles, trespassing cattle, poaching, drought, disease and Mountain Lion predation have worked together to push this population to the edge of extinction.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 42 Bald Eagles

Big Book

By Charlyn Fijan

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 43 The important thing about is that Bald Eagles is that many adaptations have helped their species to survive.

 Their wingspan measures up to 7 feet wide.  Bald eagles weigh 9 to 12 pounds.  They have 7,000 feathers and are deep brown except on their head and tail, which are white.  Their talons and beak are yellow.

But, the important thing about is that Bald Eagles is that many adaptations have helped their species to survive.

 Eagles can live up to 20 to 30 years in the wild.  Eagles mate for life!  They lay 1 to 3 eggs. Their babies are called eaglets. o They must rely on their parents to feed them. o It will take up to 6 weeks before they begin to grow young feathers.  At 10-13 weeks, they take their first flight. They are now called fledglings.

 Bald eagles live only in North America.  You will find them living along coastal ranges or near rivers and lakes.  They build their nests on cliffs and tall trees.

 They have powerful eyesight, seeing up to one mile away.  There are two centers of focus in each eye. o That means they can see 4 different things at the same time!  Their beak is strong so they can tear meat.  An eagles’ talon can lift up to 5 pounds.  Bald eagles eat mainly fish but will also eat waterfowl, small mammals and snakes.

 Eagles are high up on the food chain. Therefore, their enemy is humans. o DDT, pesticides o Hunting o Stealing eggs o Destruction of their habitat  Bald eagles were endangered, but because of the efforts made by environmentalists, their numbers have increased.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 48 Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 1 Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 2 GLAD Project Los Nietos School District ANIMAL ADAPATATIONS Grade Level 3 On A Vast Desert Floor Narrative

On a vast desert, the heavy sun shone upon the creosote shrubs. Beneath it laid, in the cold shade, some unsuspecting eggs. CRACK… tap tap, tap. The following day there was an enormous CRACK. With a loud, yawning sigh the last hatchling emerged. “Well, what took you so long,” questioned the gopher. “your friends have all already left.” The little hatching hissed, and fussed and snapped at the bewildered gopher. “Hey, calm down, I was just trying to help,” gopher said hurt. “You shouldn’t hiss like that, a coyote might hear you, and this shrub can’t protect you from him.” Not willing to admit his confusion, the proud little tortoise announced, “I’m not afraid of coyotes…Um, what’s a coyote anyways?” “It is one of the many desert predators that seek its meal in young tortoises. You’re just a softy. Your shell hasn’t hardened yet and I suggest that you follow me back to the burrow before you get hurt,” said gopher matter-of-factly. Young tortoise begrudgingly followed gopher back to the burrow. As they entered into the cool, deep burrow, long tunnels branched out from the entrance and tortoise stared in awe. “This place is splendid!” little tortoise exclaimed excitedly. “So much more comfortable than sitting outside in the desert heat. Did you dig this grand hole gopher?” “Heavens no!” stated gopher, “the wise old tortoises dug these burrows.” “You mean I could do this?” questioned L.T. “Oh no. You’re much too young. You’ll have to wait until your shell hardens,” said gopher as he patted L.T. soothingly. “What do you know about being a tortoise anyway!? You’re just a gopher,” retorted tortoise. Angered and impatient, L.T. watched as a toad hopped by into a separate chamber of the burrow. “How many animals live here?” thought L.T. Curiously, L.T. followed toad in and out of the many swiveling tunnels, but toad was too fast and L.T. lost his way. Worried L.T. slowly walked back through the winding tunnels, whispering little “Hello’s.” From behind him, a steady, ominous, rumbling low voice said, “Hey little fella! Come over here so I can hear you better.” L.T. wandered towards the voice cautiously, and bumped into a large heavy object, falling over in the process. “There you are, you just bumped into me. You should be more careful.” “Well, who are you? What are you?” said tortoise stubbornly. “Well I’m a tortoise too. My name is Guss and I live here. I was on my way out to get some food before coyote comes back from his hunt. Are you hungry little fells? I can bring you back some succulent cactus.” “I’m not little!” L.T. shouted.” “Well, your shell is still too soft, you stay here while I go out side and get us some food.” “Well, I want to go.” Trust me, you stay here until you’re old enough, and ready,” rumbled Guss. And so it went. Old Guss took care of L.T. with the restriction of staying in the burrow. One night L.T. grew so frustrated about always being told what to do and being told he wasn’t old enough to do things he decided to venture out of the burrow on his own. “I don’t need that old Guss to help me do things. I’m going to start my own burrow, and find my own food. The full moon’s bright light allowed L.T. to navigate his way. After a while he spied a soft patch of dirt perfect for digging his burrow, or so he thought. His natural instinct guided his flattened fore limbs to loosen the earth and shovel out the dirt. “I knew I could do this!” screamed L.T. He then heard a loud SWOOSH. His automatic told him to retract his limbs. He stayed

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 1 withdrawn for a couple of minutes and finally felt brave enough to take a quick look. POP! He realized he was no longer on the ground but instead was rising higher and higher and higher in the sky. He looked up to find a large, feathered creature grasping onto his shell. “I was looking for a young soft shelled tortoise like you,” said Raven with a laugh. L.T. quickly solved the problem and locked his firm jaws onto the raven. He twisted and turned so his gular horn penetrated the raven’s flesh. Before he knew it the bird had released him with a squawk and L.T. plummeted towards Earth. As he fell his short life flashed before him like a filmstrip and he thought about what Gopher had told him about the dangerous coyotes. “And Guss, sweet, sweet Guss… all he was trying to do was help me grow up,” thought L.T. “No longer will I taste the sweet nectar of the cactus flower, or the tenderness of such a great friendship. Never will I know what it is like to have a hard shell or to live for 100 years.” The next thing he knew he was opening his eyes, not knowing how much time had passed. He came to the realization that he was still alive and had landed safely. He started to move his limbs and found himself tangled in sage bush. Lucky to be in one piece, he wrangled himself to the ground. Sore and belittled, L.T. headed in the burrow’s direction, or so he thought. He walked and walked for what seemed like an eternity, passing many boulders as he trudged along. He kept replaying Guss’ wise words in his head, “stay inside little one until you’re grown up, until you’re ready.” Now… he was by himself in unknown territory. He heard howls in the distance. Once again instinctively, he retracted his limbs, hoping if there were coyotes nearby they would mistaken him for a rock. The howls came closer. He felt the moist breath of the coyote surveying his shell. Shivering inside he prayed and prayed. L.T. lost track of time when slowly he began to notice the air around him was beginning to warm up. It was morning and the sun was shining once again as it did most every day in the desert. He gradually stretched out his limbs and began to mosey in what he hoped was the direction of burrow. Then he heard a sound that seemed like a whisper in the wind, but the sound grew louder and stronger. Finally, he was able to make out some words, “L.T...where…..are…..you? Where……are……you? Are…..you……out……there? Never before had anything sounded so wonderful. “Guss! Gopher! I’m over here?” L.T. moved in the direction of his friends, knowing now that he was ready to learn and listen and was fortunate to have the friends to help him.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 2

PoetryPoetry BookletBooklet

Name:______

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 3 ADAPTATIONS

Is this a bighorn sheep? Yes Ma’am. Do they have adaptations? Yes Ma’am. How do you know? Survive in the desert. How do you know? Live in high elevations. Give me an example. Powerful hind legs Give me an example. Can scale steep cliffs.

Is this a desert tortoise? Yes Ma’am. Do they have adaptations? Yes Ma’am. How do you know? They have a hard shell. How do you know? Live in burrows. Give me an example. Retract head and limbs. Give me an example. Flippers work like shovels.

Is this a great white shark? Yes Ma’am. Do they have adaptations? Yes Ma’am. How do you know? Terror of the ocean. How do you know? Propels through the water. Give me an example. 3,000 sharp teeth. Give me an example. Rips and tears flesh.

Is this a bald eagle? Yes, Ma’am. Do they have adaptations? Yes Ma’am. How do you know? Can snatch and lift prey. How do you know? Can see prey from up high. Give me an example. Hooked beak and large talon. Give me an example. Keen eyesight.

Why do you know? Animals adapt. Why do you know? Animals adapt. Why is that so? Stay alive! Why is that so? To survive!

By Charlyn Fijan, ‘07

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 4 CONSERVATION CADENCE

We just know what we’ve been told, Conservation’s worth is weight in gold, Save those mammals, reptiles, too, Insects and birds for me and you.

Sound off – endangered Sound off—extinct Sound off—endangered, extinct, OH NO!

Losing forests, oceans too, Leaves less air for me and you, Jungles, home to biodiversity, A habitat for thousands, don’t you see?

Sound off – ecology Sound off—conservation Sound off—ecology, conservation, OH YES!

Adaptations, means that all things change, It’s nature’s way to rearrange, But when change comes much too fast, We can’t adapt, and we don’t last.

Sound off – adaptation Sound off—change Sound off—adaptation, change, THAT’S US!

By Brechtel, ‘97

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 5 I’m a Desert Tortoise

I’m a reptile living in the hot southwest, Underground by day and eating near night. Can go without water for a long, long time, Munch on cactus flowers so sweet and bright.

I’m a desert - - tor-toise. I’m a desert - - tor-toise.

I have an outer shell with geometric shapes, That hardens up with age to protect my head and legs. I can dig into the dry hard desert floor ‘Cause my front legs are like shovels edged with strong sharp claws.

My enemies are people in their SUV’s, Gila monsters, ravens, and the coyotes. My species is endangered So you better watch out Protect me from extinction, you’ll be glad no doubt!

By Charlyn Fijan, ‘08

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 6 California’s Ecosystem (To the Tune of “Alouette”)

Ecosystems, California’s got ‘em! Ecosystems, all across the state.

Along the Pacific coast Where the ocean’s deep and blue You will find the Great White Shark Hunting elephant seals

High in the Sierras Where the trees grow tall and green You will find the Bald Eagle Catching lots of fish.

On the mountains’ dry side Where the rocks are large and gray You will find the Big Horn Sheep Grazing on the grass.

Below in the Mojave Where the desert sand shines bright and gold You will find the Tortoise Crunching on cactus.

By: Phyllis Martinez, ‘06

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 7 Great White Shark Cadence

I don’t know what you’ve been told Great White Sharks are very bold! Carnivores, they like to eat Carrion, otters and shark treats.

Seals, you’d better swim away. Then you’ll live another day. Fish and ray, you’d better hide. Here comes Shark, mouth open wide!

Sound off – Great White Sound off- Carnivore! Sound off – Great White, Carnivore!

I don’t know you’ve been told Cartilage instead of bones, Gills along the sides of him, Rudder tail to help him swim.

Pectoral fin, he has below. Dorsal fin, on top you know. He can sense electricity By ampullae of Lorenzini.

Sound off – Great White Sound off- Features! Sound off – Great White, Features!

By: Irene Franklin, ‘06

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 8 Zoologists Bugaloo

I’m a zoologist and I’m here to say I study how animals live everyday Sometimes I write a paper, Sometimes I read a book, But usually I go and take a look.

Sheep, eagles, sharks and tortoises too, Doing the zoologist bugaloo!

Animals are so interesting, many people say, But I think scientific in many ways. Sometimes they are migrating, Sometimes they are hibernating, But always they are adapting, Growing and changing.

Sheep, eagles, sharks and tortoises too, Doing the zoologist bugaloo!

Sometimes I study them in their different habitats, Animals foraging and that’s a fact. Survival, Growth, and Reproduce Adaptations is what they do To improve their change for survival it’s true!

Sheep, eagles, sharks and tortoises too, Doing the zoologist bugaloo! Doing the zoologist bugaloo!

Adapted by Kathy Gomez, ‘07

Adapted from: Plant and Animal Life Cycles Level 2 CA-Project GLAD (09/06)

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 9 Adaptations Here, There, Everywhere

Adaptations here, Adaptations there, Adaptations, adaptations everywhere.

Powerful adaptations protecting, Dangerous adaptations devouring, Beautiful adaptations migrating, And clever adaptations retracing.

Adaptations in the Mojave Desert, Adaptations below the Pacific Ocean, Adaptations along the coastline, And adaptations on top of steep cliffs.

Adaptations here, Adaptations there, Adaptations, adaptations everywhere.

Adaptations! Adaptations! Adaptations!

By: Nicole Chavez & Charlyn Fijan, ‘08

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 10 Project GLAD Home School Connection – Animal Adaptations #1

Sketch a picture of the Bald Eagle. Interview a member of your family. Ask them what they know about the Bald Eagle, what they eat, and where they live.

Student:______Parent/family member:______1/28/08 Project GLAD Unit Animal Adaptations

Project GLAD Conexión entre escuela y hogar – adaptaciones de animales #1

Dibujar el aguila calvo. Haga una entrevista con tu familia. Pregúntales lo que sabe del aguila calvo, que come y donde vive.

Estudiante:______familiar:______

Tell a family member about the Desert Tortoise. Write and sketch how their adaptations have protected them and allowed them to survive for many years.

Hablar con tu familia sobre la tortuga del desierto. Escribir y dibujar como sus adaptaciones le ayuda a sobrevivir y protegerse.

Tell your family about what a zoologist does. What do you want to be when you grow up? Write and sketch a picture and tell about the job you would like to have.

Hablar con tu familia sobre lo que hace un zoologo ¿Qué trabajo quieres hacer tu en el futuro? Escribirlo y dibujarlo.

Sketch a picture of the Desert Bighorn Sheep or the Great White Shark. Tell your family about what it eats and where it lives.

Dibujar la el carnero salvaje del desierto o el tiburón blanco. Hablar con tu familia sobre lo que come y donde vive.

Estudiante:______familia:______

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 14 Expert Group Great White Shark (Carchardon Carcharis) Protected species

Characteristics

The great white shark is born 12-16 feet long, but can grow to be as long as 23 feet. This enormous shark can weigh up to 7,000 pounds. The body is shaped like a torpedo and is blue- grey except for its underside which is white. It has four fins and a crescent shaped tail.

Habitat

The great white shark lives along the shores of temperate coastlines throughout the world. Only females migrate to warmer waters such as Southern California to give birth.

Adaptations

The great white shark has many adaptations. Its powerful tail can propel the shark up to 15 m.p.h. It also has a keen sense of smell. Just one drop of blood in 25 gallons of water is enough that the shark can detect its prey. The jaw is armed with thousands of razor-sharp teeth that tears its food apart. Teeth never stop growing. If one is lost a new one grows back. The blue-grey coloring of the shark allows it to sneak up on its prey in the water. The shark’s head contains ampullae of Lorenzini, which are jelly-filled canals that sense electrical fields to help the shark navigate and find its prey.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 15 Diet

The great white shark is a carnivore and loves to eat smaller fish, rays, otters, carrion and even other sharks.

Enemies

Your chances of seeing a Great White Shark decreases every year.The Great White Shark is an endangered species. Human activities are responsible for the Great White Shark’s decline.

Interesting Facts

The great white shark is thought to live up to 100 years and gives birth to 2-14 pups. This oviparous’ eggs also fertilize and hatch internally.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 16 Expert Group Desert Tortoise Endangered Species

Characteristics

The desert tortoise is a reptile with a large round top shell called a carapace. On the surface of the shell are tile-like sections called scutes. The under shell is called the plastron and has a protruding horn, called the gular horn, for protection and fighting. The legs and head of the adult tortoise are retractable and can safely hide from an attack. The front legs are flat and act as shovels for digging in the sand. At the tip of the front legs are claws that easily break the soil apart. Their skin is covered with scales giving it an armor-like appearance. It takes up to five years for a desert tortoise’s shell to become hard. Until then, the young tortoises are at risk to being killed by predators. Wild desert tortoises can live up to fifty years, while those raised as pets live much longer.

Habitat

The desert tortoise lives in the Mojave and Sonoran Deserts. In the Mojave, it lives in open flatlands and along dry wash areas. In the Sonoran, it is common to find them along the lowers slopes of mountains to blend in with rocks or along alluvial fans.

They live inside burrows they have dug for themselves or inside a rock crevice or overhang.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 17 Adaptations

The desert tortoise has many adaptations. They have features for digging holes, or burrows in the ground. The forelimbs are tipped with stout claws that break open the hard soil. The forelimbs are also flattened, acting like shovels.

Tortoises are hard to spot because they look like another stone on the desert floor. When danger, approaches the tortoise will freeze. If that does not work then they can retract their limbs inside the impenetrable shell. Tortoises may also lunge at the predator with its gular horn while its head is withdrawn inside.

Desert tortoises can survive up to one year without water because of many water conservation behaviors.

The desert tortoise is an herbivore eating mostly flowering plants. They eat the entire plant. Tortoises will also eat grasses, cactus and other desert plants. Most food is consumed in the spring or summer which then lasts them for the entire year.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 18 Enemies

There are many animals that prey upon the desert tortoises, especially the hatchlings and eggs. The kit fox and Gila monster dig up and devour the eggs. Ravens, eagles, coyotes, and badgers hunt hatchlings and occasionally adults. The largest predator of the tortoise is the jaguar.

Desert tortoises are endangered primarily due to humans. Their deaths are caused by off-road vehicles, habitat loss through land development and illegal collecting.

Interesting Facts

The desert tortoise is said to have a 50 to 80 year lifespan. They lay between 1 to 2 eggs and dig their nests in the sand. Amazingly, the temperature determines whether the desert tortoise will be a female or male. Females reflect the hot temperature and males the cold.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 19 Expert Group Desert Bighorn Sheep Ovis Canadesis

Characteristics

If you saw a desert bighorn sheep you would notice it is covered with a brown coat accented with patches of white on its rump, muzzle, back of legs and around the eyes. Their coloring helps the Bighorn blend into the dry, craggy cliffs where they nest.

Bighorn sheep are best known for their distinctive horns. Their horns are made of keratin, the same material from which our fingernails are made. The horns spiral backwards from the head, with ridges called annuli, which mark their years of growth. Rams have massive horns that form a C-shaped curl. Ewes have short, slender horns that never form more than a half-curl. Births take place in the spring after a gestation period of 150-180 days. One to two lambs are born and are completely weaned by 4 to 6 months of age.

Bighorn grow to 3 and a half feet tall and 5 feet long and can weigh up to 280 pounds. The weight of the desert bighorn fluctuates with the seasons, shedding unwanted pounds in the hot weather and gaining fat and thicker fleece for the winter.

Habitat

Desert Bighorn Sheep live in the higher elevations of the southwest desert. Bighorn inhabit alpine meadows, grassy mountain slopes and foothill country near rugged, rocky cliffs and bluffs, allowing for quick escape. They rest in the rocky slopes and cliffs where they can find shade, shelter and protection from their enemies. Their resting areas are located close to seasonal water holes.

The climate is extremely hot and dry in the summer and cold in the winter. In winter, Bighorn prefer slopes 2,500-5,000 feet where annual snowfall is less than 60 inches a year, because they cannot paw through deep snow to feed. Their summer range is between 6,000-8,500 feet in elevation.

The Bighorn’s agility and ability to access impassable areas helps to protect them from their predators. Their hooves are two-toed and sharp-edged, with a rough pad on the bottom that provides good traction. Their acute eye-sight, helps them to land in tight places and also allows them to observe animals moving up to a mile away.

In addition, their coat is made from hollow hairs that protect them from extreme temperatures. They also perspire little, and can allow their body temperature to reach 107 degrees, allowing for better body water conservation.

You will often find Bighorn sheep grazing in herds which protects them from individual predators. When summer temperatures become extreme and water sources dry up, Desert Bighorns rest most of the day and feed at night. It is believed that desert bighorn can live without drinking any water for as long as six months. Bighorns have a 9-stage digestive process that allows them to take the maximum amount of nutrition from their food.

Bighorn are herbivores. The word herbivore means “plant-eater”. They graze on a variety of desert plants where they get most of their moisture, when water is scarce.

They are fond of cacti and succulents and use their hooves and horns to remove the prickly spines. The plants found in the Mojave Desert that are most important in the bighorn sheep’s diet are sagebrush, Mormon Tea, and yuccas.

Bighorns swallow their food without much chewing. Later they regurgitate the food (called a cud) and chew on it thoroughly before swallowing again.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 21 Enemies

But your chances of seeing a Desert Bighorn decrease every year. The Desert Bighorn sheep along with its related species in the Rockies and Sierra Nevada are threatened with extinction. Human activities are responsible for the Bighorn’s decline. In the desert areas off-road vehicles, trespassing cattle, poaching, drought, disease have worked together to push this population to the edge of extinction.

The primary predator of the desert bighorn sheep is the mountain lion. The lion can climb the same difficult terrain and is fast. Other predators of the desert bighorn sheep, particularly the young and weak are coyotes, wolves and eagles.

Interesting Facts

This desert animal can withhold a lifespan of 10 to 15 years!

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 22 Expert Group Bald Eagle Haliaetus Leucephalus Threatened Species

Characteristics

The feathers of an adult bald eagle are a deep brown, except for the head and tail which are white. The talons and beak are yellow and can weigh from 9-12 pounds. The bald eagle also has a powerful wingspan that extends up to 7 feet wide. The bald eagle lives approximately 20-30 years. It also chooses their mate for life! The bald eagle is our county’s national symbol.

Habitat

The bald eagle is native to North America. This bird lives typically along the coastal ranges or near rivers and lakes. Their nest is always perched high on a cliff or on the branches of a tall tree.

The bald eagle has keen eyesight and can see up to a mile away. Each eye has tow centers of focus which allows the eagle to see four things at the same time. It has a strong hooked beak that can easily tear flesh from fish or mammals. The talons of the bald eagle are also strong enough to lift up to 5 pounds, allowing it to swoop down and snatch fish from a river and fly to a short nearby to eat it.

The bald eagle eats mainly fresh fish. But, it is also known to hunt water fowl, small mammals, and snakes.

Enemies

The bald eagle is at the top of the food chain. Therefore, its primary enemies are humans. Environmental pollution almost threatened the bald eagle’s extinction. Fortunately, conservation efforts have returned the bald eagle to the threatened level in most areas. In addition, humans are responsible for the eagle’s habitat destruction and the stealing of their eggs.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 24 Interesting Facts

The bald eagle lays 1-3 eggs at a time and lives approximately 20-30 years. It also chooses their mate for life! The bald eagle is our county’s national symbol.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 25 Expert Group Pronuba Moth

Characteristics

They have feather like antennae or an antenna with no club at the end. When perched, their wings lay flat. They also have thick hairy bodies and four delicate earth tone colored wings. Their body and wings are covered with tiny “dustlike scales.” The wings fold rooflike over the body when at rest. Its mouth parts are well suited for sucking and the long proboscis is curled when not in use. In addition, they have two large compound eyes with many facets (ommatidia).

Habitat

The Pronuba Moth lives wherever the Joshua Tree thrives. The Mojave Desert’s environment creates the perfect habitat for both the Joshua Tree and the moth.

Adaptations

The Pronuba Moth is active at night and rests during the day inside its preferred habitat, the Joshua Tree. During the day this small moth hides in the ground. The flower, in turn, only blooms at certain times of the year and only at night. When it blooms, immediately the young Pronuba Moth breaks out of their cocoons beneath the sand. The Pronuba Moth has evolved special organs which collect and distribute the pollen onto the surface of the flower.

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 26 Diet

The female Pronuba Moth lays its eggs in the flower of the Joshua Tree. The Moth larvae then feed on the developing seeds of the yucca, but leave some to mature. These moths feed on the foliage and nectar of the Joshua Tree, and other plants of the desert.

Enemies

The Pronuba Moth is prey to birds that live in the Mojave Desert. In addition, humans are a threat to the Pronuba Moth through the destruction of the Joshua Tree from land development.

Interesting Facts

These amazing moth can see ultra violet light!

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 27 ______Name

Interesting Characteristics Facts

Habitat Enemies Animal

Diet Adaptations

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 28 Animal Characteristics Habitat Adaptations Diet Enemies Interesting Facts

Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) -endangered species

Bald Eagle

(Haliaetus leucocephalus) -threatened species

Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadesis)

Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharis) -endangered species

Pronuba Moth

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 1 Animal Characteristics Habitat Adaptations Diet Enemies Interesting Facts ◦reptile ◦ lives in Mojave and ◦live 1 year without water ◦herbivore - humans and their ◦50-80 year lifespan ◦shell 9-15 ft Sonoran desert ◦retractable legs, head and tail ◦eats grass, herbs and SUV’s ◦lays 1-2 eggs Desert Tortoise ◦gular horn on underside ◦ burrows underground to ◦carapace-hard upper shell desert plants ◦digs nest in sand protect from heat and cold ◦armored flattened front limbs ◦ temperatures determine sex (Female= hot -endangered species for digging Male=cool)

◦7 ft. wingspan ◦North America ◦keen eyesight up to 1 mile ◦mainly fish ◦ humans (DDT, ◦20-30 year lifespan Bald Eagle ◦weigh 9 to 12 lbs. ◦ coastal ranges or near ◦ 2 centers of focus in each ◦also water fowl, hunting, stealing ◦mates for life ◦ deep brown feathers rivers and lakes eye (can see 4 things at the eggs, destruction ◦lay 1-3 eggs (Haliaetus except white head and tail ◦nest on cliffs and tall trees same time small mammals, of trees) leucocephalus) ◦talons and bill yellow ◦heavy powerful beak to tear snakes -threatened species meat ◦strong talons lift 5 lbs. ◦eaglets have larger feathers ◦hoofed mammal ◦ Lives in both ◦two-toed pads beneath hoofs ◦herbivore ◦wolves ◦10-15 year lifespan Bighorn Sheep ◦furry light brown coat alpine tundra to easily move on rough ◦ eats grasses, leaves, ◦mountain lions (Ovis canadesis) ◦ white patch on muzzle and desert areas uneven ground shoots, twigs ◦bears and rump such as Mojave ◦ hollow hairs protect from ◦ long curving horns with extreme hot or cold ridges (growth rings) temperatures Great White Shark ◦ along shore of temperate ◦ powerful tail propel up to ◦carnivore ◦humans ◦thought to live up to 100 years (Carcharodon ◦ 12-16’ long (23’ coastlines around world 15mph ◦fish ◦gives birth to 2-14 pups carcharis) largest) ◦ coloration blends into ◦rays ◦eggs fertilize and hatch internally -endangered species ◦weigh up to 7,000 lbs. environment ◦other sharks ◦blue grey body ◦Ampullae of Lorenzini, jelly ◦otters ◦underbelly white filled canals to sense ◦carrion ◦torpedo shaped body w/ 4 electrical fields (detects prey fins and crescent shaped and navigates) tail ◦ nose for smelling, one drop of blood in 25 gal. Water ◦razor sharp teeth to tear prey - Feather like antennae - Wherever the Joshua tree - Active at night and rests - Moth larvae feed on ◦ Birds that live in - The flower only blooms at certain times of Pronuba Moth - When perched, 4 wings thrives; Mojave Desert during the day in the Joshua the developing seeds Mojave the year and only at night. lay flat Tree of the yucca - Humans are a - When it blooms, immediately the young - Thick hairy bodies - During the day hides in the - Moths feed on the threat to through pronuba moths break out of their cocoons - Delicate earth colored ground foliage and nectar of their destruction of beneath the sand wings - Evolved special organs the Joshua Tree, and the Joshua Tree - Can see ultra violet light - Body and wings are which collect and distribute other plants of the covered with tiny “dustlike the pollen onto the surface of desert scales” the flower - Proboscis curled when not in use - 2 large compound eyes

Animal Adaptations – 3rd Grade Los Nietos School District CA (Project GLAD 06/08) 2