Anthy Baracos Unit Animal Characteristics

Content Area:
Science
GRADE/LEVEL COURSE
Level:
TITLE
Grade: First
Animal
characteristics

COURSE
NUMBER

TAG Theme:
Problem Solving
COURSE LENGTH
9-10 weeks

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Animals live where they find what they need in order to survive. Students
should understand what animals need to survive. Living things need food,
water, and air, and a place to thrive in order to survive. Through a variety of
hands-on activities, students will become familiar with the basic needs and
characteristics of animals found in Georgia. Along the way, students will
develop their decision making abilities on a level appropriate for TAG
students.
PREREQUISITE(S):
Eligibility in the Fulton County School System Talented and Gifted Program
Science STANDARDS:
S1L1. Students will investigate the characteristics and
basic needs of plants and animals.
b. Identify the basic needs of an animal.
1. Air
2. Water
3. Food
4. Shelter
d. Compare and describe various animalsappearance, motion,
growth, basic needs.
TAG STANDARDS
Advanced Communication Skills
Advanced Research Skills
Creative Thinking & Problem Solving Skills
Higher Order Critical Thinking Skill
SUMMARY/ REVIEW
Animals live where they find what they need in order to survive. Students
should understand what animals need to survive. Living things need food,
water, and air, and a place to thrive in order to survive. Through a variety
of hands-on activities, students will become familiar with the basic needs
1

Anthy Baracos Unit Animal Characteristics

and characteristics of animals found in Georgia.

ENDURING UNDERSTANDING
At the end of this unit the student will know and understand that animals
have basic needs and characteristics. Students will understand that
animals have basic need in order to survive.
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING
What students should know:
a) Animals have basic characteristics and needs: air, water, food,
shelter.
What students should be able to do:
a) Describe the basic needs of animals.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
Why cant animals all live in the same place?
How do animals adapt to their environment?
What are characteristics of animal groups?
SUGGESTED PACING: 9-10 weeks
SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES (including
interdisciplinary connections):
Lesson 1: Inductive Lesson Classifying Animals
Essential Question: How would you sort these animals? Why did you
choose that method?
GPS: S1L1, S1L1d, S1CS1, S1CS5a
- Students will work in groups to sort pictures of animals in all
classifications.
- Students will decide how to group the animals.
- After grouping the animals, groups will share with the class how and
why they grouped the animals the way they did.
- Gallery walk and Exit ticket 1-2-3
Lesson 2: Minds Eye
Essential Question: How do you these words connect?
GPS: S1L1
- Provide students with vocabulary words from the unit.
- Read one word at a time and students will create an image of the
word and how it connects to the first word. This will continue until all
2

Anthy Baracos Unit Animal Characteristics

words have been read. Students will create images and connections
for each word.
- Students will then choose will then pick an activity: create a picture,
question, prediction or describe feelings/connections.
- Answer Essential Question
Lesson 3: Inquiry Lesson Who lives here?
Essential Question: Which animal lives here?
GPS: S1L1d
- Show the students a small section of a picture.
- Students will then ask a series of yes or no questions about the
section of the photo they see.
- After enough questions have been generated to where the topic has
been narrowed down, the students will have the opportunity to guess
what the full picture is.
- Answer Essential Question
Lesson 4: Animal Body Parts and Movement
Essential Question: Why do animals have the specific body parts that they
have?
GPS: S1CS5.a
- Hook: How do you use your hands, feet, fingers, etc.? What would
happen if you didnt have those body parts?
- Students will review animal picture cards or photos and describe what
each animal has to survive. Discuss the different body parts of
various animals and how its body parts help it survive (ex. Frog
webbed feet, giraffe long neck).
- Then discuss what would happen if each animal has different parts
(giraffes had short legs and a short neck).
- Students will then choose 3 pictures each and place on class chart.
- Students will then use animal masks to act out a skit demonstrating
what the particular animal does with the unique parts.
Lesson 5: Creative Problem Solving Mess at the zoo
Essential Question: How are animals alike and different?
GPS: S1L1b, S1L1d, S1CS3, S1CS5, S1CS6
- Distribute The Mess at the Zoo
- Small groups will list facts and opinions from the reading. They will
also generate a list of unanswered questions.
- Review rules for brainstorming as a class.
- Each group will brainstorm the problems seen as a result of the mess
(problem finding).
3

Anthy Baracos Unit Animal Characteristics

- Each group will develop criteria to evaluate the five solutions and use
a decision-making grid to determine the best solution (solution
finding).
- Each group will develop an action plan for implementing the solution
(acceptance finding).
- Synthesis activity - Each group will develop a product (persuasive
letter, flow chart, speech, song, etc.) for sharing the solution with A
Mess at the Zoo. Students may use the Think-Tac-Toe as an option.
- Shapely Debrief.
**Full Lesson and resources are have previously been created and
graded
Lesson 6: Compare and Contrast Animals in Action
Essential Question: What are characteristics of animal groups?
GPS: S1L1.b
- Review standard and science words: appearance, motion, growth, and
basic needs
- Show the video segment from www.unitedstreaming.com key words:
Animals in Action (20 minutes in all).
- Discuss the different animal movements. Have students demonstrate
some of their favorite animals and the way they move.
- Ask students why that animal moves the way it does.
- Pass out 1 index card to each student. Tell the students to draw one
animal they saw in the video. Allow each student to select a partner.
- Students create a Venn Diagram comparing each others animal Tell
students to compare the way the animals move, what the animals look
like, etc.
-Performance Assessment: Venn
Diagram.
-Students will share Venn Diagrams
with the class.
**Full Lesson and resources are attached (this is my 3 rd TAG strategy
lesson created for this unit).

Anthy Baracos Unit Animal Characteristics

Lesson 7: What classification of animal am I?)

Essential Question: Based on what you know about animals and their
characteristics, what classification is the animal that you see?
GPS: S1L1d.
- Students will be shown a picture of an unknown animal.
- Students will decide which classification they think the animal is.
- Students will write to persuade the reader what classification the
animal is using what they know about the characteristics of each
classification.
- Exit ticket 1-2-3
Lesson 8: Compare and Contrast Animal Classifications
Essential Question: How can you compare and contrast the characteristics
of your animal groups?
GPS: S1L1
- Hook compare and contrast students
- Distribute Readings to groups. Students will become animal experts.
- Students will then switch and pair up with another partner. They will
teach/share what they learned.
- Students will compare and contrast their two animal classifications
and complete a Venn Diagram.
**Full Lesson and resources are have previously been created and
graded
Lesson 9: Performance Task Plant & Animal Poster
Essential Question: What are the basic needs of animals?
GPS: S1L1
- Students will be asked to make a picture for a Kindergarten gallery
walk.
- Posters will need to show an animal and its basic needs along with a
plant with all of its parts labeled correctly.
** Performance Task and Rubric are attached.

Anthy Baracos Unit Animal Characteristics

Resources:
BrainPopJr Classifying Animals
https://jr.brainpop.com/science/animals/classifyinganimals/
PebbleGo http://www.pebblego.com/content/animals/Animal+Classification.html?
c=3&previous=3
Where animals live: http://www.woodlandsjunior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/habitats.html
Animals in Action.
http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
Animal facts: http://www.worldalmanacforkids.com/explore/animals.html
http://www.ahisd.net/campuses/woodridge/student/first/websites/plantparts
.htm
Human and Animal Habitat Game
http://www.activescience-gsk.com/games/index.cfm?module=2
Basic Needs of Animals
http://www.beaconlearningcenter.com/WebLessons/CritterCraze/default.ht
m
Build a Fish
http://sv.berkeley.edu/showcase/flash/fish.html
Books
Finding Out About Animals by Francis A. Alder
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle
Animals and Their Homes by Jennifer Cochrane and Jill Coleman
Growing and Changing by Brian Knapp Fur, Feathers, and Flippers by
Patricia Lauber
The Magic School Bus: Hops Home- A Book About Animal Habitats by
Patricia Relf
Animal Fact/Animal Fable by Seymour Simon
The Big and Little Animal Book by David Taylor
Animal Disguises by Belinda Weber