Animal Adaptations: How Animals Survive!

Science Grades 2nd Grade 6:54 Video
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Lesson Description

Learn about animal adaptations and how they help animals survive in their environments!

Video Resource

ANIMALS ADAPTATION | How Adaptation In Animals Work? | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz

Peekaboo Kidz

Duration: 6:54
Watch on YouTube

Key Concepts

  • Adaptation
  • Structural Adaptation
  • Behavioral Adaptation

Learning Objectives

  • Students will be able to define adaptation in the context of animals.
  • Students will be able to identify and describe examples of structural adaptations.
  • Students will be able to identify and describe examples of behavioral adaptations.

Educator Instructions

  • Introduction (5 mins)
    Begin by asking students what they know about animals and how they live. Introduce the word 'adaptation' and explain that it means how animals change to live in their homes. Show the video.
  • Video Viewing (5 mins)
    Play the YouTube video 'ANIMALS ADAPTATION | How Adaptation In Animals Work? | The Dr Binocs Show | Peekaboo Kidz'. Encourage students to pay attention to the different types of adaptations mentioned.
  • Discussion (10 mins)
    After the video, discuss what the students learned. Focus on the different types of adaptations (structural and behavioral) and the examples given in the video. Write down vocab words and definitions.
  • Activity: Adaptation Match (15 mins)
    Have pre-printed cards with pictures of animals and short descriptions of their adaptations. Have the students match the animal to its adaptation. (Example: Polar Bear - thick fur, Birds - Migration)

Interactive Exercises

  • Animal Adaptation Charades
    Students act out different animal adaptations, and the rest of the class guesses the animal and its adaptation.

Discussion Questions

  • What is adaptation?
  • Can you give an example of how an animal's body helps it survive?
  • Can you give an example of something an animal *does* to help it survive?

Skills Developed

  • Observation
  • Critical Thinking
  • Vocabulary Building

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1:

What is adaptation?

Correct Answer: How animals change to live in their homes

Question 2:

What is one thing that helps a polar bear live in cold places?

Correct Answer: Thick fur

Question 3:

What is it called when birds fly to warmer places in the winter?

Correct Answer: Migration

Question 4:

A giraffe has a long neck. How does this help it?

Correct Answer: To reach high leaves on trees

Question 5:

What kind of adaptation is a bird flying south for the winter?

Correct Answer: Behavioral

Question 6:

What helps a camel survive in the desert?

Correct Answer: Its hump for storing food

Question 7:

Which of these is a structural adaptation?

Correct Answer: A fish's gills

Question 8:

What is an ecosystem?

Correct Answer: A community of plants and animals living together

Question 9:

What helps a frog catch bugs?

Correct Answer: Its sticky tongue

Question 10:

Which animal uses camouflage to hide from predators?

Correct Answer: Chameleon

Fill in the Blank Questions

Question 1:

____________ helps animals survive in their environment.

Correct Answer: Adaptation

Question 2:

Thick fur is a ____________ adaptation.

Correct Answer: structural

Question 3:

When animals move to a new place for the winter, it's called ____________.

Correct Answer: migration

Question 4:

A cactus plant can store a lot of ________ to survive in the desert.

Correct Answer: water

Question 5:

A bear sleeping all winter is called ____________.

Correct Answer: hibernation

Question 6:

An animal's camouflage helps it ___________ from predators.

Correct Answer: hide

Question 7:

The shape of a bird's ___________ helps it fly.

Correct Answer: wing

Question 8:

Camels store fat in their ___________.

Correct Answer: hump

Question 9:

A frog uses its ___________ tongue to catch insects.

Correct Answer: sticky

Question 10:

____________ adaptations are things animals DO to survive

Correct Answer: Behavioral

Educational Standards

2.LS4.1:[Standard] Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. 2.LS2.2:[Standard] Develop a simple model that mimics the function of an animal in dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.*

Teaching Materials

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