Module 2:

What Adaptations Do Particular Species Exhibit?

In this lesson students will investigate the adaptations of a particular species. Students will consider the country/region the species is found in and the environment. Students will investigate thoroughly into the environment where species are found, taking into consideration low/high temperature, low/high altitude, rainfall, salt content, desert, arid, nutrient rich/poor, freezing temperatures and moisture content. Students will also consider the metabolic rate of the species.

Summary

VCE Biology (2016-2020)

Unit 1, Area of Study 2, Outcome 2, VCE Biology Study Design

Key knowledge

Survival through adaptations and regulation

The structural, physiological and behavioural adaptations that enhance an organism’s survival and enable life to exist in a wide range of environments

Duration

1 hour

Student learning outcomes

At the completion of this lesson, students should be able to:

Investigate and research into a species of their own choosing and communicate this information to an audience
Compare different species living in a range of habitats and explain why they possess adaptations that are suited to their specific environment

Teacher background information

This lesson is focused on role play and excitement in the classroom. The momentum of this lesson will depend on the teacher enthusiasm and the ability to utilise some students who enjoy performing arts and public speaking. This lesson should be fun and exciting for the students. Students in this lesson will have the opportunity to create ‘Species Profile Cards’. Students will present this as a word document or a single slide in a PowerPoint through a projector and will be required to present to the class in the next lesson. This is an informal task and is not designed to be assessed, however, the students will be required to answer questions from their peers and teacher in the next lesson. The purpose is to get students communicating scientific phenomena in an informal environment to an audience. The activity does not have to be presented as a role play, however, the role play will encourage student enthusiasm for the task. The ‘Species Profile Cards’ activity can be extended over two lessons if required, or the task can be condensed to include less elements if there are time constraints.

Prior to lesson: Get a few students who are enthusiastic and perhaps enjoy performing arts to act as the air hostesses on the plane ride, you can also advise them of the role play scenario and ask them to help build the momentum and enthusiasm for this lesson.

Teaching sequence

Overview

Activity 2.1 - Role Play: Students will be ‘location scouts’ for the British Broadcasting Company (BBC), and will be journeying to different locations around the world.

Activity 2.2 - Species Profile Cards: Students create their own ‘Species Profile Cards’ that will need to convince the BBC of where they film their next documentary on adaptations. Profile cards will contain information such as environment, behavioural, structural and physiological adaptations, prey and predators. This will be done in groups of 2-3. (Depending on time allocated to this activity each member of the group could create their own species card for the same selected environment)

Activities

Activity 2.1 - Role Play (10 minutes)

Teacher begins the class straight away taking on the persona in the role play of an Executive Location Scout at the British Broadcasting Company (BBC). The teacher can utilise props such as a ranger’s hat or a camera around their neck to enhance the dramatization of the Location Scout role. The teacher will begin the lesson with the script below.

Teacher:

“Welcome Location Scouts!!!! As your Executive Location Scout at the British Broadcasting Company, I have been assigned a task and I need your help!! The BBC is creating a brand new documentary that will be airing on the BBC Channel and Channel 10 this year, and we need to find a great location to film this marvellous documentary. We will be journeying to the Sahara Dessert, The Australian Outback, The Galapagos Islands, The Arctic, Central America and even delving into the marine world over the next few days. Your task is to choose an animal or plant which is of particular interest to you and your group. This animal or plant needs to have some interesting adaptations that we can convey to the millions of people who watch our documentaries every year, that they will find, as Sir David Attenborough would say “truly remarkable.” Your task as location scouts is to create a ‘Species Profile Card’, on Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. On your profile card, you are to include what country/region this species is found in and the environment in which this species lives, such as low/high temperature, high altitude, rainfall, high salt content environment, desert, arid, nutrient rich/poor, freezing temperatures, swampy, moist, nitrogenous etc. You will need to consider the metabolic rate of the organism, what is the biggest challenge your species encounters, access to resources, describe in detail the behavioural, physiological and structural adaptations this species exhibits, what are the organisms’ predators, what are the organisms’ prey, and how all of this enhances its survival. Get ready because we are about to board Adaptations Airlines, which will transport us quickly to all of the areas we are journeying to today”

Teacher will play one minute of the video of the plane taking off from 3:40-4:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0jkRhIMZAZo&t=277s

Whilst the video is playing, teacher will get a student to read the following script:

Student:

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen, my name is _________ and I am your chief flight attendant today. Our captain has turned on the fasten seatbelts sign, so if you could all please fasten your seatbelts and ensure your devices are turned off or on flight mode. We have a very quick flight today, I believe only a minute and a half so we will go through the safety instructions very quickly. We have an emergency exit (point to the door) in the event of an emergency please assume the bracing position. We may endure some turbulence, so if we do, please fasten your seatbelt. Each of you will be heading to places such as Central America, the Australian Outback, the Sahara Desert, the Galapagos Islands and the Arctic. Oh fantastic, we have arrived. Ladies and gentlemen, please begin to disembark the aircraft”

Activity 2.2 - Species Profile Cards (50 minutes)

Teacher:

“How fantastic we have arrived at our location! Location scouts, your task now is to investigate your species. You can get started two ways, you can choose the environment first, by taking into consideration temperature, altitude, region etc. first, then choose a species within that environment, or, you can choose a species that you’re interested in, then explore the environment. As your Executive Location Scout, I will be journeying with you to your regions, and I will be moving around and helping you with the creation of your ‘Species Profile Cards.’ You will have the rest of the lesson to complete and create this, and you will be required to present this to your colleague location scouts next lesson, where they will have the opportunity to ask you questions, so ensure every single member of your group understands your species and its adaptations in detail.”

Teacher Note:

Students might need one to two lessons to work on the creation of their ‘Species Profile Cards,’ this task can be extended for the duration the students require.
On the board, write up the following things for students to consider when creating their ‘Species Profile Cards’:
- Country/region
- Dessert, rainforest, freezing, arid, swampy, marine etc.
- High/low altitude
- High/low temperature
- Nutrient rich/poor
- Moisture content
- Salt content
- Rainfall
- Behavioural adaptations
- Physiological adaptations
- Structural adaptations
- Access to resources? Food, water, shelter, mates, etc.
- Metabolic rate
- What are the organism’s predators?
- What organisms does the species prey upon?
- How does your species overcome challenges?
If students are struggling to find a species, some examples of ones to use for adaptations are, penguins, camels, spinifex hopping mouse, stick insects and giraffes.