Lesson #2: Animal Adaptations

We started out our second lesson reviewing rules, our three body shapes, and heredity terms. We continued to talk about heredity, but focused on animals and their adaptations. Warmed up by doing axial (staying in one place) and locomotor (moving around the room) movement. I then gave them criteria: axial and low and fast or locomotor, high, slow, etc. I tried lots of combinations and tried my best to just keep them moving so they would not get bored. Older kids get bored quicker, so it is important to keep the activities going. I then related it back to animals by asking them if they could give me an example of an animal that moves in this way. They were quick to respond. I found out during this lesson, how much they love sound effects! No matter what combination of movement I gave them, they found some animal or sound effect that would go with it. I will have to try implementing these more into my lessons to let them use their voices more. We discussed animals, their adaptations, their environments, and what those adaptations help them to do.

Beforehand, I had created notecards with a different environment written on each card. I showed them to the students and had them say them out loud and then placed them on the stairs where they students could see. I had also created cards with an animal written on each so that there were 5 animals that went into each environment category. The students helped me organize the animals to their correct environment. Mrs. Washburn and I passed out an animal card to each student. I told them that each corner of the room represented a different environment. They got in a long line, and one by one, to the beat of my drum, they ran to their designated corner and created a shape. If they got to a corner with a person already there, they had to create a shape with the people there. They could not create their own shape, but a group shape. They all made a lot of line shapes, all connected by arms or legs. I think I will incorporate some new ways to balance and weight bear in my next lessons so they can start to think more creatively in their group shapes. 

Next, I had the students listen to a sound effect I had found beforehand that represented each environment. I had them go across the floor like the animal that was written on their notecard only when they heard the correct sound. I wanted them to have to pay attention and decipher when they could cross the floor without me just telling them to help with listening skills. They did a pretty good job. 

Last, was their performance and creative portion. They got into groups of 4, chose an animal, figured out it's environment, and then came up with movement to show the animal first, and then it's environment. I urged them to not just act out the animal but to think about what it does or its qualities. Then they were to show us the environment by what's in it or by how it might make you feel. Their performances were quite good! Again, I am going to try to implement more focus on abstraction in future lessons, but with the directions I gave them, they did a good job! It was a really fun lesson today!