Kate Lynn Shibley Roger Williams University Active Inquiry

1. Why Can’t I See You? Kate Lynn Shibley Roger Williams University Active Inquiry For the Teacher For the Student

2. Lesson Overview • This is a two day inquiry based lesson for grades 1-3. Students will be introduced to the topics of camouflage, predators, and prey. Throughout the lesson students will observe, research, and experiment the concept of camouflaging. • Can colors protect animals? For the Teacher

3. Targeted Standards By the end of this lesson students will understand: • Why animals use camouflage • How camouflage is a defense mechanism • The concepts of adaptation, predator, and prey. This lesson meets standards from: • TN Science Curriculum Framework • GLE 0207.2.3  Identify basic ways that plants and animals depend on each other. • GLE 0307.2.2  Explain how organisms with similar needs compete with one another for resources such as food, space, water, air, and shelter. • Benchmarks For Science Literacy • National Science Education Standards For the Teacher

4. Formative Assessment • Students will be assessed through their ability to place animals in an environment/habitat in which those animals are hidden, as well as their ability to write a story about their animal and give an explanation of why animals need to disguise themselves. Students must use the terms camouflage/disguise, predator, and prey correctly. For the Teacher

5. Opening the Lesson • Whole-group: Ask students the question “Can colors protect animals?” • Read the book “Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud,” by Donna and Doreen Rathmell. The story is about many different types of sea-creatures who show off their abilities to hide themselves from other hungry creatures. • Ask questions to get an idea of what type of prior knowledge the students have about camouflaging, predators, and prey. - Do you play Hide and Seek? - What do you need to do so you won’t be found? - Do animals play Hide and Seek too? - How? Why? - How did colors help the sea-creatures in the story? - Why were colors so important to these animals? • Have students watch a video clip about animal camouflaging (from http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/animals/camouflage/) - this website also has other great activities about animal camouflaging For the Teacher

6. Developing the Lesson -1 Why Can’t I See You? In this lesson students will be investigating and demonstrating how animals disguise themselves for protection. Teacher should have materials prepared before the beginning of this lesson. • The first activity is a whole-group activity. Before students enter the room, have this part of the lesson set up. Tape a large sheet of printed wrapping paper on the board. Cut out 10 fish on printed wrapping paper and 10 fish on solid colored wrapping paper (5 in one color and 5 in the other). Attach the fish randomly to the sheet of printed wrapping paper. When the students enter the room, have them stand a distance away from the board and give them 1 minute to see how many fish they can see on board. When the minute is up, have the students step close to the board and let the observe the board again for another minute. Students will find fish they could not see from a distance (the printed fish on the same printed paper.) • Have students sit in their seats and ask a few questions about the activity: • Why couldn’t you see all the fish? • What fish did you see right away? • Why is this? • Once students have answered these questions to the best of their ability, the teacher should spend about 15 minutes discussing the concepts of camouflaging/disguising, predators, and prey. The teacher should give age appropriate definition of these terms. For the Teacher

7. Developing the Lesson -2 • Students will now receive instruction for their next activity of the lesson. • Students are to choose any animal and find a picture on the internet, in a magazine, or draw their own picture and cut this picture out (make sure to assist students with cutting if necessary) • Each student should be given a blank piece of construction paper and a variety of craft materials are to be placed somewhere in the room so that all students can get to them. Students will then paste their picture on the blank piece of paper and be asked to camouflage that animal on the paper using a number of materials (students may color parts and use sticks, pipe cleaners and any other materials they choose). Be sure not to give the students too much instruction on this activity, allow them to be creative and express themselves. If students choose to draw their own animal and they color the animal with unnatural colors, it is fine, as long as the student understands to use those same types of colors when camouflaging (for example, a giraffe with pink spots). • Once student’s are finished with their pictures, they are to think of a story/explanation of their animal and how and why their animal had to hide. Student’s are to write this short explanation down on lined paper, which will be attached to the bottom of the picture, so when displayed, observes can look at the picture and read the students’ explanations. For the Teacher

8. Closing the Lesson • To finish up the lesson, the students with gather together and present their picture and story to the class if they would like to (do not make students present in front of the class if they are not comfortable doing so). • Lastly, students stay in a whole group and the class will have a closing discussion. The first question can be asked again, “Can colors protect animals?” • Listen to see if the responses and understanding of the concepts discussed at the beginning of the lesson have changed since their involvement in the lesson. • Review the meaning of camouflaging, predator, and prey once again at some point during this closing discussion. For the Teacher

9. Materials • At least one computer with internet • 1 roll of printed wrapping paper • 2 rolls of solid colored wrapping paper (different colors) • White construction paper • Paste • Scissors • Coloring materials • Variety of craft material (pipe cleaners, yarn, pieces of cardboard etc.) • Lined paper • Magazines/pictures For the Teacher

10. Resources, Credits Resources: • Child appropriate websites: - BrainPOP Jr. -Yahooligans Animals! • Other related books: -The Mixed -Up Chameleon By: Eric Carle - What color is Camouflage? By: Carolyn B. Otto & Megan Lloyd Davies For the Teacher

11. Enrichment & Accommodations Accommodations: • This lesson is good for a differentiated lesson plan for all types of learners in the class because it contains a variety of learning techniques. If the lesson is not suited for a particular classroom, activities can easily be changed. • This “Why Can’t I See You?” lesson includes both whole-group and individual discussion and instruction. This works well in a differentiated classroom because some students prefer to work alone while others enjoy working and communicating with classmates. The lesson is very hands-on and engaging to students, but not difficult or dangerous in any way. After the hands-on fun is completed, students get the opportunity to sit quietly, reflect on the lesson and write a story/explanation. Possible Enrichment Activity: • At the end of this lesson, the class will go on a field trip. Our trip will be a walk along a nature trail. This will be the perfect opportunity for the students to see animals disguising themselves in the wild. The students will spend the day searching for examples and see what they can find. Make sure to have appropriate supervision. For the Teacher

12. Camouflage with Annie & Moby • Click Here!

13. Introduction • This lesson will explore the question, “Can colorsprotectanimals?” • We will be working on this science-based lesson for two days. In these two days the topics of camouflaging, predators, prey, and habitat will be introduced. • We will be reading “Octavia and Her Purple Ink Cloud” by Donna and Doreen Rathmell, watching a video clip, and participating in two related activities. For the Student

14. Learning Goals By the end of this lesson, you as students will understand: • Why animals use camouflaging • How camouflaging is a defense mechanism • The concepts of adaptation, predator, prey, and habitat • How many animals have the ability to change with their habitat For the Student

15. Assessment • You will be assessed b y your ability to place animals in an environment/habitat in which those animals are hidden. This activity will show me your understanding of the concept of camouflaging. • You will also be assessed on your story of your animal and your explanation of why animals disguise themselves, as well as your use of the vocabulary words that we discussed during the lesson. For the Student

16. Learning Activity Why can’t I see you? • Throughout this lesson keep in mind the question, “Can colors protect animals?” How many fish can you see? • When you enter the room, I will have an activity set up for you. I will stand you a certain distance from the board and then give you 1 minute to count how many fish you see on the board. I will then allow you to step closer to the board and give another minute to re-count the amount of fish you see on the board. - Did you see more fish further or closer to the board? Why? - Which fish did you see right away? - Why is this? • Now you will camouflage your own animal in a habitat. Either draw your own animal or cut out a picture from the internet or a magazine. • Paste your animal onto a blank piece of construction paper. Use all different materials to disguise your animal to the environment behind it. • When you are done with this activity, write a short story or explanation about your animal and explain how and why you chose to camouflage your animal the way you did. * Remember, use the vocabulary words we discussed correctly; camouflage, habitat, predator, and prey. For the Student

17. Enrichment • At the end of this lesson, we as a class will be going on a field trip. Our trip will be a walk along a nature trail. This will be the perfect opportunity for you all to see animals disguising themselves in the wild. We will spend the day searching for examples and see what we can find! *Reminder- Be sure to have your permission slip signed before the day of the field trip so you are able to attend. For the Student