Exploring Ecosystems with Crayfish: Structures and Behaviors

1. Crayfish 3rd Grade

2. Day 1

3. Focus question: What is an ecosystem?

4. Vocabulary ecosystem – all the living and nonliving things that interact in a specific area community – all of the living things in an ecosystem organism - any living thing

8. What do the pictures have in common? They’re all ecosystems!

9. Day 2

10. Focus question: What do animals need to grow and survive?

11. Vocabulary molts- to shed an outer shell in order to grow endanger - at risk of becoming extinct

12. Reading – Structures of Life Pages 38 – 41

13. What do crayfish need to survive? Crayfish need…

14. Page 41, #1-4 Structures that help crayfish move in their environments are ____________________. 2. Structures that help crayfish get food in their environments are __________________. 3. Structures and behaviors crayfish use to protect and defend themselves are ________________. 4. Structures and behaviors that allow crayfish to raise offspring are ___________________.

15. Day 3

16. Review:What is an ecosystem?

17. Focus question: What are the structures of a crayfish?

18. Vocabulary crustaceans - a group of mostly aquatic animals with hard, flexible shells behaviors - the actions of an animal in response to its environment carapace - a hard outer shell that covers the main part of the body of an animal

19. Vocabulary pincers - an animal’s claw used for grasping antenna - the thin feeler on the head of an animal like a crayfish, an isopod, or an insect swimmerets - a small, soft leg under the tail of a crayfish

20. Reading – Structures of Life Pages 34 - 35

21. How do we treat crayfish? Brainstorm: How do we behave around crayfish? How do we treat them? How to pick up a crayfish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZSsCTcYebI

22. Day 4

23. Focus question: What are the structures of a crayfish?

24. Vocabulary predators - an animal that hunts and catches other animals for food appendages - legs and mouth parts

27. Male crayfish

28. Female crayfish

29. Eggs underneath tail

30. Day 5

31. thorax abdomen eye swimmerets short antenna tail legs pincer long antenna

32. Review:What are the structures of a crayfish?

33. Focus question: What are the functions of the structures of a crayfish?

34. Reading – Structures of Life Pages 36 - 37

35. Day 6

36. Review:What are the functions of the structures of a crayfish?

37. Focus question:What are the structures of a male and female crayfish? Pg. 35 in textbook*

38. Male Crayfish • Shorter swimmerets • Bigger pincers • Narrower tails

39. Female Crayfish • Longer swimmerets • Smaller pincers • Wider tails • Egg pore

40. thorax abdomen eye swimmerets short antenna tail Study for your quiz tomorrow! legs pincer long antenna

41. Day 7

42. Review: What are the structures of a male and female crayfish?

43. Focus question: What do we need to do to control a crayfish environment?

44. Day 8

45. Review:What do we need to do to control a crayfish environment?

46. Focus question: Why do crayfish behave the way they do?

47. Vocabulary behavior- the actions of an animal in response to its environment structure- any identifiable part of an organism

48. Day 9

49. Review:Why do crayfish behave the way they do?

50. Focus question:Why do animals have adaptations?