Ohio Animal Adaptations
60 Minute Life Science Lesson
Science-to-Go! Program
Grades: 1-3
TEACHER GUIDE
Ohio Animal Adaptations
Description
Discover the diversity of Ohio’s wetland and
forest animals. Your students will become
backyard detectives as they carefully examine
skulls and furs to figure out what features help
their local animals survive. Each animal is
different – the adaptations you discover can
give clues to learning where the animal lives or
what it likes to eat.
Objectives
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Explore the basic needs of all living
organisms
Discuss the different ways that Ohio
animals have adapted to specific
habitats
Explore the differences between
aquatic and terrestrial mammals using
skulls and furs
Describe beak adaptations of different
birds for specific food sources
Ohio’s Learning Standards
Grade 1: Life Science – Basic Needs of Living Things
• Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical
environment.
• Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs
Grade 3: Life Science – Behavior, Growth and Changes
• Individuals of the same kind differ in their traits and sometimes the differences give
individuals an advantage in surviving and reproducing.
Produced and published by the Education Division
1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106 8/2/16
How to Set Up Your Room
• Please have student desks clear before the program begins.
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Please provide an empty desk or small table for the museum educator to set up display items.
Students will need a pencil and a copy of the attached worksheet for use during the program.
If booking multiple programs, transitions will be easier if museum staff sets up in only one
location.
Introduce the vocabulary and additional resources provided below.
Vocabulary
habitat – the place where an organism lives
adaptation – a body part, body covering, or behavior that helps an animal survive in its
environment
shelter – something that an animal uses for its home which protects it from the elements
rostrum – the beak-like projection of an animal
wetland – lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture
food – material which provides animals with energy to survive
forest – a habitat containing a large growth of trees, plants, and underbrush
Extension Activities
Check out museum science:
• The attached article, “The Science of Watching Birds,” is based on a research report by
CMNH ornithologist, Tom Bartlett. Follow along on Tom’s bird banding project to learn
how the birds reveal the biodiversity of a habitat and how scientists work together to track
migration routes. Along the way, students will encounter standards-based content (see
key words below) and practice navigating common informational text features such as
sub-headings, glossaries, maps, charts and images. Did Tom’s work inspire more
questions? The article also includes suggested ways to keep your class involved in current
science.
Schoolyard Habitat Exploration
• Take the students outside and have them explore their schoolyard habitat.
• Ask them to list the animals and plants they see.
• Do any of the animals have adaptations that help them live in their habitat?
Produced and published by the Education Division
1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106 8/2/16
Schoolyard Habitat Book Report
• Using the list of animals and plants from the pre-visit activity, have the students pick one
of the animals or plants and have them give a short report on it.
• The report should include the animal/plant name (common and scientific), a drawing of
the animal/plant, its special adaptations, food preferences (animals), habitat, and other
specific information of interest to the student.
• Once the reports are completed, a classroom schoolyard habitat book can be put together
and displayed.
Online Resources for Teachers and Students
Click the link below to find additional online resources for teachers and students. These websites
are recommended by our Museum Educators and provide additional content information and
some fun, interactive activities to share with your class.
CMNH Educators regularly review these links for quality. Web addresses often change so please
notify us if any links have issues.
Cleveland Museum of Natural History https://cmnh.org/edlinks
Educator Resource Center (ERC)
Materials for Loan
The Educator Resource Center offers
educator workshops, thematic teaching
kits, animal dioramas, and more for loan to
area teachers.
Contact the ERC at 216-231-2075 for
information on individual or school
membership.
Visit the Museum’s ERC website for more
information on workshops
https://www.cmnh.org/ERC
Hours
o Monday through Friday, 1 to 5 PM
o Wednesday, 1 to 6 PM
o Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM
If you’re interested in additional resources
be sure to check out the following ERC
materials or browse ERC materials online at
http://cmnh.hosting.l4u.com
Related ERC kits for this topic include:
Ohio Animals: Toys, rubbing plates, crafts,
posters, big books, identification cards, and
over a dozen puppets introduce students to
local Ohio wildlife.
Animal Beaks and Teeth: Explore how
animals seek and eat food using teeth and
beaks, games, books, and other assorted
specimens.
Life Cycle of Animals: Investigate animal life
cycles through big books, puzzles, games,
plastic specimens, and stamping sets.
Produced and published by the Education Division
1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106 8/2/16
Look at the pictures below and match the drawing of the animal with its skull. Be sure to look at its teeth and think about what it eats.
A Beaver Herbivore Wetlands B C Are YOUR teeth more like the teeth of
a fox, a beaver, or a raccoon? Why?
Produced and published by the Education Division, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106. Last updated 7/14/2016 Different bird species have different adaptations to help them
Draw a line from the bird to the type of food it eats.
Duck food.
Mouse Cardinal Spider Hummingbird Fish Heron Nectar from flower Eagle Seeds Woodpecker Water Plants PELT COMPARISONS
Circle the two ways UNDERFUR helps a mammal:
Keeps them warm
Helps them find food
Keeps their skin dry
Is UNDERFUR thicker or thinner in water mammals?
Thicker
Thinner
Produced and published by the Education Division, The Cleveland Museum of Natural History, 1 Wade Oval Dr., University Circle, Cleveland, OH 44106. Last updated 7/14/2016