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5 BEST Ideas to Teach Animal Adaptations and Plant Adaptations

Ready to teach about animal adaptations and plant adaptations to upper elementary students? You are in the right place! We have so many adaptations lessons to choose from.

Let’s start with the key concepts for adaptations.

What are structures?

Structures are the physical features of plants and animals that allow them to form a variety of functions. Both plants and animals have internal and external structures that help them survive in their environments.

What are examples of structures?

Examples of structures in plants:

  • Leaves
  • Roots
  • Stems
  • Flowers
  • Xylem
  • Chloroplasts

Examples of structures in animals:

  • Skin
  • Limbs
  • Mouth
  • Eyes
  • Skeleton
  • Heart
What are functions?

Functions describe the purpose or the role of a structure identified within a plant or animal, such as the leaves of a plant performing photosynthesis so plants can convert sunlight into energy. The hollow bones in birds help them fly more efficiently. 

By examining the functions of structures in plants and animals, we can see how organisms have changed over time to survive and thrive in their environments.

Here are five fabulous ideas to get your students exploring various organisms!

#1 Write a Claim

Your elementary adaptations unit lends itself well to writing CERs.

Explaining the function of an organism’s structure is basically like writing a claim already. You can easily integrate CER with any adaptations unit.

Important: Choose an organism you studied in class; it’s not a good time to pick an unfamiliar creature. 

Ask a question: Why do ______ have _______?

Structure the claim: A _____’s ______ helps it survive in the ______.

Add evidence: One sentence describes what the structure does.

Add reasoning: Think about the changes the organism faces in its environment. Connect the structure to its function.

#2 Adaptations Projects

Read, write, and learn! This animal adaptations project includes informative posters and worksheet options. Learn about butterflies, owls, axolotls, honeybees, and more with this activity.

Colorful posters provide information in a fun way. Students can complete mini trifolds to display what they learned. 

See it on TPT.

#3 Adaptations Task Cards

As students familiarize themselves with the variety of plant and animal structures, practicing recalling definitions and examples, comparing and contrasting terms, and working with visual stimuli like simple diagrams and tables is necessary.

With these 20 NO PREP multiple choice task cards, you can be sure that students understand the most important terms needed to understand animal and plant structures and their functions.

See them on TpT: Adaptations Vocabulary Task Cards

#4 Adaptations Stations

Stations were a HUGE hit for my students as they led to more self-paced experiences along the way with the content. You have 9 activities for your students to engage with, but you can choose some or all of them!

Each station provides hands-on experiences to compare structures and functions. They are easy to prep, students have sheets to record information, and answer keys are provided.

Here are the 9 stations:

Read It: Read about the structures of giraffes, Madagascar geckos, agave, and earthworms. Answer questions.

Create It: Use information provided to design a camel that would be adapted to a tundra environment.

Watch It: Watch two short videos and answer questions.

Match It: Match different types of animal feet to the environment best suited to those foot types. Answer questions.

Analyze It: Compare and contrast the traits of polar bears and black bears.

Draw It: Draw pictures for three terms— structure, function, and environment.

Explore It: Students explore tail adaptations of a monkey and beaver using a pipe cleaner and a piece of foam. Then, they identify how each animal’s tail helps it move.

Explain It: Compare the shapes and functions of a beaver’s tail and a capuchin’s tail. Complete a table.

Sort It: Sort statements as describing leopard geckos or poison dart frogs and describe how their structures help them survive in their environments.

Check them out on TpT: Adaptations Science Stations

#5 Labs in a Snap

Structures and Functions Labs in a Snap is designed to help teachers easily incorporate real-world observations and models to learn how bird beaks are related to the food a bird eats, structures and their functions in a flower, and how the structures on our bodies help us survive. There are 3 labs.

1. Engagement Lab: Our Bodies

How do the structures on our bodies help us survive?

2. Exploration Lab: Flower Structures

Let’s explore the parts of a flower.

3. Elaboration Lab: Bird Beaks

How is a bird’s beak related to what it eats?

Simple. Meaningful. Ready to use!

 

See it on TpT: Structures and Functions Labs in a Snap

 

Bonus: Monkey Tails for K-2

Ready to take a hands-on approach to animal adaptations? For your primary classes, have the students craft a monkey’s tail from a simple pipe cleaner and a printout. It’s budget-friendly and oh-so-engaging.

 

See this on TpT: K/1 Science Day

Projects and Units

Here are our top teaching resources for plant adaptations and animal adaptations. Have fun teaching!

Supplemental Resources

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13 thoughts on “5 BEST Ideas to Teach Animal Adaptations and Plant Adaptations”

  2. Thank you! I pin, buy and save so much of your great materials. Please blog about mixtures and solutions. It was my lowest TEK on the STAAR last year and I need all the help I can get. Your ADAPT packet pulled that TEK to the top of the list.

  5. You are my go to resource for all my homeschooling science needs. Thank you!! My daughter loves all animals, so she will adore this. Fantastic post – so many great resources!

  8. Wow ari,

    I really liked your activities for adaptations. Do you have any activities for fossils. My class is moving onto that topic next.
    Thanks,

    Regina

  10. I did similar stations in my fourth grade class when we were learning about adaptations with the inspiration of this post and my students absolutely LOVED them. They were engaged and I loved to see them applying their knowledge in different ways. Thank you!

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