Kate Lynn Shibley

1
Why Cant 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 camouflaging
• How camouflaging is a defense mechanism
• The concepts of adaptation, predator, and prey.
• This lesson meets standards from
• RI Grade Span Expectations for Life Science
• 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 wont 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/scien
  ce/animals/camouflage/)
• - this website also has other great activities
  about animal camouflaging

For the Teacher
6
Developing the Lesson -1

• Why Cant 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 couldnt 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 students 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. Students 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 Cant 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
  colors protect animals?
• 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 cant 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