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Island Explorers Curriculum Home

 

Unit 2

Lesson Plan 1

Lesson Plan 2

Lesson Plan 3

Lesson Plan 4

Lesson Plan 5

Lesson Plan 6

Lesson Plan 7

Concepts/Objectives | Vocabulary/Background | Activity | Extension

 

Lesson Plan 2

 (Activity)

 

"CONVERGENT CONCENTRATION"

ACTIVITIES:

LESSON PLAN:

INTO:

  1. To initiate the discussion Teacher shows two examples of two sets of animals using overlays (made up from examples on the cards included in this activity) and a pointer can be very helpful.

    Ex:
    [A.) flying insect / small bird, and B.) antelope/steer]
    Ask students what they have in common. Then give brief description of what convergent evolution is.
  2. Have students brainstorm other categories/examples of adaptations resulting from convergent evolution.
  3. Ultimately list on the board the 11 categories described in the background. Ask what these adaptations are for (example: "wings to fly and escape"). You may leave the title of the categories (without explanations) on the board to aid students with the activity, if needed.

ACTIVITY:

"CONVERGENT CONCENTRATION"

Before You Start:

  1. Divide students into groups of four (three or five will also work, but with four you can have the option of working in pairs [against another pair].)
  2. Give each group a copy of the two pages of "Convergent Evolution" Animals, two pieces of construction paper, scissors, and glue stick, and one copy of "Convergent Concentration" Score sheet (or groups can make their own).
  3. Ask students to paste the sheet of animals to the construction paper and then cut out the squares to make "cards." In addition each group writes the players name on the score sheet (or creates their own). Choose one player to also be scorekeeper.

How to Play:
Shuffle the animal "cards" and place face down.

Students play "Concentration" by taking turns (clockwise around the table). Each student can turn any 2 cards over so the animal is visible. If the cards "match" and the student can say what the shared characteristic is, she/he wins 10 points. If the student can also say how it helped the animal to survive she/he gets another 10 points.

The cards are removed from the game and placed face up by the student. Scorekeeper awards 10 (or 20) points by the students name.

If the cards do not match, they are put back into the original position, face
down to be used again. Each time a player is able to match and describe the reason why for a pair, she/he gets another turn; until she/he "misses."

The idea is for the students to both remember the position of the cards and more importantly to identify why they are a "match."




Concepts/Objectives | Vocabulary/Background | Activity | Extension