Expected time frame: 1-2 lessons
These learning activities are designed to help students identify different types of adaptation in two different organisms. Students read two information texts which describe adaptations of a carnivore and a herbivore with a focus on raising awareness of vocabulary meanings and parts of speech and the use of action verbs.
Ensuring learners know the content and language learning outcomes
Providing many opportunities for academic language use with a focus on using authentic language
1. Identifying different types of adaptations in two different organisms
Giving learners many opportunities to first notice then use new language
Reading about the adaptations of a carnivore
Ask students to read Adaptations of a carnivore (Word 27KB) .
Check that the students know the meaning of all the Keywords (Word 19KB) .
Ask students to write out all the verbs which describe the actions of the bird in this text (what a bird does). In paragraph 1, for example, the two verbs which describe the bird's action processes are ‘get’ and ‘eats’.
Ask students to write down the numbers of each paragraph and write down the missing words. Answers can be checked with a partner or the teacher.
Reading about the adaptations of a carnivore
Ask students to read Adaptations of a Herbivore (Word 44KB) .
Ask students to write down at least three words from this text that can have a different meaning. They write out another meaning of each of these three words.
Ask students to check that they know the meaning of all the words in the word box.
Display the Types of Nouns (Word 24KB) resource. Discuss the differences between countable and uncountable (or mass) nouns. Point out that a countable noun can be used with an indefinite article - a or an - in front of it (eg. a caterpillar). The use of ‘the’ for general reference with singular nouns (e.g. the bird / the caterpillar) and zero article with plural nouns (e.g. birds / caterpillars) should also be pointed out to students.
Ask students to head up two columns - countable nouns and uncountable nouns - and write all the nouns referred to in the Types of Nouns (Word 24KB) resource into the correct column. Students must not write each word more than once.
Ask students to write down the missing words and the paragraph numbers from Adaptations of a Herbivore (Word 44KB) . Students check answers by taking turns to read the sentences aloud with a partner and saying the missing words.
Include opportunities for monitoring and self-evaluation
2. Metacognitive monitoring
Students complete this self-checking activity:
If I close my book, can I explain one type of adaptation to a partner and can I remember the names of all three types of adaptations and say and spell them correctly?
Ask students to complete the ‘end of the unit’ column in the learning grid (Word 2007 17KB) .
Discuss this with students and use the information to identify any areas requiring further teaching and learning for individual students before they are summatively assessed.
Published on: 09 Jan 2018
