Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Abigail Elsavage Date: 4/12

Group Size: 20 Students Allotted Time: 50 minutes

Subject or Topic: Lesson #2 Camouflage Grade level: 3rd

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

● 3.1.3.A2 : Describe the basic needs of living things and their dependence on light,
food, air, water, and shelter.

● NGSS: 3-LS3-2 Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced
by the environment

Learning Targets/Objectives:
● The third-grade students will learn a specific basic need by exploring camouflage.

Assessment Approaches: Evidence:

1. Anecdotal notes 1. Observational
2. Thumbs up/thumbs down 2. Observational

Assessment Scale:
1.
Subject Matter/Content:

Prerequisites:
● An understanding of the different types of living things
● A basic understanding of animals
● A basic understanding of plants
○ Air, water, shelter, food, and light
● A basic understanding of characteristics of living things

Key Vocabulary:
● Camouflage: A way of hiding something by covering or coloring it so that it looks like
its surroundings. The military uses camouflage to hide people, buildings, or vehicles
from the enemy.
 ○ The coats of many animals serve them as a natural form of camouflage.
● Disruptive coloration: A pattern that makes it hard to see the outline of an object.
Example: Zebra
● Chromatophores: Specialized skin cells that contain pigment. (aids in camouflage)
● Pattern: Pattern is when an animal's spots or stripes break up its shape.
● Blending: Blending is when an animal naturally matches their surroundings.
● Disguise: Disguise is when an animal looks like something else.
● Color change: Color change is when an animal can change its color to match its
surroundings.

Content/Facts:

● White tail deer

○ The whitetail's coat will change with the seasons, from reddish brown in the
spring and summer when vegetation is growing to grayish brown in the winter.
This helps the deer to stay camouflaged all year round. The change in color
happens quickly, usually in 1 or 2 weeks.
○ At birth, white tail fawns have a spotted reddish coat that is silky. There may be
several hundred spots on the coat. The spots enable the fawn to camouflage
itself, with the colors blending well with the surrounding natural environment.
○ The white tail deer is native to North America and Central America.
● Chameleons
○ Chameleons mostly live in Madagascar, country in East Africa
○ Chameleons camouflage themselves in a variety of different ways but most
famously by changing the colour and pattern of their skin.
○ Most chameleons can change colour and they do this by expanding or
contracting cells in their skin that contain different pigments.
○ They can blend into their surroundings by altering the colour of their skin to
match the background.
○ Chameleons will also use their ability to switch colour during social displays
when they alter their colouration and pattern dramatically from the background.
○ Their body shape also helps with camouflage as well as the way they move.
○ The high arched back gives their body a leaf-like shape and their slow
movements make it difficult for predators and prey to detect them.
○ Some chameleons, for example the stump-tailed chameleon, rock back and
forward to look like leaves being blown by the wind.
Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:

Introduction
● The teacher will begin the day by connecting yesterday's lesson to today's lesson.
● “Yesterday, we learned all about the basic needs of animals. Today, we are going to
 research one of those basic needs using two animals in the world. One animal lives
right in your backyard. The other animal lives thousands of miles away from here!”
● Can anyone guess what animal we are going to be talking about today that lives in
Pennsylvania?
● *Allow time for students to share their responses.
● Go to the following website: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/wacky-
weekend/article/hidden-animals
● Challenge students to find the animals in the photos.
● Pass out an essential question paper with the following essential question:
○ “What is the reason for camouflage?”
● Allow students 5 minutes to make a guess.
● The teacher will then collect the papers and sort them into ‘yes’ and ‘no’ piles.
● The teacher will then find the ‘favorite no’ in the pile.
● The teacher will share it with the class and explain how they will learn more about it
throughout the lesson.
● Let's look at this BrainPOP video which is going to talk all about camouflage.
● *Play BrainPOP video (2:32):
https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/camouflage/
● At the end of the video, ask students some questions. This will act as the engaging part
of the lesson.
○ “What animals do you know use camouflage?”
○ “Why do you think camouflage is important for animals?”
Development/Teaching Approaches

● Before the lesson, allow students 5 minutes to observe the flowers and record their
observations in their journals.
● Once everyone is finished with their journals, tell students they are going to be learning
about camouflage today.
● The teacher will play a BrainPOP video which explains camouflage.
● Video: https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/camouflage/#
● After the video, the teacher will ask the students the following questions:
○ Think, pair, share for each question
■ “What animals do you know use camouflage?”
■ “Why is camouflage important for animals?”
● Create an animal camouflage flip book with the students
● Pass out materials
○ Construction paper
○ Crayons
● Discuss the following vocabulary words with the students.
○ Types of camouflage: Pattern, blending, disguise, and color change.
● The teacher will post the definitions on the teacher example using post-it’s as each
 definition is discussed.
● Read aloud the book Chameleon, Chameleon: https://youtu.be/bUUp0mmUUwE
● Play the following video (*3:50): https://youtu.be/aZuxerppygM
● *Stop the video throughout to have students try to find the chameleon as it
camouflages itself.
● The teacher will review some cool facts about how chameleons change colors using the
following website: https://curiokids.net/how-does-the-chameleon-blend-into-its-
environment/?lang=en
● Tell students to put on their invisible super vision goggles because today they will be
looking for white tail deer.
● Hand out “I spy a deer” worksheet.
● Play the following video (*4:01): https://youtu.be/VfWpUa7qJSk
● Ask students to watch the video. As the video plays, students must record how many
deer they can find in the video.
● When the video is over, ask students to share how many deer they counted.
● Once everyone has shared, inform the students of the real number of deer in the video.
● “There were 11 deer in the video. Did you catch them all?”
● *Replay the video and point out where the deer were.
● Ask students to answer the questions on their worksheet.
○ Was it easy or difficult to find all the deer? Why?
○ Explain something you learned from this activity.
● Next, get out an anchor chart and write facts about how the white tail deer camouflages
itself.
○ The whitetail's coat will change with the seasons, from reddish brown in the
spring and summer when vegetation is growing to grayish brown in the winter.
This helps the deer to stay camouflaged all year round. The change in color
happens quickly, usually in 1 or 2 weeks.
○ *Pull up a picture of a fawn and deer while talking.
○ At birth, white tail fawns have a spotted reddish coat that is silky. There may be
several hundred spots on the coat. The spots enable the fawn to camouflage
itself, with the colors blending well with the surrounding natural environment.
○ The white tail deer is native to North America and Central America.
● Put students into groups of 4 (there will be 5 groups of 4 students)
● Pass out 1 directions worksheet to all students.
● Review the directions with the students.
○ Directions:
■ Each group will be given 1 basket.
■ As a group, you must find as many M&M’s in the basket as you can in
under 1 minute.
■ FIRST ROUND: The basket will be filled with green, purple, and red
 M&M’s. The basket will also be filled with yellow, orange, and blue
shredded paper.
■ SECOND ROUND: The basket will be filled with green, purple, and
red M&M’s. The basket will also be filled with green, purple, and red
shredded paper.
● Once you review the directions, ask students to give you a thumbs up or a thumbs
down to make sure everyone understands what they must do.
● The first round will be the non-camouflage round.
● Tell students they are the predators and the M&M’s are their prey.
● Tell them to pretend they are hunting for M&M’s.
● Set a timer for 1 minute.
● Tell students to begin!
● *Give a 30 second warning.
● When 1 minute is up, tell students to STOP!
● Tell groups to count how many M&M’s they found in round #1.
● *Switch papers out and add the same color M&M’s as the paper.
● The second round will be the camouflage round.
● Set a timer for 1 minute.
● Tell students to begin!
● *Give a 30 second warning.
● When 1 minute is up, tell students to STOP!
● Tell groups to count how many M&M’s they found in round #2.
● Hand out the M&M Hunt Questions worksheet
● Tell students to answer the 4 questions on the worksheet as a group.
○ 1. Was it hard to find the M&M’s during round #1? Why or why not?
○ 2. Was it hard to find the M&M’s during round #2? Why or why not?
○ 3. What would you do to camouflage yourself in the woods?
○ 4. What basic need would you consider camouflage?
● *Allow 10 minutes for students to discuss the answers to the questions.
● Walk around the classroom and listen to what students are discussing. Take anecdotal
notes.
● When students are finished, discuss the answers with the students.
● For numbers 1-2, guide students to understand that the M&M’s camouflaged
themselves in the paper, which made it more difficult for students to find.
● For question number 4, guide students to understand that the basic need they learned
about today was shelter.
● Collect worksheets from students.
Closure/Summarizing Strategies:

Closing:
● Have students log onto their personal computer or iPad.
 ● Guide students to the choice board closure assignment.
● Students will be given 4 different choices to pick from.
● Students will have to pick a choice board and watch the video provided on the choice
board.
● Then, students must answer the following questions with the worksheet provided.
○ What animal/insect did you watch?
○ What type of camouflage did the animal/insect use?
○ Describe the type of camouflage used.
○ Why is this type of camouflage important for this animal/insect?
● Have students turn in their worksheet when they are finished.
● To wrap up the lesson, pass out sticky notes to students.
● Tell the students to put their name at the top.
● Tell the students to write 1 thing they learned about camouflage today on the sticky
note.
● Tell the students to post the sticky note on the blackboard.
● Once everyone has posted their sticky note, read over some of the responses to the
students.
● Tell students tomorrow they will be learning about the basic needs of plants.

Accommodations/Differentiation:
● Because student X has an IEP that specifies, she struggles with vision, I will provide
the student a personal laptop to watch the videos on.
● Follow all IEPs
Materials/Resources:
● Essential question worksheet
● National Geographic Kids website - https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/wacky-
weekend/article/hidden-animals
● BrainPOP video - https://www.brainpop.com/science/ecologyandbehavior/camouflage/
● Flipbook materials (crayons, construction paper)
● Post It’s
● Book Chameleon, Chameleon
● Chameleon video - https://youtu.be/aZuxerppygM
● Chameleon website - https://curiokids.net/how-does-the-chameleon-blend-into-its-
environment/?lang=en
● I spy deer worksheet
● Deer video - https://youtu.be/VfWpUa7qJSk
● Deer worksheet
● Anchor chart paper
● M&M hunt directions paper
● M&M questions worksheet
● Personal student computer
 ● Choice board
● Choice board questions

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels
Remediation Plan (if applicable)
Personal Reflection Questions
Additional reflection/thoughts