Created bySusan Mooney

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Animal Adaptation Math Storybooks

Grade 1Math6 days

First grade students will explore animal adaptations and integrate them with mathematical concepts through the creation of captivating storybooks. The project encourages students to solve addition and subtraction problems within stories that reflect real-life adaptation scenarios. Activities include learning about different animal adaptations, creating word problems based on these features, drafting storyboards, and developing final interactive storybooks. Throughout the project, students use creativity and critical thinking while engaging with math and science in a fun and educational way.

Animal AdaptationsStorybooksMathematics IntegrationFirst GradeCreative StorytellingProject-Based LearningProblem Solving

Want to create your own PBL Recipe?Use our AI-powered tools to design engaging project-based learning experiences for your students.

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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we creatively combine math and animal adaptations to design a captivating storybook that helps us understand how animals survive in different environments?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.

How do animals use their adaptations to survive in their environment?
What are some common animal adaptations that help animals live in different habitats?
How can we write a math problem that reflects an animal's adaptation?
Why is it important for animals to adapt to their surroundings?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:

Students will understand basic animal adaptations and their purpose in an animal's survival.
Students will learn to create and solve addition and subtraction word problems based on storylines.
Students will be able to creatively combine information about animal adaptations with mathematical concepts.
Students will develop storytelling skills by designing storybooks integrating math problems.
Students will appreciate the role of animal adaptations and learn how to communicate these effectively through storytelling.

Common Core Standards - Mathematics

1.OA.A.1

Primary

Use addition and subtraction within 20 to solve word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart, and comparing, with unknowns in all positions.Reason: Can be applied to create math problems within storybooks about animal adaptations.

1.OA.C.6

Secondary

Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use strategies such as counting on; making ten; decomposing a number leading to a ten; using the relationship between addition and subtraction; and creating equivalent but easier or known sums.Reason: Supports the understanding of math problems included in the storybooks.

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

K-2-ETS1-1

Supporting

Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new or improved object or tool.Reason: Encourages students to think about how animals adapt as a natural problem-solving scenario, linking it to engineering design.

1-LS1-1

Primary

Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.Reason: Directly involves understanding animal adaptations, allowing students to model scenarios similar to those featured in their storybooks.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

The Great Zoo Escape

Kick off with a mystery where animals have escaped from the local zoo and are loose in town. Students must use their math skills and knowledge of animal adaptations to help zookeepers calculate the best paths and strategies to safely guide animals back to their habitats. This real-world problem sparks curiosity and connects math and science seamlessly.

Animal Survivor Challenge

Begin with a thrilling 'Animal Survivor' challenge where students initially receive survival scenarios involving different animals and their specific adaptations. They will use math to solve real-world problems each animal might face in their habitat, like calculating how far an animal needs to travel to find water.

Math Safari Adventure

Start with an adventurous math safari role-play where students act as wildlife explorers. They're tasked with using math to unlock clues about various animal adaptations and solve puzzles that lead them to discovering hidden animals. This encourages problem-solving and applies mathematical concepts in a contextual manner.

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Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.

Activity 1

Math-Adaptive Animal Explorers

Students will begin their PBL journey by exploring various animal adaptations. They will watch short documentaries and engage with interactive e-books about different habitats and how animals adapt to survive. The focus here is on understanding the concept of adaptation before integrating it with math.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Introduce students to the definition of animal adaptations using a short documentary or an interactive e-book.

2. Engage students in a discussion about different types of adaptations like camouflage, speed, or special physical features.

3. Have students pick one animal they find interesting and research more on its adaptations using online resources.

4. Create a simple fact sheet about the chosen animal and jot down its main adaptations.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityAnimal adaptation fact sheet with key points about one chosen animal's adaptations.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 1-LS1-1 of NGSS focusing on understanding animal adaptations and how they help in survival.

Activity 2

Count the Feathers Challenge

In this activity, students will create and solve math problems using visuals, like feathers or scales, uniquely adapted to their chosen animals. This will enhance their understanding of both mathematical operations and animal features.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Use the animal adaptation fact sheet to focus on one key trait, like the number of feathers or scales.

2. Have students create addition or subtraction word problems using that feature. For instance, if a bird loses some feathers, how many it would have left?

3. Use manipulatives or visuals to solve these problems as a class, ensuring everyone participates in different roles.

4. Present the solved problems to the class for feedback and suggestions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityMath problemsheet based on the animal’s physical traits, reflecting 1.OA.A.1 standard requirements.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with 1.OA.A.1 focusing on using math problems involving real-world scenarios.

Activity 3

Interactive Storyboarding with Math Probs

Students will create storyboard drafts for their animal math storybooks, integrating math problems tied to the animal adaptation scenarios they explored previously. This hands-on activity combines their learning from the past activities into creative storytelling.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Introduce students to storyboards with examples and discuss how stories flow from beginning to end.

2. Ask students to draft a storyboard using panels, illustrating a simple story about their animal’s adaptation adventure.

3. Encourage them to insert math problems into their story, reflecting on challenges the animal might face.

4. Share storyboard drafts with classmates for peer review and suggestions.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA detailed storyboard draft combining math with animal stories, which they'll use for final story creation.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSupports the 1.OA.C.6 standard by integrating math problems and solving strategies within storytelling, and aligns with K-2-ETS1-1 by encouraging creative problem solving and design.

Activity 4

Animal Math Storybook Creation

Here, students will design their final math storybooks, blending all previous learning activities into a cohesive and polished piece. They will craft stories where animals use their adaptations to overcome mathematically framed obstacles, encouraging creativity and critical thinking.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.

1. Using the feedback from storyboard drafts, students start drafting the final text of their storybooks.

2. Create illustrations for each page of the book, ensuring each ties into the narrative seamlessly.

3. Include interactive math problems within the story, focusing on addition and subtraction challenges faced by the animal.

4. Compile and bind storybooks together, ensuring proper sequencing of pages and logical flow of the story.

5. Present the finished storybooks to the class or parents, possibly having a story-reading session.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA completed animal math storybook demonstrating creative storytelling intertwined with math problems.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsSolidifies understanding and application of 1.OA.A.1, 1.OA.C.6, 1-LS1-1 standards, creating a comprehensive project outcome.

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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Animal Math Storybooks Assessment Rubric

Category 1

Understanding of Animal Adaptations

Assessment of student's comprehension of animal adaptations and how these are depicted in their storybooks.

Criterion 1

Animal Adaptation Knowledge

Measures the student’s understanding and articulation of animal adaptations featured within their storybook.

Exemplary

4 Points

Demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of animal adaptations, clearly explaining multiple adaptations for more than one animal with detailed examples and implications.

Proficient

3 Points

Shows thorough understanding of animal adaptations, illustrating adaptations for at least one animal with appropriate examples and clear implications.

Developing

2 Points

Displays emerging understanding by describing basic adaptations for one animal with minimal examples and limited context.

Beginning

1 Points

Shows limited understanding with vague or incorrect descriptions of animal adaptations, lacking context.

Criterion 2

Application of Adaptation Concepts

Examines how well students use their understanding of animal adaptations to develop creative and informative story components.

Exemplary

4 Points

Creatively applies adaptation concepts to develop distinct and engaging story elements that enhance the narrative and inform the reader.

Proficient

3 Points

Effectively applies adaptation concepts to create informative story elements, contributing meaningfully to the overall narrative.

Developing

2 Points

Applies some adaptation concepts, but inconsistently or simplistically, leading to a less coherent story.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to apply adaptation concepts in the story, resulting in an incoherent or simplistic narrative.

Category 2

Mathematical Integration

Evaluation of how mathematical problems are integrated into the story and the problem-solving demonstrated.

Criterion 1

Mathematical Problem Application

Assesses the accuracy and creativity of math challenges and the integration of these into the story narrative.

Exemplary

4 Points

Innovatively incorporates multiple, accurate math problems that are seamlessly woven into the narrative and enhance the storyline.

Proficient

3 Points

Incorporates accurate and appropriate math problems integrated effectively into the storyline.

Developing

2 Points

Includes basic math problems that are relevant but limited in integration with the storyline.

Beginning

1 Points

Struggles to incorporate math problems into the storyline, resulting in poorly integrated or irrelevant problems.

Criterion 2

Problem-Solving Strategies

Measures the use and explanation of strategies to solve math problems within the story context.

Exemplary

4 Points

Uses a variety of sophisticated strategies to solve math problems, clearly articulated within the story context, enhancing both narrative and understanding.

Proficient

3 Points

Utilizes appropriate strategies to solve math problems which are clearly articulated within the context of the story.

Developing

2 Points

Employs basic strategies inconsistently, with some attempts at explaining solutions within the narrative.

Beginning

1 Points

Uses ineffective strategies with little to no explanation, hindering integration into the story narrative.

Category 3

Storytelling and Presentation

Assessment of students’ skills in creating engaging and coherent storytelling through their project presentation.

Criterion 1

Narrative Coherence

Evaluates the coherence, structure, and flow of the story created by students.

Exemplary

4 Points

Crafts a highly engaging, coherent, and well-structured narrative that captivates and informs throughout.

Proficient

3 Points

Creates a coherent and well-structured story that conveys a clear message and holds interest.

Developing

2 Points

Develops an inconsistent narrative with notable gaps in structure or flow, affecting engagement.

Beginning

1 Points

Presents a disjointed or unclear narrative with little coherent structure or flow.

Criterion 2

Visual and Textual Presentation

Assesses the quality and cohesion of visual and textual elements incorporated into the storybooks.

Exemplary

4 Points

Integrates high-quality, cohesive visuals that enhance the narrative and demonstrate creativity and attention to detail.

Proficient

3 Points

Includes clear visuals that complement the narrative effectively and show creativity.

Developing

2 Points

Uses visuals that partially complement the narrative but may lack consistency or creativity.

Beginning

1 Points

Presents visuals that are disjointed or irrelevant to the text, hindering narrative flow.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning

Question 1

Reflect on how your understanding of animal adaptations has evolved throughout the project. What new insights have you gained about the ways animals survive in their environments?

Text

Required

Question 2

How confident do you feel about creating and solving math problems based on animal characteristics after completing this project?

Scale

Required

Question 3

Which activity did you find most helpful in understanding how to integrate math into animal storytelling, and why?

Multiple choice

Required

Options

Math-Adaptive Animal Explorers

Count the Feathers Challenge

Interactive Storyboarding with Math Probs

Animal Math Storybook Creation

Question 4

Consider the storybook you created. What aspect of your final product are you most proud of and why?

Text

Required

Question 5

How did peer feedback influence the development of your final storybook?

Text

Required