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Patricia NewmanPatricia Newman
Sibert Honor Children's Book Author & Environmentalist
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ELP_2004_Apr2004_Apr152004_Carissa I front
Scientists believe elephants paint themselves with mud to guard against the sun and insects.

LitLinks: How animal adaptations connect to the accessories kids wear

December 9, 2020 LitLinks, LitLinks-Grade 3-5, LitLinks-Grade 6-8, LitLinks-Grade K-2 No Comments
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GUEST BLOGGER JENNA GRODZICKI


Wild Style: Amazing Animal Adornments introduces the reader to animals that decorate or adorn themselves in order to survive or thrive in their environment. The playful text combined with the brightly colored photographs are sure to wow students. That makes this book an ideal choice to prompt a discussion and creative writing exercise about animal adaptations and reasons people accessorize .

Let’s study animal adaptations

For this lesson, you will need:
  • Chart paper and markers (this can work whether students are learning in person or virtually)
  • copy of Wild Style: Amazing Animal Adornments
  • Paper and pencils
Before you read

Introduce the term “accessories” and the two types of adaptations. Have the definitions already written on the chart paper.

  • Accessories – items added on to something to make it prettier, more complete or, in the case of many of these animals, safer.
  • Physical Adaptations – special body parts that help plants and animals survive in their environment.
  • Behavioral Adaptations – actions or behaviors that help plants and animals survive in their environment.

Tell the students that today you’re going to read Wild Style: Amazing Animal Adornments, which focuses on animals that accessorize. As they listen to the story, tell them they should take note of why each animal adorns itself and whether these are examples of physical or behavioral adaptations.

After you read

Ask students to share the different reasons the animals in the book accessorize. Record their answers on the chart paper. They should be able to tell you the three main reasons the animals accessorize:

  • stay safe from predators
  • find food
  • find a mate

Discuss whether these are examples of physical adaptations or behavioral adaptations.

Now, ask students to give examples of accessories humans use, and why we use them. Make a table to organize their thoughts. It may look something like this. Discuss which accessories help keep people safe versus which ones are just for show.

Are these adaptations physical or behavioral?
AccessoryReason
hatkeep head warm
keep sun out of eyes
coatstay warm
stay dry if it’s raining
sunglassesprotect eyes from the sun
beltkeep pants from falling down
jewelryto look pretty
indicate you’re married (wedding ring)
umbrellastay dry in the rain
gogglesprotect eyes
backpackto carry important things
gloveskeep hands warm

Adaptations writing activity

Explain to the students that they are going to choose an accessory to write about. They can either:

  • write about a favorite accessory they own and why it’s important to them
  • invent an accessory that has special powers and explain what they are and how this accessory is important to have

Give students plenty of time to write. When they’re done, ask for volunteers to share.

Further adaptations reading

  • I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food by Jenna Grodzicki
  • Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
  • Feathers and Hair: What Animals Wear by Jennifer Ward and Jing Jing Tsong.

Jenna Grodzicki

Jenna Grodzicki‘s style is a little different from the animals in her book. She prefers to wear baseball hats and bracelets as opposed to sponges and debris. Jenna loves researching and writing about weird and wonderful animals, and she hopes Wild Style will give readers a fresh perspective on animal adaptations. Jenna is also the author of I See Sea Food: Sea Creatures That Look Like Food (Millbrook Press), Finn Finds a Friend (Clear Fork Publishing), Harmony Humbolt: The Perfect Pets Queen (Clear Fork Publishing), and several leveled readers. Visit her online at www.jennagrodzicki.com or on social media @jennawritesPB on Twitter and Instagram.

Featured image provided by the Elephant Listening Project – Scientists believe elephants paint themselves with mud to guard against the sun and insects.


Click for more LITLINKS STEM + Literacy activities

Tags: STEM+LiteracySTEM+Literacy Natural Science
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  • Home
  • Books
    • A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn
    • Planet Ocean
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    • Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
    • Ebola: Fears and Facts
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