This Adaptations unit is designed to cover the Biological Sciences content areas for Year 5 students. Students explore the types of adaptations that organisms make in order to survive in their environment. They look at different biomes and the adaptations of the plants and animals in these biomes. They represent their findings through scientific diagrams and annotations. Students investigate the active times of different animals and learn terms including diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular and cathemeral. Students also research plant adaptations and the way that plants mimic the look of other things in order to survive. They explore how carnivorous plants have adapted to trap and digest their food, including pitcher plants. Students explore how plants survive catastrophic events, such as the Australian Banksia and bushfire survival. They look at the common types of seed dispersal and research one of their choice. At the end of the unit, students complete an information report on behavioural and physical adaptations of plants and animals.
Examine how particular structural features and behaviours of living things enable their survival in specific habitats
Examine why advances in science are often the result of collaboration or build on the work of others
Investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions
Pose investigable questions to identify patterns and test relationships and make reasoned predictions
Construct and use appropriate representations, including tables, graphs and visual or physical models, to organise and process data and information and describe patterns, trends and relationships
Write and create texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific purposes and audiences, including selection of language features, using digital tools as appropriate
Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment
Science involves testing predictions by gathering data and using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena and reflects historical and cultural contributions
Scientific knowledge is used to solve problems and inform personal and community decisions
With guidance, pose clarifying questions and make predictions about scientific investigations
Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data using digital technologies as appropriate
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes using scientific representations in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts
Plans and conducts scientific investigations to answer testable questions, and collects and summarises data to communicate conclusions
Plans and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity
Examines how the environment affects the growth, survival and adaptation of living things
Explains how food and fibre are produced sustainably in managed environments for health and nutrition
Explains the effect of heat on the properties and behaviour of materials
Explains how the properties of materials determines their use for a range of purposes
Explains how energy is transformed from one form to another
Investigates the effects of increasing or decreasing the strength of a specific contact or non-contact force
Defines problems, and designs, modifies and follows algorithms to develop solutions
Explains how digital systems represent data, connect together to form networks and transmit data
Explains regular events in the solar system and geological events on the Earth’s surface
Living things have structural features and adaptations that help them to survive in their environment
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to inform personal and community decisions and to solve problems that directly affect people’s lives
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be based on previous experiences or general rules
Construct and use a range of representations, including tables and graphs, to record, represent and describe observations, patterns or relationships in data
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations
Communicate ideas and processes using evidence to develop explanations of events and phenomena and to identify simple cause-and-effect relationships
The key concepts in this unit include:
Lesson 1
What are Adaptations?
Understand what adaptations are.
Lesson 2
Behavioural Adaptations
Understand behavioural adaptations of animals in the Australian desert biome.
Lesson 3
Animal Adaptations
Explore the physical adaptations of different animals from different biomes.
Lesson 4
Plant Adaptations
Explore how plants have adapted to their environment.
Lesson 5
Clever Plants
Understand how plants survive in extreme environments.
Lesson 6
Information Reports
Research and report scientific knowledge for a topic we are interested.
The 'Wonder Clouds Display' was developed to support your Inquiry Units, allowing students to write down anything they're wondering or would...
This Biological Sciences presentation has been created to support Lesson 1 of the Adaptations unit written for Year 5. It allows the teacher...
A poster that shows the extreme differences in temperature in the desert from day to night.
A set of poster that explains behavioural adaptations, “active times”; cathemeral, diurnal, nocturnal, crepuscular.
This Biological Sciences presentation has been created to support Lesson 2 of the Adaptations unit written for Year 5. It allows the teacher...
A poster that highlights examples of physical adaptations of giraffes.
A poster that highlights examples of physical adaptations of penguins.
A poster that highlights examples of physical adaptations of camels.
This Biological Sciences presentation has been created to support Lesson 3 of the Adaptations unit written for Year 5. It allows the teacher...
This Biological Sciences presentation has been created to support Lesson 4 of the Adaptations unit written for Year 5. It allows the teacher...
This Biological Sciences presentation has been created to support Lesson 5 of the Adaptations unit written for Year 5. It allows the teacher...
This worksheet was designed to be used a an individual graphic organiser for students to record what they already know about a unit, what th...
A title page to use in conjunction with the Year 5 Biological Sciences Unit, Adaptations.
This worksheet is a great fast finishers worksheet for the Year 5 Biological Science unit ‘Adaptations’.
Students draw a scientific diagram with annotations to demonstrate their understand of how a plant or animal survives in the desert.
Students define each active time and illustrate an animal for each type of active time. E.g., crepuscular, nocturnal, diurnal
Students draw a scientific diagram with annotations to show behavioural adaptations of giraffes in the Savannah biome.
Students draw a scientific diagram with annotations to show physical adaptations of penguins in Antarctica.
Students raw a scientific diagram with annotations to show behavioural adaptations of camels in the desert.
Explore the fascinating world of physical adaptations with this comparative resource. Students will examine different animals and their uniq...
This worksheet is a combination of a science lesson and a reading comprehension activity. Students read a short description of how animals u...
Students brainstorm some environments in which plants live, describe them and some of the possible problems that plants may face in those en...
Students describe the adaptations that helps each of the following plant survive. They draw and label a scientific diagram of each. E.g.,...
Student research and investigate a plant that mimics the look of something else to aid its survival. They name and illustrate the plant and...
Students draw a scientific diagram with annotations of a Xerophyte (Desert Plant that has specifically adapted for water conservation).
An outline of what needs to be included in an information report on behavioural and physical adaptations of desert plants and animals.
A self-reflection rubric for the information report on behavioural and physical adaptations of desert and plants.
This worksheet allows students to structure and outline the presentation they will need to complete as part of the assessment for the Year 5...
