Lesson 1: Animal Adaptations Introduction

Science: Students will simulate several animal adaptations. To build familiarity with adaptations, we recommend this Living Things Change Video (4:36 minutes).

Computer Science: In this module students will be working a lot with sprites including changing the location and size of them and initiating behaviors. CSF Making Sprites is a great introduction to two concepts at the heart of this all: sprites and behaviors.

Display: Show “Think About It” slide

Today, we will look at how animals have adapted to their surroundings to survive. Then, we will use computer science to animate what those adaptations look like over thousands of years. However, our programs will show those changes in a matter of seconds. Before we begin coding, let’s think about it.

These animals look very different from each other, but what do they have in common?

Discuss: What do these animals have in common? Frog, duck, otter, penguin, alligator.

Discussion Goal: Students should discuss similarities and differences between the animals listed. Let them start with very broad answers to the questions such as:

• They’re all alive.
• They live on Earth.
• They all have a body.
• They all have a head.
• They all have legs.
• They live near or in water.

Then when students start on the right track, help them get more specific:

• They all have feet.
• Their feet help them swim.

Reveal one hint at a time on the slides to help students reach the answer:

• They all have webbed feet.

Use the example of webbed feet to help students understand that animals have developed body parts which help them in their specific environments. This will be a great introduction to other animal adaptations.

Display: Show next slide

All of these animals live and/or hunt in an environment with a lot of water. Each of these animals has developed webbed feet to help them swim better.

Animals have found many ways to change and adjust in order to survive in their environments. In today’s coding lesson you will discover and model several animal adaptations!

Display: Show “Discussion” slide

Discussion:

• Why do only some animals have webbed feet?
• Did these animals always have webbed feet?

Discussion Goal: Students should understand that webbed feet are an adaptation that helps animals swim in water. Certain animals don’t have webbed feet because they do not live in water or do not need to swim well. They should also understand that adaptations also happen over many generations. In order for animals to survive in their environment, they need to develop certain physical adaptations such as webbed feet.

To boost engagement and ensure all voices are heard, give students a moment to think or even write down a few ideas before sharing with the full group. Consider using a think, pair, share strategy. Allow students with the same native language to discuss in their native language. Add gestures to the discussion where possible.

Display: Show “Science + Coding” slide

Adaptations

Animals change over many generations so that they have a better chance of survival.

Build a Model

Today you will use computer science and code to build models that show animal adaptations.

Display: Show “Animal Adaptations Introduction" video

In today’s coding lesson you will create models of several animal adaptations. Computer science can help us model how a change occurs. You can code your models to be interactive, like coding all of the fireflies to light up when you press the down arrow key. Let’s get started.

Display: Show “Adaptations” slide

Adaptations: Some animals have adapted features to help them survive in different environments. Rabbits have adapted the color of their fur to blend into their environment and hide from predators.

Do This: Preview levels 2-5 with the whole class, then allow students to complete levels at their own pace.

Display: "Adaptations - Level 2-3" slide

Levels 2-3: Bunny Adaptations - Students will add code to switch the background and sprite location. This simulates how bunnies have adapted the color of their fur to blend into their environment.

Display: "Evolution - Level 4" slide

Level 4: Bird Beak Evolution - Students will add code to explain that birds have different beaks to do different things.

Display: "Evolution - Level 5" slide

Level 5: Elephant Size Adaptations - Students will model how elephants have evolved to be very large animals.

Do This: Circulate as students work at their own pace using the instructions to learn and code programs on each level.

Here are a few tips that should help students regardless of the level they're working on

• Collaborate with Neighbors: Encourage students to check in with a neighbor when they're getting stuck. Depending on the age and ability of your students, you might consider formally breaking your class into pairs to complete the tutorial using pair programming.

• Read the Instructions: The instructions usually provide helpful tips on how to complete the level. Before giving students the answer, ensure they've carefully looked at the instructions, hints, videos, and any starter code carefully.

• Stuck? Look for hints: Each level includes a hint with advice for how to pass a level, including which blocks of code to try out.

• Take your time and experiment. The instructions tell students generally what to do, but they should also feel free to try out their own ideas.

Display: Show “Hello World: Programming with Events” video

Level 6: Video introduction of events in computer science

Do This: Preview levels 7-10 with the whole class then allow students to complete levels at their own pace.

Display: Show “Evolution - Level 7-8” slide

Level 7: Try It: Students test the new code to see how it works. Click the Run button, then click the up arrow on the keyboard or near the Run button. When the up arrow key is pressed, the giraffe’s costume will change to model how it adapted to have a longer neck.

Level 8: Code It: Students will use an event to code the giraffe’s costume changing from short neck to long neck. This models how giraffes have evolved over time to to reach the leaves high in the trees.

Display: Show “Evolution - Level 9” slide

Level 9: Students will use an event block to code the fireflies’ costume changing from regular to glowing. This models how fireflies evolved over time to become bioluminescent when it is dark outside.

Display: Show “Camouflage - Level 10” slide

Level 10: Students will use an event block to code the octopus’ costume changing color. This models how octopuses evolved over time to be able to camouflage.

Display: Show “Discuss” slide

Discuss:

• Name some animals that live in our state.
• What challenges do they have in their current environment?
• If we had a time machine and visited these animals 1,000 of years from now, how might they have adapted to survive those threats?

Discussion Goal: The goal of this short discussion is to draw a connection to animals students have seen in their local environment. Through this discussion, students will be able to explain that animals change in order to survive. Survival may mean growing a longer neck to reach the food, changing fur colors to escape predators, moving to more hospitable climates, or gathering in groups.

This module is a great introduction to computer science through the lens of science. Here are a few options to continue learning more about the CS concepts introduced in this module. We recommend pursuing these extensions after completing Lesson 3 in this module.

Science Content:

• CSC Module: Simulating a Marine Ecosystem Lessons 1-3
• Project: Modeling Life Cycles in Sprite Lab
• AI for Oceans
• Play the peppered moth game to simulate changes in moth population due to pollution and predation and observe how a species can change over time.

Computer Science Concepts:

• Sprite Lab Basics: Hello World
• Simulations: Simulating Experiments & Outbreak
• Events: Dance Party