GRADE 2 • TOPIC OVERVIEW • TEACHER CARD
Features of Creatures Essential Question: How do animals survive in nature?
LIVING THINGS Features of Creatures Animal Characteristics
Topic Knowledge Children will build knowledge about the following:
• the unique features of animals • how animals protect themselves • how animals find food and shelter
• how animals stay cool • how animals stay warm • how animals move
For Your Reference i
Adaptations: Animals have developed traits and behaviors that help them survive. These adaptations help them find food, water, safety, and mates. For example, a polar bear’s thick fur and layer of fat under its skin are physical adaptations. These physical features help polar bears stay warm in the Arctic. Polar bears have also developed a behavioral adaptation called “still-hunting” to help them catch seals. When still-hunting, polar bears wait quietly, and when a seal surfaces to breathe, a polar bear strikes quickly. Camouflage and Mimicry: Many animals blend into their surroundings to avoid predators. For example, stick insects have bodies shaped like twigs, making them hard to spot on a branch. Stick insects can also move side to side to mimic twigs swaying in the wind. Migration: As seasons change, many animals move to escape harsh conditions. For example, in autumn, monarch butterflies fly from the United States and Canada to warmer weather in Mexico. In spring, they return north to lay their eggs. Defenses: Animals can protect themselves from threats. For example, porcupines have sharp quills that puncture a predator’s skin. Armadillos have a hard shell that acts as a shield. Octopuses and squid shoot ink before swimming away from danger. Temperature Control: Some animals can keep their bodies at a comfortable temperature. On hot days, elephants flap their big ears to create a breeze. Career Connections Marine Biologists are scientists that study ocean life. They observe how sea organisms behave and interact with their ocean environment. Zoologists are scientists that study animals across different environments. They observe how animals live and find out how to protect them.
Topic Launch Media Share the video “Amazing Animal Defenses.” Discuss the following questions: • What are some ways animals keep themselves safe? • How can animals use their features to hide? • What can animals do to scare off predators? • What did you wonder about while watching the video?
Essential Question Introduce the topic question that your class will discuss as you explore the topic: How do animals survive in nature? Remind children that most animals live in nature, the world of the outdoors. Animals must count on themselves to survive. Animals use their own bodies to move about in their surroundings, get the food and shelter they need, and stay safe.
Topic Writing Children write in response to the readings by following prompts aligned to different modes of writing. Topic Project You may wish to preview topic projects with children so that they can gather information as they progress through the topic. See information about these projects on the Teacher Hub: 1. Design and illustrate a new animal with unique features. 2. Make a chart that sorts the different animal features into categories. 3. Choose an animal feature. Draw and label different animals that have that feature.
TOPIC OVERVIEW • TEACHER CARD
Topic Texts: Features of Creatures Choose among these books and Short Reads for differentiated small-group instruction. Teacher Cards are available for all texts.
Inky’s Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home by Sy Montgomery • Narrative Nonfiction • 32 pp. Inky the Octopus takes an incredible adventure, using his curious mind to return to the ocean. This is based on an event at a New Zealand aquarium.
Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do by Steve Jenkins & Robin Page Informational Text • 32 pp. Children learn about the unique features of 25 animals—from the animals themselves! Packed
with information, the book’s humorous question-and-answer format helps readers better understand animals’ unique features, and the purposes they serve.
Moderate 2 Moderate 1 Basic Complex
440L Quantitative: Text Complexity: Quantitative: 5900L Qualitative: Moderate 2 Qualitative: Moderate 2
Moderate 2 Moderate 1 Basic Complex
440L Quantitative: Text Complexity: Quantitative: AD650L Qualitative: Moderate 2 Qualitative: Moderate 2
Organization: Connections between most ideas are clear, and events are related in chronological order; the page layouts and design support the story but are not predictable. Language Features: Accessible language with some simple comparisons; some content- area words are not defined, and meaning must be inferred from
the text; simple and compound sentences, with some complex structures. Purpose: Focus is explicitly stated and clear. Subject Matter Knowledge: Does not assume topic-specific background knowledge or experience.
Organization: Connections between ideas are explicit and clear; question-and-answer format. Language Features: Largely explicit and easy to understand, with some complex meanings; mostly tier 1 and tier 2 vocabulary with some tier 3 words; simple and compound
sentences, with some complex structures. Purpose: Focus is explicitly stated and clear. Subject Matter Knowledge: Includes some discipline- specific content knowledge; does not assume topic-specific background knowledge or experience.
I’ve Got Feet!: Fantastical Feet of the Animal World by Julie Murphy • Informational Text • 32 pp. This fun, feet-focused book about animal adaptations will help children learn about how the design and function of different animals’
Fur b y Eric Geron • Informational Text • 32 pp. Children will explore different animal coverings and why mammals need fur to help them survive.
feet help them navigate their surroundings to survive.
Moderate 2 Moderate 1 Basic Complex
440L Quantitative: Text Complexity: Quantitative: 610L Qualitative: Complex Qualitative: Moderate 2
Moderate 2 Moderate 1 Basic Complex
Text Complexity: Quantitative: 660L Qualitative: Moderate 1 440L Quantitative: Qualitative: Moderate 2
Purpose: Explicitly stated, clear, and narrowly focused. Subject Matter Knowledge: Relies on some discipline-specific content knowledge; readers will need to draw on knowledge gained from other topically aligned texts and experiences.
Organization: Structured, early chapter book separated into five clearly defined subjects; includes glossary and index. Language Features: Largely explicit with some occasions for more complex meanings; many topic-specific vocabulary words that children may not know.
Purpose: Explicitly stated, clear, and focused. Subject Matter Knowledge: Includes some discipline- specific content knowledge; does not assume topic-specific background knowledge or experience.
Organization: Connections between ideas are explicit and clear. Language Features: Largely explicit and easy to understand; includes some unfamiliar topic- specific vocabulary.
Reader & Task When selecting texts, teachers will also consider children’s interests and abilities and how the text is accessed (read aloud, independently, or in pairs), as well as the differentiated support to be provided.
Birds This decodable informational text
Close Up on Owls This decodable informational text explores the different types of owls and their unique features and habits.
Animals on the Move This decodable informational text details the ways different animals can move their bodies.
Creatures in Hiding This decodable
informational text shows how animals use camouflage to defend themselves. and hide.
explains how birds use their beaks, feathers, and wings to help them survive.
Assessment At the end of the topic, ask children to complete these short assessments: • Knowledge Inventory • Foundational Skills Check-In
Topic Wrap-Up • Essential Question: After completing the topic, guide children to discuss the Essential Question. • Knowledge Notes: Ask children to review and update their Knowledge Notes and share them with friends and/or families.
TOPIC OVERVIEW • TEACHER CARD
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