What Am I?
Name of Corresponding Unit Plan: Interaction with Wildlife
Grade Level: 5-12
Common Core Standards
W4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
SL4. Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.
RS 4. Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context.
Content Areas: Science, Language Arts
Recommended Length/Duration: 45-60 minutes
Learning Goals: Students will solidify their knowledge of the characteristics of common organisms.
- This is a variation of 20 questions. Begin by giving each student a topic organism your class has observed or studied. This may be done by assignment, random drawing, or student choice. Assignments should be kept confidential between students.
- Have each student identify 20 statements about the characteristics or facts about their organism. These may include appearance, habitat, behavior, etc.
- Have students order their statements from easiest to hardest, or hardest to easiest. You may want to play the game to see how few clues the audience needs to identify the organism, or to see for how long each student can keep the identification secret.
- Have students take turns reading their 20 statements. After each one, the rest of the class should be given an opportunity to guess what the organism is.
- If desired, a scoring plan can be included. The class can be divided into teams and scores can be given according to how many clues are needed to identify the organism.
Assessments: Informal assessment based on accuracy and participation.
Special Considerations: Students not familiar with these types of games may need additional support. The activity could also be done in pairs or teams.
The teacher may wish to have a list of all the organism assigned to limit the choices when guessing.
Extension: Students may want to do more research on their organism to discover more obscure facts.