Lesson: Thirsty for Blood

Use a video to introduce the idea of animal adaptations.

• Share the video “Amazing Adaptations” with students.

• Create a chart with three columns labeled: Animal, Adaptation/Characteristic, and Purpose. Use animals from the video to complete the chart collaboratively, with students sharing their responses. Then identify which adaptations help the animals find food. (for example, bats’ ears and lizards’ tongues)

• Ask: What adaptations help humans find and eat food? (hands to hold farming tools or pick fruit; brains to invent better farming methods; teeth to chew meat and other foods, etc.) What adaptations help animals find and eat food? (keen vision, hearing, or sense of smell; behaviors like hunting in packs)

Read the article and explain the purpose of different adaptations.

• Preview the article with students, focusing on the photos. Explain that all of these animals feed on blood. Ask students to make predictions about what adaptations help them feed.

• Read the introduction on page 10 aloud. Ask: What is “clotting”? (when liquids like blood get thicker) Why is it important for some bloodsuckers to have saliva with chemicals that prevent blood from clotting? (If blood clots, it won’t flow as easily, so it will be harder to drink the blood.)

• Continue reading aloud about each animal, summarizing the key adaptations after each section. Add information about the animals to the chart described in Step 1.

• Have students reflect on the animals in the article with the Learning Journey at the end of the online article.

Model adaptations that would allow an animal to feed on blood.

• Tell students they are going to design hands-on models to see how different animals use different mouthparts to feed on blood. Distribute the skills sheet “Get to the Blood!” After they have completed the hands-on activity, have students share their “vampires” and explain how their animals gather blood. Ask: Do you see any connections with the animals in the article? Discuss how their models represented real animals.

Research another animal’s adaptations to get food.

• Have students research another animal’s adaptations for getting food with the skills sheet “Animal Adaptations Report.” Remind students that adaptations are connected to an animal’s body parts or behavior and help the animal get food, find shelter, and avoid predators.

Demonstrate comprehension with a short, low-stakes assessment.

• Evaluate students’ understanding by having them complete the “No-Sweat Bubble Test.”

⇨ Learning Journey: Take a look at the photos in the article again and think about what you just read. Create a video or poster to share your five favorite facts from the article!