Note: This lesson is part of this unit’s Anchor Layer. If you have the Anchor Layer turned on, we recommend teaching all of the lessons in this unit in order.

The anchor phenomenon for this unit is a small collection of animals that live in very different places and do very different things. Yet they all have in common that they rely upon the place in which they live to meet their needs.

During the introduction, students generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create a list of possible explanations for the phenomenon in a guided See-Think-Wonder activity. We recommend that you record your student's ideas in a single See-Think-Wonder chart for your class.

Students will gather clues during and after each lesson in this unit to help them improve their understanding and explanations. It is important to encourage students to recognize that even if they don't know the perfect answer yet, they are going to learn a lot throughout the unit and will have an opportunity to revisit the phenomenon over time.