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Animals Around Us
Fates of Traits Unit | Anchor Phenomenon
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Animals Around Us

Fates of Traits Unit | Anchor Phenomenon
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There are over eight billion people who live all around the Earth. People live in deserts, and in forests, and in huge cities. Eight billion people is a lot of people!
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But there is another kind of animal that completely outnumbers us. It lives almost everywhere that there is land. There are over eight billion people on Earth—but there are around 20 quadrillion of this animal. That might sound like a made-up number, but it’s true!
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There are so many of this animal that there’s a good chance that hundreds or thousands of them are somewhere near you right now! Discuss. What kind of animal do you think this is? And why do you think that?
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It’s ants! Ants are one of the most common kinds of land animals on Earth. They live in hot, dry deserts. They live in the trees in cool, wet forests. They live in cities and towns all around the world.
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For many people, ants are pests. They can bite and sting, and even come into the places where we live and eat our food!
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But ants are one of the most successful animals because there are so many of them and they live in so many places. Let’s try to figure out what makes ants so successful.
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Get a See-Think-Wonder Chart, or make your own with a large sheet of paper. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.
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Discuss. What do you see that might help ants be successful? Look closely at these pictures. Your teacher will record your answers in the See column of your chart.
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What do you think ants might do that helps them be successful? Come up with as many ideas as you can. Your teacher will record your answers in the Think column of your chart.
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What do you wonder about ants? Your teacher will record your questions in the Wonder column.
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Step
01/03
Over the course of this unit, we’re going to learn about different things that ants do to be successful. But before the unit starts, you’re going to write or draw what you think ants do to be successful.
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Step
02/03
Get an Amazing Ants worksheet and write your name at the top. Then write or draw what you think ants do to be so successful.
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Step
03/03
Save your Amazing Ants worksheet. You will update it after each lesson in this unit!
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It's time to do some investigations! In this unit, you'll explore how living things survive and change over time.

At the end of the unit, you will use everything you've learned in a fun project.

Have fun, and stay curious!

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Grade 3

Heredity, Survival, & Selection

Animal Groups & Survival

3-LS4-3, 3-LS2-1

97 reviews

Activity Prep

Print Prep

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 one of the most successful kinds of animals on Earth: ants! How can such small creatures survive in so many places with such a huge population of individuals?

During the introduction, students generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create a list of possible explanations for the phenomenon.

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.

Preview activity
Number of students:
Amazing Ants worksheet 30 copies
Fates of Traits Anchor Layer Teacher Guide teacher-only resource Print 1 copy
See-Think-Wonder worksheet 30 copies
Prep Instructions

Before starting this lesson, review the unit Teacher Guide for an overview of the Fates of Traits Anchor Layer.

Set Up Your Classroom

Set up your classroom by creating a class "See-Think-Wonder" chart. You will start the chart today, and you will add to it over the course of the unit.

For the See-Think-Wonder charts, you can use chart paper or a space on your board that won't be erased to create a whole-class chart. If you would like to have students complete the See-Think-Wonder charts on an individual basis, here is a blank chart.

Grade 3

Heredity, Survival, & Selection

Animal Groups & Survival

3-LS4-3, 3-LS2-1

97 reviews
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