Welcome to The Amphibian Adventure! This interactive online educational experience is designed to engage students in learning about amphibians and their life cycles. Set in the vibrant wetlands of Everglades National Park, this adventure takes students on a mission to explore the fascinating world of amphibians, from their eggs and tadpoles to fully developed frogs and salamanders. Through this hands-on adventure, students will gain a deeper understanding of key concepts like amphibian habitats, life stages, and unique biological features.
In addition to the online adventure, we provide a set of standards-based vocabulary cards, an instructional video aligned with the adventure, a lesson plan, teaching dialogue, and an answer key for easy reference. These resources ensure that teachers can effectively guide students through the lesson while reinforcing core scientific concepts. The adventure is designed to be engaging, educational, and fully aligned with curriculum standards, providing an immersive and dynamic learning experience for your students.
Student Link:
https://excavatingadventures.com/blogs/adventures/14-the-amphibian-adventure
Lesson Plan: The Amphibian Adventure
Subject: Science
Topic: Amphibians
Grade Level: Elementary (Grades 3-5)
Duration: 1 hour
Learning Objectives:
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Students will be able to identify and describe the life cycle of amphibians.
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Students will understand the role of amphibians in wetlands ecosystems.
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Students will learn key vocabulary related to amphibians and their habitats.
Key Vocabulary:
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Amphibians
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Eggs
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Tadpole
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Gills
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Skin
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Cold-blooded
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Habitat
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Salamander
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Wetlands
Materials:
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Interactive online escape room (The Amphibian Adventure)
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Vocabulary trading cards for each student
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Instructional video on amphibians and their life cycle
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Teacher’s lesson plan, dialogue, and answer key
Introduction (10 minutes):
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Begin by showing the instructional video on amphibians and their life cycle. This video will introduce the basic concepts of amphibians, including their life cycle stages, from eggs to tadpoles, and eventually adult frogs or salamanders.
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After the video, ask students to recall what they saw. Focus on how amphibians are different from other animals and their unique abilities like breathing through their skin and living both on land and in water.
Main Activity: Interactive Online Adventure (40 minutes):
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Explain the Adventure:
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Tell the students that they are going to go on a virtual mission to explore the Everglades, where they will learn all about amphibians. They will have to solve clues and unlock new stages of the adventure to complete their mission.
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Make sure students understand how to use the vocabulary trading cards to answer the questions in the online adventure. They will need to refer to these cards for help when they encounter a question or challenge.
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Engage in the Escape Room:
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Have students complete the online The Amphibian Adventure escape room. Each stage in the adventure will help them discover important facts about amphibians, such as their habitat, life cycle, and biological traits.
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Students will encounter various stages where they’ll be asked to answer questions related to amphibians. Encourage them to use their trading cards as a resource to navigate through the clues and answer questions correctly.
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Check Progress:
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As students progress through the online adventure, monitor their answers and engagement. If needed, provide hints or explanations to ensure students understand the content and are making progress.
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Conclusion (10 minutes):
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Wrap-up Discussion:
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After completing the adventure, ask students to reflect on what they learned about amphibians. Lead a brief class discussion to review the key vocabulary words and concepts they encountered in the escape room, like the amphibian life cycle and the importance of wetlands as habitats.
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Review Key Vocabulary:
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Use the vocabulary cards to review the words and definitions. Have students provide examples of amphibians they learned about during the adventure (frogs, salamanders, etc.).
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Extension Activity:
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For further engagement, have students draw their own amphibian life cycle diagram or create a habitat model that includes the different stages of an amphibian’s life.
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Assessment:
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Formative Assessment: Observe students’ engagement and understanding throughout the online adventure and discussion.
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Summative Assessment: Review the answers to the escape room questions and discuss any areas where students may need clarification.
Teacher Reference Guide: The Amphibian Adventure
Welcome to the Amphibian Adventure! In this exciting online interactive journey, students will explore the life cycle and unique characteristics of amphibians, focusing on their role in wetland ecosystems. The adventure takes students to Everglades National Park in Florida, where they will solve puzzles and challenges related to amphibians and their habitats.
To begin, explain that amphibians are a unique group of animals, such as frogs, toads, and salamanders, that spend part of their lives in water and part on land. Their life cycle includes several stages: from eggs to tadpoles (larvae), and eventually to adult amphibians. Amphibians are cold-blooded animals, which means their body temperature is regulated by the environment around them, and they absorb oxygen through their skin, which must remain moist to support this process.
During the online adventure, students will follow a series of clues, each corresponding to a key stage or trait of amphibians. At each step, they will encounter a vocabulary word related to the topic and will use their vocabulary trading cards to help them answer questions and move forward. The key vocabulary words include: Amphibians, Eggs, Tadpole, Gills, Skin, Cold-blooded, Habitat, Salamander, and Wetlands. As students progress, they will learn about the importance of wetland habitats for amphibians, how amphibians breathe through their skin and gills, and how their body temperature depends on the environment.
In each stage, students will work through the following challenges:
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Amphibians: Learn what defines amphibians and their life cycle.
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Eggs: Discover where amphibians lay their eggs and how the eggs develop into larvae.
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Tadpole: Understand the early life of amphibians in their aquatic larval stage.
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Gills: Learn how tadpoles breathe through gills before they develop lungs.
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Skin: Understand the importance of moisture for amphibians and how they absorb oxygen through their skin.
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Cold-blooded: Understand that amphibians are cold-blooded, which means their body temperature is controlled by their surroundings.
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Habitat: Discover the wetland habitats that amphibians rely on to meet their basic needs.
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Salamander: Learn about salamanders, a key example of amphibians with smooth skin and unique characteristics.
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Wetlands: Conclude the adventure by understanding the role of wetlands in sustaining amphibian populations.
The teacher will monitor the students' progress throughout the adventure, providing hints when needed and ensuring they understand key concepts. After the adventure is completed, students should be able to explain the amphibian life cycle, describe their unique adaptations, and discuss the importance of wetlands for amphibians. This adventure, along with the accompanying video, lesson plan, and teaching dialogue, is designed to give students a deeper understanding of amphibians in an interactive and engaging way.
To wrap up the lesson, review the key vocabulary words and engage students in a discussion about what they learned. Encourage them to use their vocabulary cards as a reference and ensure they understand the critical role amphibians play in maintaining healthy ecosystems. For an extension activity, students could draw or model the amphibian life cycle or create a habitat for an amphibian.
Answer Sheet for Teacher Reference
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Question: Which group of animals lives both in water and on land?
Answer: Amphibians -
Question: What do amphibians lay in water that hatch into larvae?
Answer: Eggs -
Question: What is the name for a baby frog that breathes with gills?
Answer: Tadpole -
Question: Which body part allows young amphibians to breathe underwater?
Answer: Gills -
Question: Amphibians absorb oxygen and release toxins through what?
Answer: Skin -
Question: What do we call animals that rely on the environment to regulate body heat?
Answer: Cold-blooded -
Question: What do we call a place where animals live and get their needs?
Answer: Habitat -
Question: What amphibian can grow back a lost leg or tail?
Answer: Salamander -
Question: Which habitat is ideal for amphibians and always partly wet?
Answer: Wetlands