Adaptations of living things
Discover the clever ways plants and animals are adapted to their environment.
Links to New South Wales Curriculum
Focus Syllabus Outcomes
- Examines how the environment affects the growth, survival and adaptation of living things (ST3-4LW-S)
- Plans and conducts scientific investigations to answer testable questions, and collects and summaries data to communicate conclusions (ST3-1WS-S)
- Plans and uses materials, tools, and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity (ST3-2DP-T)
General Capabilities
- Literacy capability
- Numeracy capability
- Information and Communication Technology capability
- Critical and Creative Thinking capability
- Personal and Social capability
- Ethical Understanding capability
- Intercultural Understanding capability.
Teacher resources
What Are Adaptations?
A variety of adaptation information and examples can be found on the National Geographic website.
Further reading about burrowing behaviour.
An online game about the evolution of bird adaptations.
Plant Adaptations
Background reading on animal adaptations to fire.
Adaptations in a Changing World
Join Climate Watch with your class and help monitor changes to the behaviour of plants and animals. There are several teacher resources.
Get your students involved in Bush Blitz
A useful website for teaching about a changing world.
Climate change outdoor classroom games:
Australian plants are champions when it comes to adaptations. They have to be!
Birds and animals
Humans are making some big changes to the environment
Birds and animals