Roll to Create New Animal Adaptations! Create an Animal Activity

Looking for a fun way to assess your students’ understanding of habitats and animal adaptations? Look no further! This interdisciplinary project is an engaging way for students to conclude their animal adaptations unit! Students roll a die to create a creature that would survive with the help of a variety of new and strange adaptations. They will write, draw, and design to show what they have learned about how adaptations help animals.

This project is the perfect mix of biology and STEM. Students will love designing and creating their creatures, and you’ll get to assess their understanding of animal adaptations as they describe the physical and behavioral adaptations that help their creature survive in its natural habitat. If you’re looking for an engaging, hands-on science activity with strong ties to the curriculum that allows your students to use their imagination and creativity, you’ve found it!

Using Your Create an Animal Project and Dice Game

Do the following to play your dice game and start your Create an Animal Project.

1. Give each student a copy of the three sheets and a die. This works best if printed all at once and stapled into packets.
2. Beginning with the Roll 1 column, students roll the die and color in the box in column 1 that matches the number rolled.
3. Moving to column 2, students will repeat the same process. 
4. Repeat until students have rolled an adaptation from each column on the grid.
5. On page 2, students will draw their creature a basic body shape of their choice. If you like, you can sketch some basic animal shapes and head shapes on the board for them to reference.
6. Students will add each of the adaptations they rolled to their creature, creating a new animal species with unique adaptations.
7. Students will finish drawing and color their animal to blend with an environment of choice.
8. Finally, students will complete the Species Guide on their newly created animal, explaining basic information and how each of its adaptations helps it survive in their chosen environment.

Download and Print Your Create an Animal Adaptation Game

You’re just a click away from getting your new resources! Use the dropdown arrow on the Download button to select the Editable Google Slides resource file or the quick-print PDF version.

Need more plant and animal adaptation resources? Try these on for size!

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Three Types of Environmental Adaptations Posters

Teach your students the different types of behavioral, structural and physiological adaptations with a set of 4 printable posters.

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Animal Needs and Adaptations Mini-Book

Read and learn about animal adaptations and basic needs with this 14-page mini-book.