Animal Horns

Contributor
Kratts' Creatures
Type Category
Instructional Materials
Types
Animation/Movie
Note
This resource, vetted by NSTA curators, is provided to teachers along with suggested modifications to make it more in line with the vision of the NGSS. While not considered to be "fully aligned," the resources and expert recommendations provide teachers with concrete examples and expert guidance using the EQuIP rubric to adapted existing resources. Read more here.

Reviews

Description

This is a short two minute video about the variety of horns that animals have and their importance for protection and breeding rights. The video explains that animals go head-to-head and when the stronger male wins, they are able to pass their genes on to the next generation.

Intended Audience

Learner
Educational Level
  • Early Elementary
Language
English
Access Restrictions

Free access - The right to view and/or download material without financial, registration, or excessive advertising barriers.

Performance Expectations

1-LS1-2 Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns of behaviors could include the signals that offspring make (such as crying, cheeping, and other vocalizations) and the responses of the parents (such as feeding, comforting, and protecting the offspring).

Assessment Boundary: none

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this performance expectation.

Comments about Including the Performance Expectation
The short video provides information for students to participate in discussion regarding the behaviors of parents that help animals survive. The video serves as a possible entry point for children to think broadly about structures important to survival.

Science and Engineering Practices

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this science and engineering practice.

Comments about Including the Science and Engineering Practice
This practice is met through the viewing of the video. Classroom discussion should take place to promote understanding for all students.

Disciplinary Core Ideas

This resource is explicitly designed to build towards this disciplinary core idea.

Comments about Including the Disciplinary Core Idea
Several animals with horns are represented in this video. Alignment would be strengthened if other examples such as local animals (elk, deer, moose, or dall sheep) were supplied in a full lesson.

Crosscutting Concepts

This resource appears to be designed to build towards this crosscutting concept, though the resource developer has not explicitly stated so.

Comments about Including the Crosscutting Concept
To fully explore the Crosscutting Concept the teacher may use multiple examples of animals that follow a similar pattern of behavior by using their horns for protection and breeding.

Resource Quality

  • Alignment to the Dimensions of the NGSS: When this is video used as part of a larger lesson, it demonstrates a strong alignment with the intent of the NGSS and three dimensional learning.

  • Instructional Supports: The video provides scientifically accurate and grade-appropriate information, yet the teacher must provide additional instructional components to support students’ three-dimensional learning.

  • Monitoring Student Progress: There is no formal monitoring of student progress with a full class or individual students. Students could keep a science journal and do illustrations of an animal(s) that use horns for protection and survival.

  • Quality of Technological Interactivity: The video is rated strong for the quality of its technological interactivity and because of its usefulness related the content, yet there is no true interactive component to the video.