Twelve animal picture cards and six biome boxes make up page 1 of this 3rd grade science worksheet. Students write each animal's name in the box for the biome where it lives, such as camel and scorpion in the desert or moose and lynx in the taiga. Page 2 has two writing questions, one on how a chosen animal is suited to its biome and one on which biome they would visit. It supports NGSS 3-LS4-3. Page 3 holds the answer key with sample responses.
3-LS4-3
“Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.”
Page 1 places each animal in its biome, and question 1 on page 2 asks how one animal is suited to where it lives.
Twelve labeled pictures in two rows, from a camel, sloth and caribou to a bison, white-tailed deer and moose, then a scorpion, toucan, arctic fox, prairie dog, chipmunk and lynx.
Six boxes for desert, rainforest, tundra, grassland, deciduous forest and taiga, each with two dotted lines. Students write two animals in each box.
Two open questions with about ten lines each. Students choose one animal and tell how it is suited to its biome, then pick a biome to visit and give a reason.
The twelve animals sorted by biome, plus sample answers such as a camel's wide feet for walking on sand and an arctic fox's white fur in the snow.
Before sorting
Ask students to say where each animal lives and why. Caribou and moose both cope with cold, which makes a good short argument.
Sentence frames
For page 2, write a frame on the board such as An arctic fox has thick white fur, so it can stay warm. Students who struggle to start usually finish.
With a world map
After the sort, students find one place on a map where each biome is found and mark it with a sticker.
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