Description
Explore how animals survive the cold! Students analyze graphs and decode clues in this engaging winter science activity on hibernation and adaptations.
Make science review fun and interactive this winter with this Hibernation Crack the Code activity!
Students move through eight graph-based science stations to explore how animals survive cold weather through hibernation, torpor, brumation, and other adaptations.
At each station, students read a short passage or interpret a scientific graph, answer multiple-choice questions, and record a code letter. When they finish all eight stations, the letters reveal a hidden word connected to how animals survive winter.
This resource reinforces science practices like analyzing data, interpreting graphs, identifying cause and effect, and connecting structure and function in organisms.
Use it for a winter science review, sub day, or data-analysis activity to keep students thinking critically and engaged.
🧊 What’s Included
- 8 printable science stations (mix of graphs, charts, and short readings)
- seven graphs, one chart, and one paragraph to read
- Student recording sheet with code boxes and final reveal section
- Teacher’s answer key
- Complete lesson plan with setup directions
- Easy to use! Just print the eight stations and the student recording sheet
🧠 Skills Practiced
- Reading and interpreting scientific graphs
- Analyzing data to identify patterns
- Understanding hibernation and other survival behaviors
- Applying key vocabulary: hibernation, torpor, brumation, estivation, adaptation
🏫 Perfect For
✔ Winter or fall science lessons
✔ Ecosystems or animal behavior units
✔ Sub plans or early-finisher activities
✔ Science centers and rotations
✔ NGSS-aligned graph interpretation practice
Check out my blog post on teaching students to read a graph!
