Habitat Unit of Study – Lesson Plan

 

Lesson Author

First and Last Name:

Laura Calhoun

School District:

Tarleton Unified School District

School Name:

Tarleton/ESC Master Cohort

School City, State:

Waco, TX

Lesson Overview

Lesson Plan Title:

Ecosystems, Habitats and Survival

Lesson Summary:

Analyzing the habitats of animals and people, how they are developed and maintained, and what factors affect shelter selection.

Subject Area(s):  Click box(es) of the subject(s) that your Lesson targets

 Business Education

 Drama

 Foreign Language

 Home Economics

 Language Arts

 Math

 Music

 Physical Education

 Science

 Social Studies

 Technology

 Other:      

 Other:      

 Other:      

 Other:      

Grade Level:  Click box(es) of the grade level(s) that your Lesson targets

 PreK-K

 1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 11

 12

 

 ESL

 Gifted and Talented

 Special Education

 Other:      

 Other:      

 

Targeted State Frameworks/Content Standards (TEKS):

3.3B; 3.8A,B,D; 3.9A; 3.11A   4.3B; 4.5A; 4.8A,B; 4.11C   5.3B; 5.5B; 5.9A,B,C;

Student Objectives/Learning Outcomes:

Students will:

 

Approximate Time Needed:

Five – Eight  50 minute class periods (due to presentations and enrichment activity)

Prerequisite Skills:

Some background knowledge of habitats, reading/writing abilities, computer skills to surf internet, ability to use digital camera

Materials and Resources Required For Unit

Technology – Hardware:  (Click boxes of all equipment needed)

 Camera

 Computer(s)

 Digital Camera

 DVD Player

 Internet Connection

 Printer

 Projection System

 Scanner

 Television

 VCR

 Video Camera

 Video Conferencing Equip.

 Other:      

 Other:      

 

Technology – Software:  (Click boxes of all software needed.)

 Database/Spreadsheet

 Desktop Publishing

 E-mail Software

 Encyclopedia on CD-ROM

 Image Editing

 Internet Web Browser

 Multimedia

 

 Web Page Development

 Word Processing

 Other:      


Printed Materials:

Textbooks, reference materials on animals and animal pictures, pictures of different ecosystems, etc.

Supplies:
  • Real estate ads from local newspaper/”Parade of Homes” tour booklet
  •  Venn Diagram papers
  • White paper to create home picture and foldable graphic organizer
  • Materials to create a classified ad that describes an animal’s habitat
  • Questions from United Streaming Teacher’s Guide, cut into 4 different groups
  • Combination notes paper
  • Goals for Habitat unit on chart tablet or sentence strips
  • Student Science Journals
  • Vocabulary word instructions
  • Animal Habitat Classified Ad examples
  • Graphic Organizer for recording researched information
  • Habitat Classified Ad Rubric

Internet Resources:

Concepts in Nature: Where Animals Live http://www5.unitedstreaming.com/index.cfm

What’s Your Habitat?

http://www.nwf.org/schoolyardhabitats/pdfs/whatsyourhabitat2.pdf

Environmental Exchange Box Activity

http://www.plt.org/cms/pages/35_178_4.html

 

Sites to search for habitat information:

Animal Habitats:

http://www.uen.org/utahlink/activities/view_activity.cgi?activity_id=3792

Habitats/Biomes

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/

Animal Habitats

http://t3.preservice.org/T0110505/

Habitats

http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek/nature/habitat/

Thorntown Zoo: Habitat Links

http://www.bsw.primetap.com/Zoo.html

Yahooligan search

http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/

Ranger Rick: Homework Help

http://www.nwf.org/kidZone/kzPage.cfm?siteID=3&departmentId=107&articleId=185

Desert Animals

http://www.desertusa.com/animal.html

Animals A-Z

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/atoz/atoz.html

 

Others:

Optional: Field trip to zoo or outdoors to show different animal habitats.

Procedures: (click on link or see attached papers)

Engage:  Show examples of real estate classified ads. Have the students make comments of what information they see/read in the ad. What does this information tell us? Explain that a home is part of a human’s habitat. (Note: It’s the entire neighborhood where an animal gets the food, water, air and shelter with space it needs to survive and raise young.)

Use the website, What’s Your Habitat?, for procedural steps and background information. Ask the students, “What do all humans need to survive?” Generate a list on the board. (Accept all answers) Sort the list into the basic needs for survival.  Have the students illustrate their home leaving enough space around the home to add to the environment.  As you follow steps #3 through #5 to show where they get their resources to survive.  (Make sure students have a visual representation for each one of the basic needs for survival.)

Details: It’s a good idea to identify key details that students are expected to know in depth and then to plan your unit so that students are exposed to these details multiple times (at least three). The key details in this unit of study are the basic needs for survival in a habitat.