Habitats of animals and plants around me

In this lesson, students will observe living organisms in a local ecosystem and create detailed drawings and descriptions of them. As students investigate an ecosystem near their classroom, they will keep a science journal of the living organisms they find there. This lesson plan includes motivational activities, suggestions for how to make the outdoor investigation fruitful, assessment questions, and extension activities.

Weblink address (URL):

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

Purpose:

To investigate the habitats of local plants and animals and explore some of the ways animals depend on plants and each other.

Essential and guiding questions:

Questions:

What makes something a living thing?
Are you a living thing? How do you know?
What do living things need in order to stay alive? (e.g., food, water, air)
What are examples of living things in the classroom?
What are some living things outside?
Is this alive? How do you know?
What do you see as you look at this [plant or animal]?
What do you hear? Smell? Feel?
How can plants and animals be like each other?
How can they be different?
Will the outside area look different when you look at it this way?
Why might it be important to look more closely at a smaller area?
Do you think that you will still be able to find some living things in this much smaller area?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Understanding

Extension suggestions:

Extensions:

For a lesson on observing leaves in local ecosystems, see the Science NetLinks lesson, Look At Those Leaves! in which students observe, measure, and sort tree leaves.
As students observe the compost bin above you can help them begin to gain an awareness of the existence of organisms that are not readily observable to the naked eye. Visit Microbe Zoo—Dirtland for more information on what is happening beneath the soil.
Read The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Although this is a fictional book, this story can lead to a good discussion of some of the threats to the living environment, from air and water pollution to deforestation. It also illustrates the relationships between living organisms within an environment. Students can work in a class or teams to:
Retell the story using words or pictures. Change some of the actions of the characters to create a "happy ending." What would need to be done in order for the plants and animals to survive?
Create a plan of action for rebuilding the living environment at the end of the story.
Have students identify those aspects of the book that are fantasy and those that are similar to reality, based on what they've learned through observation of the living environment.

Helpful Hints

Materials:

Desired pages of the online field journal, found on the American Museum of Natural History website.

References

Contributors:

Kay Jordan

Originator:

Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation