IOWA 4-9 SCIENCE PROJECT
TEACHERS GUIDE for: Habitats Reta Lemon
ECOLOGY.474 Grades 4-6
CONCEPT OBJECTIVES:
Through this activity students will investigate various
habitats, determine the food chains that exist in a given
habitat, and create a food chain within a habitat.
PROCESS OBJECTIVES:
Students will develop observing and recording skills and
understand the relationship between prey, predator, and
habitats.
TEACHER NOTES:
This is the fourth in a series of cycles, Ecology.461 Sun, Air, Water, and
Soil (S.A.W.S.), Ecology.462 Food Webs, Ecology.463 Food Chains and Ecology.464
Habitats.
Investigate the environment around the school setting. If
at all possible take the students out-of-doors for this
activity. Find habitats which would represent the 1. Open
Meadow 2. Riverbank 3. Woodland 4. Edge of the Woodland.
If the activity must be done inside establish
"mini-habitats" representing the above four areas. Put low
growing plants on the floor with pictures of meadows etc. in
one corner of the room. Set up several tanks with water
"critters", water growing plants, and pictures of riverbank
habitats in another corner. Create an Edge of the Woodland
habitat in another corner and the Woodland in the last
corner.
Divide the class into four groups, either assign habitats
or allow each group to choose, then take with them to their
habitat a clip and board, a pencil and recording sheet.
Review the terms on the recording sheet so that the
students understand "evidence of life", "adapt", "food
chain" and "vegetation."
Allow at least one complete period of 45 minutes to
investigate their habitat. If the group has to walk a
distance to get to this habitat they should do as much work
in the field as time permits then complete the work in the
classroom.
When going outside select the habitats close enough so
that it is possible for the teacher to visit each site while
the students are working and be within sight range of all of
the students.
The word "critter" designates any living creature.
MATERIALS:
For each group.
Clip, clipboard and pencil.
Recording Sheet.
EXPLORATION:
Divide the class into four groups, with each having a
pencil, clip and clipboard, and a recording sheet.
If the activity is being done outside in a park or
protected usage area be sure to remind the students not to
destroy anything in the environment.
Define the boundaries of the area they are to investigate.
Take each group to the habitat they will investigate and
direct them to collect and record as much information about
the habitat as possible.
As the groups are working visit with each and encourage
them to look under leaves and or grass, overhead, under logs
or stones, between exposed tree roots, etc.
If this activity is done indoors questions would be asked
"If you were to look under a rock, leaf, log, ... what might
you find, or what evidence might you find?" "If you looked
over your head what might you see in the trunk, limb ...?"
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT:
Write the main headings of the recording sheet on the
blackboard in a column. Write the four habitat names across
the top of the blackboard in a row.
Encourage the groups to share the information they
recorded and write it on the board.
Discuss the similarities and difference of each habitat.
Introduce the terms predator and prey. Discuss the
possibility of one "critter" being both during a given time
period, of all predators being eliminated, of all
herbivores, or all plants being destroyed.
Compare the food chains between the habitats. Share
several of these on the board using arrows to show the links
in the food chain from sun, air, water, and soil, to green
plant producer, to herbivore or omnivore, to carnivore or
omnivore, to decomposer.
APPLICATION:
Before beginning the application have available for each
student a Kleenex box with the hole in the top only
(Scotties) or a box of similar size and shape.
Glue and masking tape.
An assortment of nature colors of construction, tissue and
brown sack paper.
Handiwrap. (Optional)
Using the kleenex box construct a habitat similar to the
one investigated in the field. Those students in the
Woodland will construct that type of habitat, the Riverbank
group will construct that type of habitat, etc.
The habitat will include:
1. The habitat itself showing the home of the
"critter."
2. The "critter" showing how it is adapted to this
habitat.
coloring, structure, methods of protecting itself.
3. Create the links in its food chain, what or who it
eats and who or what eats it and label each by
number as to the order in the chain.
4. Discuss predator, prey roles.
5 Cover the front of the diarama habitat with
Handiwrap.
ALTERNATIVE APPLICATION I:
Create a TV script showing the habitat investigated in the
field study. The script would include pictures and
narration showing:
1. The habitat of your critter with a description.
2. The structure of your critter showing how it is
adapted to its habitat, coloring, special features
etc.
3. The habits of your critter- nocturnal, cavity
dweller, both parents care for young etc.
4. Enemies of the critter- natural predators, man,
natural elements, fire etc.
5. Benefits of the critter- beautiful, provides food
for what other creature, its link in the food
chain.
Each student will need a square kleenex box or one of
similar size and shape, five short and five long pieces of
typing paper cut to box size, two long straws, two 6 in.
pipe cleaners, and Handiwrap (optional)
Cut out the opened side of the box. Cut two slits on the
sides facing the opened end.
Cut five sheets of typing paper the same width as the box
the long way of the paper and five pieces the same size as
the opening of the box. Tape the pieces all together in one
long line. Tape first a short piece then a long. Pictures
are drawn on the long piece with the narrations on the short
pieces.
Insert the long paper through the slits on the side of the
box. Tape a long drinking straw to each end of the paper
roll, with half of the straw below the box for legs.
Attach a pipe cleaner to the top part of the straw and
another to the bottom of the straw to hold the roll in
place.
Cover the front of the box with Handiwrap for a window
look.
Have a viewing party with several friends.
ALTERNATIVE APPLICATION II:
Have each student pretend they are one of the animals that
would live in their habitat. Write a one week journal with
illustrations describing their activities. In the journal
include a description of their home, their experiences
getting food (part in the food chain, predator, prey) and
their interaction with their environment. The animals
reaction to having twenty-five students visiting unannounced
into their habitat would make an interesting entry in the
journal.
HABITAT RECORDING SHEET
HABITAT____________________
Student____________________
Vegetation:__________________ ________________
Evidence of Life_____________ _______________
Adapting
"Critters" that would live in this habitat_____________
Predator -- Prey _______________--_________________
_______________--_________________
_______________--_________________
Food Chains
1.__________
2.___________3._____________4.___________5._________
___________ ___________ _____________ ___________