Lesson Summary The concept of a habitat is introduced in this lesson.  The students will brainstorm and discuss the necessary components of a crayfish habitat.  With student assistance you will create two crayfish habitats using gravel, ‘houses’, water and Elodea.  The crayfish will also spend time in their feeding basin; however, food from the basin cannot be placed in the habitat because of contamination.  The crayfish will be placed in their new habitat, and stored in a cool place.  You can also use this time to show students how to properly care for and handle the crayfish. Teacher Background This lesson can be taught before part 1 in the unit, so that you won’t have to clean and dry out the habitat basin, only to set it up again.  This lesson helps students to understand the idea of a habitat (make sure you keep that idea separate from that of “territory”), and you can expand that idea by having students describe and compare the habitats of different organisms. Set-up/Management Tips It is helpful to use a large stuffed animal (Beanie BabyÔ lobsters work well) to show students how to properly handle the crayfish. A flexcam is also useful for modeling how to hold the crayfish. Be sure to have water sitting out at all times, that way you always have aged water when you are working with the crayfish. When making the habitat, tape the houses to the basin first, to ensure the tape will stick when the water is poured in. Be sure to check Student Sheet 16 to see in which corners to set each of the houses. Although the teacher’s manual suggests cat food- sandwich meat, frozen green peas work well as food for the crayfish. When you run out of the Elodea, it can be purchased in the aquatic section of any pet store. Store the crayfish in someplace cool and dark, a closet works well since there is not much traffic to disturb the crayfish. Literacy Support Scientific Vocabulary The following words are key vocabulary words that will be introduced in this lesson and reinforced throughout the unit: elodea habitat