Lesson Summary In this series of lessons, the students will learn the difference between a habitat and a territory.  You will use the houses you put in the habitat bins to track the territories of each crayfish.  Once a day you will use the check to see where each crayfish can be found (either in or around one of the houses).  Either you or one of the students can call out to the class where the crayfish are (using the markings you made with the whiteout), and the students will record where there crayfish is on Student Sheet 16.  After at least four days of doing this, discuss your findings as a class.  A whole class table is helpful to represent the data. Teacher Background This lesson teaches the difference between territories and habitats.  It extends over several days in order for the students to get a good idea of any territory their crayfish has formed; the longer you extend the process, the more information you will get.  This is also a good tie-in with math, as you can create different charts and graphs of the territories formed. The students must be responsible in their note taking so they don’t loose any of their information over the course of the entire week. Set-up/Management Tips It seems to be more manageable for the teacher to call out to the class where each of the crayfish are, rather than have each group look for theirs; there is less chance of the crayfish moving during the process. Have the students note other crayfish in the same territory as theirs to see if there is a pattern with whom they will, and will not, let into their territory. The students must be responsible for keeping the log of their notes from all 4 days in a safe spot so they are able to participate in the concluding activity. Make sure you have enough copies of Student Sheet 16 for each day you plan to check the territories. If you are planning on disposing of the crayfish, do not do so until the end of the entire Structures of Life unit. Literacy Support Science Stories Life Cycle of a Crayfish Life on Earth A Change in the Environment Scientific Vocabulary The following words are key vocabulary words that will be introduced in this lesson and reinforced throughout the unit:  territory