Students explore the idea that animals need a home and the basic parts of a habitat.
Grades: 1 - 3
Time: about 1/2-hour
Subjects: Life science, visual arts, physical education
Materials:
- Pictures of human and animal homes
- Drawing paper and pencils
Teacher Background:
All animals, including people, need a home. Home for animals is different from just a house, like the kind we live in. Wild animals need (1) food, (2) water, (3) shelter and (4) space in just the right arrangement for them.
Procedure:
- (If students did "My World" from Unit One, you can refer to it...) Discuss human homes and the things usually found there.
- Have students draw the inside of a house -- include places to eat, sleep and play.
- Have them share their pictures with the other students.
- Show pictures of animal homes; discuss the differences between student homes and wild animal homes (animals may have to use a much larger area to find all four parts of a habitat -- food, water, shelter and space.
- Sing the “Everybody’s Got to Live Someplace” song (below). You can either make up your own tune, say it as a poem, or use it in conjunction with an excellent set of inexpensive . It is the theme song for this set.
Assessment: Have students design their own animal and draw the habitat it needs.