Animal Habitats

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Here's how.

Grade Range

Kindergarten

Group Size

4 students

Active Time

60 minutes

Total Time

60 minutes

Area of Science

Mammalian Biology

Zoology

Key Concepts

Habitats

Learning Objectives

Describe at least three different habitats.
List a variety of animals that live in a certain habitat.
Give examples of how a habitat meets the needs of an animal living there.

Credits

Svenja Lohner, PhD, Science Buddies

Photo collage of eight types of habitats: Mountains, grasslands, polar, wetlands, rainforests, deserts, urban and marine

Overview

In this lesson, students play a game. Each classroom corner represents a habitat. After selecting an animal card, students have to move to the matching habitat while acting out the animal displayed on their card. By explaining why they selected a certain habitat, students realize that a habitat is a place that helps an animal survive.

NGSS Alignment

This lesson helps students prepare for these Next Generation Science Standards Performance Expectations:

K-ESS3-1. Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

This lesson focuses on these aspects of NGSS Three Dimensional Learning:

Science & Engineering Practices	Disciplinary Core Ideas	Crosscutting Concepts
Analyzing and Interpreting Data. Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns and/or relationships in the natural and designed world(s) in order to answer scientific questions and solve problems. Engaging in Argument from Evidence. Construct an argument with evidence to support a claim.	ESS3.A: Natural Resources. Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need. Humans use natural resources for everything they do. LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans. There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.	Patterns. Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed and used as evidence.