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Science Minutes DVD
Episode 2: Habitats
Focus Question: What is a habitat?
Standards
National Science Standard
Content Standard C: Life Science (Grades 5-8)
Next Generation Sunshine State Standard
| Grade 5: | SC.5.L.15 Diversity and Evolution of Living Organisms |
| Benchmark SC.5.L.15.1 | |
| Grade 7: | SC.7.L.17 Interdependence |
| Benchmark SC.7.L.17.3 | |
| Grade 8: | SC.8.L.18 Matter and Energy Transformations |
Vocabulary
Competition active demand by two or more organisms or kinds of organisms for some environmental resource in short supply
Habitat the place or environment where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows
Organism a living being, plant or animal
Shelter something that covers or affords protection
Survival the continuation of life or existence
Classroom Activity
- Science Minutes Activity: 1 Food Chains and 2 Habitats (202K PDF)
- Science Minutes Activity: 1 2 9 Ethogram (192K PDF)
Supplemental Links
- The Franklin Institute’s Resources for Science Learning, www.fi.edu/tfi/units/life/habitat/habitat.html
- Discovery Education: Ecosystems, http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/programs/yosemite/
Further Investigation with Online Activities
- Discovery Education: Make It a Habitat, http://school.discoveryeducation.com/lessonplans/activities/makeitahabitat/
- Who’s Eating Who?, A Board Game,
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec670/Cardboard/Board/W/whoeats/board-game-template.htm
Oral Assessment
Transcript
Kasey
Hey everybody, Kasey here again. Thanks for coming out to see me at my home away from home. You know I might be in the middle of nowhere but I think I have everything I need to survive out here. I've got shelter. I've even got water and snacks. What do you think you would need to survive out here?
Now I am not talking about things like your cell phones—in fact I can't even get service out here. Did you know, every single organism needs things in order to survive? Now I am talking about things like oxygen, a source of food, clean water, shelter, even a place to get rid of their waste. Now a place that has all of these things is called a habitat.
All organisms have a habitat that suited best for them. For instance, I am pretty comfortable here in my tent. But don't get me wrong, I don't want to live out here all the time but it's the perfect place for me to come back and get back to nature. Now what if all my friends were out here with me? We probably all couldn't fit in my tent, right? So hey, maybe we just camp out here on the ground. Well, that would be okay if the weather stays like this, but what if it started to rain? We'd probably all fight for space in my tent, right? Well, same thing happens in nature. All organisms compete for habitat space.
Sometimes a good habitat can become limited because of changes in the environment, pollution or maybe even those things that are necessary to live become unavailable. Well when this happens the competition can become fierce, forcing some organism to find a new place to live.
So think about it: you share your habitat with someone else. And I'm not just talking about people either. Think about all the different plants and animals that live in your area. So do your part to keep your local habitat safe and sound.
Don't pollute. Put things back the way you found them. And treat the world around you with respect. Remember, you share your habitat with other organisms, so be a good neighbor.
Well, I am going to do my part, clean up my mess and leave this habitat the way that I found them. Time's a ticking, so until next time...
