Adaptation and Behavior



Animal Habitats

Lesson #2: Habitat Game

Book(s): Unit 2 – Life in an Ocean, A Bed for the Winter, Animal Babies in Grasslands

Time Frame: 20-30 minutes

Learning Standards:

Science

Life Science: Living Things and Their Environment

1) Identify the ways in which an organism’s habitat provides for its basic needs (plants require air, water, nutrients, and light; animals require food, water, air, and shelter).

Life Science: Characteristics of Living Things

2) Recognize that animals (including humans) and plants are living things that grow, reproduce, and need food, air, and water.

Student will be able to:

1) Role-play as squirrels and look for food, water, shelter, and air in the habitat of the classroom.

2) Discuss what happens when animals can not find what they need in their habitat.

Anticipatory Set: Sit in a circle away from the game pieces until you play the game so that everything can be set up ahead of time. Review the idea of a habitat from the last lesson and discuss that the habitat, or where an animal lives, must provide an animal with food, water, shelter, and air. Explain that today the students will pretend they are squirrels and hunt the classroom for what they need to survive.

Activity:

1) Before class: Hide the game tokens around the room. Tape all of the water pieces in two distinct places in the room relatively close to the ground. Place the air cards all over the room (not taped down). Tape the shelter cards to the bottom of tables and chairs (where they are not directly visible). Finally, tape the food cards up high and on the ground in more visible locations. Important: This game should have some limiting factors (food, water, or shelter). For example, if the class size in 15 there could be only 10 food cards and 12 shelter cards.

2) Explain the game to the students. Tell them that they are going to pretend to be squirrels and find what they need to live. Hidden around the room are cards for food, water, air, and shelter. Show them what the different cards look like and tell them that once someone touches a card it is theirs. Also, students may only get one card at a time. Tell them that the goal is to get one card of each type before the game is over so that they have everything that they need to survive. Be sure to set clear rules. For example, squirrels that touch other squirrels are out of the game and must go back to their seats and sit down to quietly observe the rest of the activities.

3) Let the game commence and monitor the students closely to ensure that they are following the rules. Once all of the pieces are found ask the students to all sit down again.

Closure: Ask students to raise their hand if they found a piece for food, water, air, and shelter. Ask the students what will happen to the squirrels that did not find all that they needed. Talk about how baby squirrels or injured squirrels in nature may not be as good at finding what they need. Also, talk about how the environment might affect squirrel survival. If it was a really dry summer with no rain squirrels may not have enough water (or nuts). What might happen to the squirrels if the habitat changes?

Assessment: Participation in class discussions and activities

Resources and Materials: Squirrel habitat game cards

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