Lesson Plan
Motivation
Teacher will ask the students to think of places where animals live. Once time is given to process, students will pair/share to generate ideas and after a minute will independently share. While they are sharing, the teacher records the ideas on the anchor chart in a
word web with the center circle blank.
Bridge: After all thoughts have been shared, the teacher will say that all of these ideas are all part of a word called habitats. (Teacher writes the word habitats in the middle circle).
Concept Development
1. Share that a habitat is the area or the setting which animals or people live in.
2. Tell the students they are about to go on a “nature walk” by singing the
Nature Walk song.
3. Read the book
Habitats by William B. Rice or you can read the habitats portion in your school’s science textbook. Throughout the book, stop and ask what the students see on their nature walk.
4. Use
chart pictures to label on an anchor chart. The teacher will draw animals underneath the habitat. (If drawing is not your thing, you can print pictures of animals.)
5. Show about 2 minutes of the
Discovery Video about Habitats. (*If students start becoming restless, let them stretch their legs by singing the
habitat song or choose one from this
playlist.)
6. Introduce the book
Home by Carson Ellis as a book that talks about all different types of habitats for animals and people. (If you can’t get a physical copy of the book, here is a
video.)
7. Use the
Habitat Sorting Worksheet either on a SMART or Promethean board or draw it on chart paper. Have students help sort the different animals to the correct habitat. (You can also create interactive sort games on SMART Lab for SMART boards.)
Bridge: Announce to the students all of the different centers by modeling what is to be accomplished in each area.
*The students will go into different centers to complete habitat activities. The teacher can choose guided centers or free choice (just ensure that all students complete the Language Arts Center for the assessment portion). Centers can be split between sessions depending on scheduling.
Art Center
Students will create a habitat for an animal.
1. They will choose an animal from pictures.
2. They will draw the habitat on a piece of paper using pencils and/or colored pencils, generating blueprints.
3. Students will use playdough to create a 3D image of the habitat.
4. They will bring the blueprints to the blocks center.