Lesson: Where do you live? What do you do?
Grade Level:
Third
Content Area:
Life Science
Core Area:
Environments and Habitats
Lesson Overview:
Where do you live? What do you do? These are common questions we
ask each other. What responses might you get if you ask animals
these questions? In this lesson, we will explore these questions and
investigate potential answers to illustrate a variety of habitats and
niches and what happens when environments change.
2005 Standards Correlation:
Habitats and Adaptations
Standard 3-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the structures, characteristics,
and adaptations of organisms that allow them to function and survive within their habitats.
Indicators
3-2.1 Illustrate the life cycles of seed plants and various animals and summarize how they grow and
are adapted to conditions within their habitats.
3-2.2 Explain how physical and behavioral adaptations allow organisms to survive (including
hibernation, defense, locomotion, movement, food obtainment, and camouflage for animals and
seed dispersal, color, and response to light for plants).
3-2.3 Recall the characteristics of an organism’s habitat that allow the organism to survive there.
3-2.5 Summarize the organization of simple food chains (including the roles of producers,
consumers, and decomposers).
2014 Standards Correlation:
Third Grade
Life Science: Environments and Habitats
Standard 3.L.5: The student will demonstrate an understanding of how the characteristics and
changes in environments and habitats affect the diversity of organisms.
3.L.5A. Conceptual Understanding: The characteristics of an environment (including physical
characteristics, temperature, availability of resources, or the kinds and numbers of organisms
present) influence the diversity of organisms that live there. Organisms can survive only in
environments where their basic needs are met. All organisms need energy to live and grow. This
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energy is obtained from food. The role an organism serves in an ecosystem can be described by the
way in which it gets its energy.
Performance Indicators: Students who demonstrate this understanding can:
3.L.5A.1
Analyze and interpret data about the characteristics of environments (including salt
and fresh water, deserts, grasslands, forests, rain forests, and polar lands) to describe
how the environment supports a variety of organisms.
3.L.2A.2
Develop and use a food chain model to classify organisms as producers,
consumers, and decomposers and to describe how organisms obtain energy.
Materials:
• “Where do you live? What do you do?” PowerPoint presentation, access to
computer/projector
• Habitat Cards
• Art supplies to include white cardstock, crayons, markers, scissors and glue sticks
• Niche cards
• Large Niche signs:
o Prey
o Predators
o Scavengers
o Producers
o Decomposers
• Food Chain ID Lanyards
• Styrofoam peanuts or pom poms (100 count)
• Food Chain Data Sheet (1 per group of students)
• Extend Supplies: Owl pellets, tweezers, probes, bone chart, pictures of potential prey items,
hike form
Procedures:
1. Introduction: Ask students what the most common questions adults ask each other when
they first meet (Where do you live? What do you do?). Tell students we will be addressing
these questions for critters living in the environment.
2. Introduce Essential questions:
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What do all living things need to survive?
Define habitat. Name the habitats present in your community.
Define adaptation. Give 3 examples.
Define niche. Name the 5 main niches.
Define food web. Describe a food web that includes you and at least 3 other
organisms.
3. Define Habitat: Ask students what the essential components of a habitat. Teach and sing
“The Habitat Song.” Model movements – Food (hands on tummy), Water (point to lips),
Shelter (make roof with arms above head), Space (open arms wide).
4. What is your Habitat? Game: Give out habitat cards and have students read their card
carefully. Go through habitat slides and have student describe these habitats. Then have
students write the name of their habitat on their cards.
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5. Create a Critter: Allow students a few minutes to consider what challenges animals would
have in their habitat to attain the necessities for survival. Go through some example slides
of a variety of animals in different habitats and how they are uniquely adapted to specific
habitats. Have students create a new creature uniquely adapted to their given habitat by
drawing/coloring it on cardstock and cutting it out, leaving a tab so it can be folded under
and glued so it stands on their created habitat. Create the habitat by folding a piece of
cardstock into 4 equal parts. Cut along one the “hamburger fold” to the center. Fold so it
creates a standing corner and glue. Draw and color the given habitat on the foldable
background. Glue the created critter onto the created habitat. Have students write a short
description of their habitat and critter (Make sure they name it!) and present or do a walk
through in the classroom. Ask students to consider how the habitats and critters are similar
and different. Compare the different critters from the same habitats and discuss how
different students addressed the environmental challenges with their unique critter.
6. Niche Scatter: Define niche. Go through the example slides and ask students to identify the
predator in the slide. Give out niche drawings and descriptions to students. Have students
pair up according to the picture of the critter and the description of its niche. Then have
students go to the appropriate category in the room assigned by the following large signs:
Predators, Prey, Scavengers, Producers, Decomposers. Note that there is often more than
one answer. Have students share their critter and its description and why they went to that
category.
7. Food Chain/Web Investigation: Define food web and look over the food web example.
Ask students what happens when certain “links” are eliminated. Divide class into groups of
8. Give seven students in each group one of the following lanyard signs to wear: Sun, Plant,
Insect, Frog, Snake, Opossum, Bobcat. Either go outside or make space in a room and have
students line up in the correct order for a possible food chain. Confirm all student groups
are in the right order and have them spread out about 5 feet between each student. The 8th
student in the group should have a clipboard with the Data Sheet. Hand the bag of 100
foam peanuts or pom poms to the sun. Begin the food chain and have the sun toss the
peanuts or pom poms to the next on the food chain. Count and record the number of
peanuts or pom poms caught. Have the student with clipboard record. Continue until the
final person catches the peanuts or pom poms. Complete the Data sheet, graph results and
complete follow up questions.
8. Let’s review! Revisit the essential questions and check for comprehension.
9. Extend: Consider going on a niche hike. Pair up students and go a campus hike or a walk in
a local natural area or park. Draw examples of each of the listed niches. You may also
consider dissecting owl pellets. Pair up students and using tweezers/probes remove bones
and identify the prey eaten by the owl.
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Activities: 7Es, Science and Engineering Practices, and Cross Cutting Concepts
7E
Elicit
Procedures
What is your habitat?
Game
Engage
Create a Critter
Explore
Share/Compare your
Critter
Explain
Niche Scatter
Elaborate
Food Chain/Web
Investigation
Evaluate
Review using the Essential
Questions
Extend
Niche Hike/Owl Pellet
Dissection
SEPs
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Cross Cutting Concepts
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