Help Wanted!
Understanding niche
Overview
Help Wanted is a simple activity
designed to help students understand the term niche. Students
write a newspaper-style want-ad
looking for an organism to fill a
certain niche.
Estimated Time
2-3 class periods, depending on how
readily available your resources are.
Sharón Friedner
Objectives
Students will be able to:
• Explain the term niche
• Describe the niche of an organism that
lives in the Bay
• Use what they know about an organism’s
niche to write a newspaper style want ad
Materials
• Books and resources containing information on animals that live in San Francisco
Bay
Vocabular
ocabularyy
• Niche, adaptation, habitat
Background
Studying ecology can be frustrating for many
students because of all the vocabulary words
and phrases. Definitions for terms like
ecosystem, habitat, community, population, and
niche all seem to blur and lose specific meaning
for students. Students will better retain
vocabulary words if they use them in an
enjoyable activity.
One term that students often have trouble
with is niche: the specific role or “job” of an
organism within its habitat. Everything an
organism does is part of its niche – how it
obtains food, how it protects itself, where it
lives, and when it is active. A well-adapted
organism fills its niche very well. An interesting way to help students understand the niche
concept is by writing a niche want ad. By
completing the niche want ads, students will
not only better understand the concept of
ecological niche, but they will also learn more
about a particular organism and how it
interacts with its environment.
California Science Content Standards
Grade 6
Standard Set 5.c: populations of organisms
can be categorized by the functions they
serve in an ecosystem.
Standard Set 5.d: different kinds of organisms may play similar ecological roles in
similar biomes. Ecology (Life Science)
English and Language Arts Standards
Grades 6-8: W
teg
ies
Wrriting Stra
Strateg
tegies
...writing exhibits students’ awareness of
the audience and purpose. Essays contain
formal introductions, supporting evidence,
and conclusions. Students progress through
the stages of the writing process as needed.
Save The Bay’s San Francisco Bay Watershed Curriculum 145
Teacher PPrroc
edur
ocedur
eduree
Students choose an organism that lives in San
Francisco Bay. After researching the organism,
they write a 30-50 word ad in the style of the
want ads in the newspaper. The ads should
describe the role of the organism in its habitat,
including activities and relationships. The
description should contain how the organism
finds food, how it protects itself, where it lives,
its position in the food chain, and any other
unique features of its activities or its relationships with other organisms. The completed
ads can be used in a variety of ways. Students
can read them to each other and try to name
the designated organisms, or the ads could be
used as part of an “econewspaper” about San
Francisco Bay or your school grounds.
Acknowledgement
Adapted from “Finding Your Niche in the Want
Ads,” written by Michael E. Baldwin,
Brownsville Independent School District,
Brownsville Texas. Published in Science Scope,
January 1994.
Example
Help W
anted
Wanted
(black-necked stilt)
Elegant individual needed to probe into
mudflats and feed on small mud
creatures. Must enjoy the outdoors
and be able to withstand long hours
standing in salt water. Webbed feet,
long legs, and long bill a plus. Formal
dress (tuxedo, white shirt) required.
1-800-664-BIRD
(bay goby)
Excellent swimmer needed to live and
work on the bottom of San Francisco
Bay. Main responsibility will be eating
plankton and detritus. Experience
with camouflage required, prefer tan
and olive colors. Must be able to
recognize and avoid egrets, herons, and
terns.
146 Save The Bay’s San Francisco Bay Watershed Curriculum
Help Wanted!
Understanding niche
INTRODUCTION
A niche is the specific role or “job” of an
organism within its habitat. Everything an
organism does is part of its niche – how it
obtains food, how it protects itself, where it
lives, and when it is active. A well-adapted
organism fills its niche very well.
In this activity you will research an organism that lives in the San Francisco Bay.
Find out as much as you can about the
Sharón Friedner
organism’s niche, including how the
organism obtains food, how it protects itself, where it lives, its position in the food chain, and
any other unique features of its activities or its relationships with other organisms. Then, write
a newspaper-style help wanted ad describing the perfect job for your organism.
CLASSIFIED
Help Wanted
Elegant individual needed to probe into
mudflats and feed on small mud creatures. Must enjoy the outdoors and be
able to withstand long hours standing in
salt water. Webbed feet, long legs, and
long bill a plus. Formal dress (tuxedo,
white shirt) required.
1-800-555-BIRD
Excellent swimmer needed to live and
work on the bottom of San Francisco
Bay. Main responsibility will be eating
plankton and detritus. Experience with
camoflauge required, prefer tan and olive
colors. Must be able to recognize and
avoid egrets, herons, and terns.
510-555-FISH
Save The Bay’s San Francisco Bay Watershed Curriculum 147
Your Name:
Help Wanted
Name of Organism:
148 Save The Bay’s San Francisco Bay Watershed Curriculum