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Mini-Habitats
~ Inspiration
SUMMARY: Students
use their observations of Hidden Villa mini-habitats to drive
further classroom study of animals' adaptations to their
habitat. As an end project, students produce a representation
of their chosen mini-habitat complete with captions explaining
how each animal is adapted to its habitat. Optionally, students
can also use the information on their poster to write informational
essays. DURATION: 2
to 4 weeks GRADES: 3rd-4th, can be adapted for 5th
CALIFORNIA
STANDARDS |
| This project is based on the life
science standards for both 3rd and 4th grade. Students
in these grades need
to understand how adaptations in physical structure or
behavior may improve an organism’s chance for survival
in a given habitat. Students also learn the concept of
ecosystems and explore how living organisms interact with
the non-living components of its ecosystem. This unit also
supports important reading and writing standards as students
use reference books and the internet to further research
their animals and write succinct informational captions
for each. |
HIDDEN
VILLA GOALS |
| This
unit reinforces all of the content information that students
learned at Hidden Villa, very clearly supporting
Hidden Villa's goal to introduce students to basic ecological
concepts and the interdependence of all life. |
CLASSROOM
RELEVANCE |
Authentic
science learning includes hands-on learning and direct
observations. Unfortunately, bringing a large array
of mini-habitats with all of their animal inhabitants
into the classroom is impractical for most teachers.
However, at Hidden Villa students have the opportunity
to explore a variety of different mini-habitats and
see with their own eyes where exactly animals live,
how they interact with their environment and how different
levels of ecosystems are nested within each other.
These nature experiences can provide students the information,
inspiration and excitement to fuel a deeper study of
ecosystems within the classroom. I particularly enjoy
giving students a chance to demonstrate their knowledge
artistically in this poster project. In the upper grades
writing is often the major focus in all content areas,
limiting the participation, success and enjoyment of
those students whose strengths lie in different areas.
It is also true that basic artistic skills are also
valued in many scientific fields in which scientists
need to make diagrams or sketches of what they are
studying.
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