South Carolina ETV

South Carolina ETV
1101 George Rogers Boulevard
Columbia, SC 29201-4761
Phone: 803-737-3545

Animal and Plant Habitats (Grade 2)

Master Teacher

Penny Kerns

Time Allotment

Two weeks/30 minutes each day

Overview
In this lesson, students will learn about the habitats of plants and animals. They will use Kidspiration to practice naming plants and animals in given habitats. They will use Internet sites to research animal and plant habitats. They will then use Microsoft Word to write and illustrate a story about plant and animal habitats.
Subject Matter
Science

Learning Objectives
Students will be able to:

Demonstrate knowledge of plants and animals within a habitat by finding or creating pictures of the appropriate habitat.

Use information learned to write and illustrate a story about plant and animal habitats.

South Carolina Curriculum Standards
(From the South Carolina Language Arts Curriculum Standards, grade 2, available online at www.myscschools.com)

South Carolina Science Academic Standards
Animals
Standard 2-2: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the needs and characteristics of animals as they interact in their own distinct environments. (Life Science)

Indicators

2-2.1: Recall the basic needs of animals (including air, water, food, and shelter) for energy, growth, and protection.
2-2.3: Explain how distinct environments throughout the world support the life of different types of animals.
2-2.4: Summarize the interdependence between animals and plants as sources of food and shelter.

Media Components

Video
Habitats: Homes for Living Things includes clips on habitats of different kinds of animals to see how these habitats meet the animals’ needs.

Directions: To access this program, log on to your account at ETV’s StreamlineSC Web page (http://etv.streamline.org). Create a Playlist to add the video segments to and then select Keyword: habitat. Click on “Habitats: Homes for Living Things.” Select the “a” in front of the clip “Introduction” (1:24). This adds the clip to “My Playlist.” Select Continue button. Click to close window. Repeat same steps for “Forest Habitat” (2:13), “Desert Habitat” (1:33), “Rainforest Habitat” (1:32), “Ocean Habitat” (2:01), “Pond Habitat” (1:13), and “Arctic Habitat” (:50). When finished, log off.

(Note to Teacher: If you don’t have an account with ETV’s StreamlineSC, check with your media specialist about signing up for one.)

Web Sites
Enchanted Learning (www.enchantedlearning.com) Animals are listed by alphabet, type, and continent. This site provides printouts to color, descriptions, and information on diet and habitat.
SC Discus (www.scdiscus.org) is South Carolina’s virtual library and provides free access for South Carolina teachers and students. Kids Infobits has kid friendly information about animals with lots of pictures.
Pics4Learning (www.pics4learning.com) Free pictures of all kinds of animals.
Clip Art and Media (http://office.microsoft.com/clipart) Clip art pictures of all types of animals.

Other Media
In addition, the students are going to use Kidspiration to brainstorm about different plant and animal habitats and Microsoft Word to write and illustrate a story about plant and animal habitats.

Materials
Nonfiction booksfrom the library on animals and plants and their habitats.

Per student:
Habitat Crossword Puzzle
writing paper
construction paper
crayons and markers

Equipment
Computer
Projector and screen or TV and TVconverter
Prep for Teachers

Gather needed art supplies.
Check out books on animals and plants, and equipment from the library.
Bookmark Internet sites to be used by the students.
Make a copy of the Habitat Crossword Puzzle for each student. It is found at the end of the lesson.
When using media, provide students with a Focus for Media Interaction, a specific task to complete and/or information to identify during or after viewing of video segments, Web sites, or other multimedia elements.

Introductory Activity

Step 1: Introduce this lesson by giving the students a brief overview of different types of plants and animals and the habitats where they live. Allow students to use Kidspiration to brainstorm about different plants and animals and the habitats where they might be found.

Step 2: Read a realistic story about plant and animal habitats.

Step 3: Discuss the computer skills necessary to complete the lesson.

Learning Activities
Step 1: Log on to StreamlineSC to retrieve the video segments from your Playlist. (Note to Teacher: It is probably better if you download it to your desktop computer’s hard drive or a CD to start with. Many schools actually don’t have the band width to live stream.) Students will view segments from Habitats: Homes for Living Things. After each segment the class will discuss content questions about the clip. This process may take more than one class period. You may wish to complete Steps 2 and 3 over several days.

Step 2: The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 1. “Introduction” (1:24) are “What are three things we need to live?” (food, water, shelter) “What is a habitat?” (a place where animals and plants can find every thing they need to live and grow) Instructions: Locate the video clip on your hard drive or CD. Double click video clip icon. Click on silver circle in the bottom right of the video screen to show full screen. Click the x in the upper right corner when the clip is complete. Repeat the steps for the first three habitats. The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 2. “Forest Habitat” (2:13) are “What is a forest habitat like?” (many trees and plants, lots of rain, warm in summer and cold in winter). “Why is lots of rain important in the forest habitat?” (It helps trees and plants grow and it provides food for many animals.) The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 3. “Desert Habitat” (1:33) are “What is a desert habitat like?” (not very much rain, lots of sunlight) “What do animals do to survive in the desert?” (rest during the day and go out at night, get water from plants, use plants for shade) The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 4. “Rainforest Habitat” (1:32) are “What is a rainforest habitat like?” (forest that is usually warm and very wet) “How do animals help plants?” (They move plant seeds.)

Step 3: The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 5. “Ocean Habitat” (2:01) are “What is an ocean habitat like?” (very large, deep, filled with salt water) “What is plankton?” (a type of algae that is the favorite meal for many fish) Instructions: Locate the video clip on your hard drive or CD. Double click video clip icon. Click on silver circle in the bottom right of the video screen to show full screen. Click the x in the upper right corner when the clip is complete. Repeat steps for clips on the rest of the selected habitats. The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 6. “Pond Habitat” (1:13) are “What is a pond?” (fresh water with land all around it) “Where do animals live in a pond habitat?” (on the edge of the pond, in the pond, on top of the pond) “What do the insects eat?” (plants that float on the top of the water) The Focus for Media Interaction questions for 7. “Arctic Habitat “(:50) are “What is the Arctic habitat like?” (covered with ice and snow, cold, windy) “How do polar bears live in the Arctic habitat?” (have thick fur, get food from holes in the ice, dig dens in the snow)
Step 4: Instruct the students to complete the “Habitat Crossword Puzzle which is based on the information seen in the video clips. Pass out the puzzle.
Step 5: Have the students read stories about different animal habitats and choose one to research. Tell students they should be able to answer the following questions about their habitat in a class discussion.

What is your habitat like? (temperature, rainfall)
What types of plants are found there?
What kinds of animals are found there?
What kind of shelter do animals need there?
How do animals and plants help each other?

Discuss the computer skills necessary to complete the lesson and model how to use the computer to search for information about animals and habitats. Have students work at the computer individually to locate information. They also will use the computer to type the information learned.
Step 6: Students will use the information found about animal and plant habitats to write and illustrate a story. Share ideas and stories about different animal and plant habitats with the students and model how to use the computer programs required to complete the project. Students can use clipart to illustrate their work. Students can use crayons and pencils to illustrate their work.
Culminating Activity
Students will use the information found about animals and plant habitats on the Internet to create a book containing information and pictures.

Cross-Curricular Extensions
Language Arts: Students will share their stories with their classmates.

Art: Students will draw and color a picture of their animal and plant habitat to illustrate their information writing.

Community Connections

Invite parents and community to listen to the class presentations.

Student Materials

Habitat Crossword Puzzle (PDF)
Habitat Crossword Puzzle Answers (PDF)