Habitats

[[image:habitats_tlm_cover_v2.gif align="right" caption="Click for More Info" link="@http://www.sciencecompanion.com/module-overviews/habitats-levels-3-4-life-science/"]]Habitats (Levels 3-4)
There are five clusters of lessons in //Habitats//, listed below. The lessons listed in red are free to download once you enroll in the pilot program and receive a password. After you enroll, our Lending Library will send the other materials you'll need to try out the lessons in a classroom. These include a mini-kit of science materials and hardbound //Student Reference Books// for the unit.

To enroll in the pilot, you'll need to complete a Lending Library Agreement. Basically you tell us where to send the materials, and you agree to return the non-consumable materials and //Student Reference Books// when you are finished or to pay for them. The pilot is completely free as long as you return the non-consumable materials and books to the Lending Library (we pay postage). To find out more, go to the Sign Up for a Pilot page.

To learn more about the unit and the pilot lessons, you can view or download a "Unit Summary and Online Pilot Background" for //Habitats// (no password needed).

After you have a password, you can **download free lessons (click here)** You will need [|Adobe Acrobat Reader] on your computer to read the lessons after you download them.

Once you've started using the lessons, you can converse with Science Companion experts and other pilot teachers by using the Discussion tab on this page.

Children identify the difference between wants and needs. They evaluate their habitat by drawing or describing how their immediate needs are met. They reevaluate their habitat at the end of the unit and discover that, depending on the sources they use to meet their needs, their habitat may be global. They discuss how human needs have caused changes in other organisms’ habitats.
 * Cluster 1: The Human Habitat**
 * ** Lesson 1: What's My Habitat **
 * Lesson 16: The Human Habitat

Children discuss the many organisms that use an oak tree in different ways. After an introduction to the specialized bills of woodpeckers and owls, they experiment with using tools to retrieve various model foods. They associate birds’ bills and feet with the foods available in their habitats. They dissect owl pellets and try to identify the owl’s habitat from what they know about the organisms in the owl’s diet. Finally, the children learn about birds in their local habitat through a Habitat Walk outside, or a Habitat Talk by a local bird expert.
 * Cluster 2: Animals and Their Habitats**
 * Lesson 2: Who Needs an Oak Tree?
 * ** Lesson 3: How a Bird Feeds **
 * ** Lesson 4: Bird Features **
 * Lesson 5: Owl Food
 * Lesson 6: Habitat Walk, Habitat Talk: Birds

Children listen to a book about a saguaro cactus and compare it to an oak tree. They compare models of how cactus stems and other plants’ stems retain water. Finally, they learn about local plants through a Habitat Walk outside, or a Habitat Talk by a native plant expert.
 * Cluster 3: Plants and Their Habitats**
 * Lesson 7:Who Needs a Saguaro?
 * Lesson 8: How a Cactus Survives
 * Lesson 9: Habitat Walk, Habitat Talk: Plants

Children discover the difference between a biome and a habitat. They learn about their local biome. They color the different biomes found in the United States on a map. They work with a partner to research one of Earth’s major biomes.
 * Cluster 4: Biomes**
 * Lesson 10: What is a Biome?
 * Lesson 11: Researching a Biome?

Children collaborate to design imaginary organisms that can survive in a habitat within the biome they researched. They develop a class assessment rubric to define what they need to include in their designs. They evaluate, refine, and make pictorial models of their designs. To culminate their project, the children present and explain their designs to the class.
 * Cluster 5: Design Project**
 * Lesson 12: Designing Organisms
 * Lesson 13: Developing an Assessment Rubric
 * Lesson 14: Refining and Modeling Organisms Design
 * Lesson 15: Presenting Organisms Designs