Animal Behavior And Adaptation

NC Standard:  1.04

Activity:  Have A Seat

Question:  What are the essential ingredients that create a habitat?

Vocabulary: Habitat, Food, Water, Shelter, Space

Materials: None

Background: A habitat is an environment in which animals and humans live. Food, water, shelter and enough space are essential to survival.

Procedure: Prior to this activity clear out the central area of your classroom or locate a grassy area outside the classroom in which to do this activity.
Number off your students one through four.
Have all the ones go to the corner of the room (space) the twos go to another, the threes another and fours another.
Each group will now become an integral part of habitat.
The ones will now be FOOD.
The twos will now be WATER.
The threes will now be SHELTER.
The fours will now be ADEQUATE SPACE.
Have the students form a circle in chains of four. The first person in each group will walk towards the center and join hands facing what will be the center of the newly forming circle. Continue on with the next four students until all students are standing together hand in hand facing the center of the circle.
Tell the students that they now have all the essential ingredients for a proper habitat which would support many animals.
Tell the students to listen carefully and follow your directions.
Tell the students to turn to the right and take one step towards the center of the circle. This should cause the students to stand closely together with each child looking at the back of the head of the student in front of him / her. Adjust children if needed or take an additional step.
Tell each student to put their hands around the waist of the person in front of them.
Keeping their knees together, they are to sit down on the knwws of the person behind them on the count of three.
Count off slowly...1, 2, 3, SIT.
All the students sit down and the circle is supported by all the essential ingredients...FOOD, WATER, SHELTER and SPACE.
This first time the students will giggle and be amazed that they can actually support each other simply by being in the essential place. Allow them to talk briefly with their neighbors about that they have accomplished before you ask them to return to their positions again.
Now that the giggles are out of their systems, have the students once again on three gently sit on the person behind them. Once the sit has occurred have the students say what they are...FOOD, WATER, SHELTER, and SPACE around the circle beginning with a designated student.
At this point tell the children that in this habitat there has been no rainfall for four months. Select four of you water participants and have them slowly remove themselves from the habitat circle. (Variations can be made such as pollution has caused the grasses in the habitat to die, remove three food participants. A new sub-division has bulldozed acres of woodlands in the habitat, remove 5 shelter participants, etc.)
At this point the circle will begin to fall apart and depending on how hard the other participants work to fill in the gaps, it may well fall apart.
Have the students get into their original groups of four (one member from each essential ingredients) that formed the circle.
Have them discuss the following questions and record their responses.
What happens when an essential part of a habitat is removed or reduced?
What options do members of that habitat have when that occurs?
What are the four essential parts of a habitat?

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Line of Learning:  This line is drawn to provide students with a space to share their experimental learning in words or pictures.
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