Enable them to Survive in Their Habitat
Enable them to Survive in Their Habitat
through Technlogical Activities
Habitats
Curriculum Outcomes
Subtopics
Introduction
By Grade 4, students should be familiar with the basic needs of living things and can explore how various organisms satisfy their needs in the habitat in which they are typically found.Students can begin to look for ways in which organisms in one habitat differ from those in others, and consider how some of those difference are helpful for survival . The concept of interrelatedness can be expanded upon further by looking at the variety of population that can exist in a habitat and the impact of the loss of one population on a community.
Focus and Context
The main focus in this unit should be on decision making. At the begining of the unit, students should be presented with a potential piece of undeveloped property slated for some kind of development, which is to be impacted upon by humans in some way (shopping mall, road construction, or ocean habitat that is being over-fished, for example). It is important that the designated area (habitat) be close enough to the school to be readily accessible. This development could be fictitious or real. The investigation of the habitat and the discussion of the impact of humans on it can be used to create a meaningful context which drives this unit. Students' questions can be used as a catalyst for the investigation of the types of organisms, how these organisms meet their needs, and the relationships between them. In the end, they should be prepared to make decisions about the effect the development will have on the habitat, and how best to make their concerns known so that action can be taken.
Curriculum Links
The needs and characteristics of living things was investigated in Grade 1. This lead to investigating growth, changes and life cycles of animals in Grade 2, and the growth, life cycles and parts of plants in Grade 3. After focusing on Habitats in this unit, they will then look at how microorganisms meet their basic needs in Grade 6, and follow this up with studying interactions within ecosystems in Grade 7.