UNIT ONE • FIRST GRADE Designing a Habitat 1deltastudies.weebly.com/.../3/46233367/unit1-designinghabitat-pt1.pdf · UNIT ONE • FIRST GRADE Designing a Habitat ... Plants and

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UNIT ONE • FIRST GRADE

Designing a Habitat

San Joaquin County Office of EducationOffice of Science and Special Projects

Funding provided byCalifornia Bay-Delta Authority

DELTA STUDIES CURRICULUM

San Joaquin County Office of Education

Frederick A. Wentworth, Superintendent

California Bay-Delta Authority


Contents

Overview ................................................................................... 1

Story Line.................................................................................. 3

LESSON 1:Where Do We Live? .................................................................. 5

LESSON 2:Explore a Water Habitat ............................................................ 9

LESSON 3:Freshwater Life—The Delta Bottom ......................................... 13

LESSON 4:Freshwater Life—The Delta ...................................................... 17

LESSON 5:Living in the Water—Plants ...................................................... 35

LESSON 6:Living in the Water—Snails/Worms .......................................... 39

LESSON 7:What is Living in the Water? ..................................................... 45

LESSON 8:Create the Booklet Down in the Delta ...................................... 51

LESSON 9:What Does a Pond Look Like Over Time? ................................ 61

Assessments for Grade One ....................................................... 63

Acknowledgments

• 1



DESIGNING A HABITAT

Overview

CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CONTENT STANDARDS FOR GRADE ONE

Life Science

2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways.a. Different plants and animals inhabit different environments and have external

features that help them thrive.b. Students know plants and animals need water, animals need food, and plants need

light.

UnderstandingsStudents will understand that:

❚ People and other living things have similar needs for survival. (The needs of peopleand other living things are similar.)

❚ Plants and animals have features that help them survive in specific environments,such as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Essential Questions�What do plants and animals need in their environment to live?�How do external features help plants and animals survive in specific environments?�How can we take care of the Delta?

Knowledge and SkillsStudents will know:

� animals have special characteristics to help them survive.� plants living in water have specific needs for survival. (Water plants have needs.)� plants and animals help each other meet their needs for survival.

Students will be able to:

� identify living and nonliving things that make up the Delta ecosystem.� describe a habitat in relation to the Delta’s air, soil, water, and energy (sun).� describe a food chain in relationship to life in a Delta habitat.

• UNIT 1 • OVERVIEW2 •Note to teachers implementing this unit: This unit utilizes live animals and plants (al-though an alternate way of using nonliving things by drawing on butcher paper is de-scribed). It is important to model to students how to show respect for living things bycaring for them in the best way possible. The teacher is responsible to make certain thatthe needs of the living things are provided, and that a humane plan is followed concern-ing what to do with the living things once the unit is finished. At the end of the unit,some teachers might wish to keep the living things and set up a more efficient aquariumin the classroom. This aquarium would have a filter and possibly an aeration system toprovide oxygen. Other teachers might wish to give the living things away to students,providing they can prove that they have adequate containers and will care for them prop-erly. These living things should not be placed in the Delta, as these are nonnative species.However, mosquito fish could be placed in water troughs and other outdoor containedareas.

• 3



DESIGNING A HABITAT

Story Line

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta contains habitats for hundreds of plants andanimals. It provides food, shelter, water, and space for living things. In Lesson 1,

“Where Do We Live?”, students look at the needs people have as they listen to the story,The Lost Lake by Allen Say. Lesson 2, “Explore a Habitat”, focuses on a water habitat as ahome for plants and animals. How they survive and meet their needs is discussed inLesson 3, “Freshwater Life—The Delta Bottom”. Rocks, water, and soil are observed andused to begin building a class water habitat. In Lesson 4, “Freshwater Life—The Delta”,students study the characteristics of plants and animals and place living things in the classwater habitat. Plants are added to the water habitat in Lesson 5, “Living in the Water–Plants”. Students observe plants giving off oxygen and sprouting roots in water.

Snails and worms also live in water and are observed and added to the water habitat inLesson 6, “Living in the Water—Snails/Worms”. The last animal added is the fish inLesson 7, “What Is Living in the Water?” In Lesson 8, “Create the Booklet Down in theDelta”, students use what they learned from the water habitat to make an interactivebooklet about the Delta. The ongoing interaction of the fish with plants and other ani-mals is observed throughout the unit as explained in Lesson 9, “What Does a Pond LookLike Over Time?”

A field trip to parts of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a perfect way to remindstudents that the Delta is an important part of the environment in which we live.

Notes

• 5


UNIT 1 • LESSON 1

Where Do We Live?


Life Science

2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways.b. Plants and animals need water, food, and plants need light.

ObjectiveStudents will focus on components of habitats by listening to a story and by identifyingwhat and where they get things they need to live.

BackgroundA habitat of a plant or animal is the place where the organism lives and grows. The natu-ral resources required for each organism to survive are found in the organism’s habitat.Most living things need air, water, shelter, and a supply of energy (sunlight or food). Mostplants need soil in which to grow. All living things also need space in which to live.

People also need air, water, food, and shelter; and these are acquired from one’s environ-ment. When camping, most people bring their food, water, and shelter (e.g., tent ortrailer).

Preparation�Decide if you want to read to your students The Lost Lake by Allen Say or Three

Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B. Williams. Review the story you select toread to your students and determine whether your students would prefer a shortenedversion. If so, identify which parts to skip.

�The mapping portion of this lesson will be more successful if students are exposed tothe process of mapping by drawing a simple map of their classroom and/or of theschool grounds. The book, Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe, has an example ofa map titled: “Our first Morning on the River” which students can look at. There isalso a map of the river and surrounding land at the beginning of the story.

Materials✔ Books: The Lost Lake by Allen Say or Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B.

Williams✔ Drawing paper

• UNIT 1 • LESSON 16 •✔ Crayons✔ Pencil✔ Chart paper✔ Markers

TimePreparation: 15 minutesLesson: 45-60 minutes

Procedure

1 Gather students in the reading area for a story. If reading The Lost Lake do Part A. Ifreading Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe do Part B.

A. Read to students the story, The Lost Lake by Allen Say. (If needed, skip some partsto shorten the story.) The book is about a young boy who goes to live with hisfather for the summer. When the father realizes he’s been too busy to spend timewith his son, he plans a camping trip to the “secret” lake he visited as a boy.

• After reading story, ask students:– What was it like for the boy to live in the city with his father?– How did the father and his son meet their needs in the city?– How did they meet their needs while camping? (e.g., catch their fish for

dinner, walking, carrying a pack, etc.)

• Write answers on chart paper making two columns:

City | Camping

B. Read to students the story, Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B. Will-iams. (If needed, skip some parts to shorten the story.) The story is a bout a familythat goes on a canoe trip down a river. What did the family take on their canoetrip? What types of animals did they see on their trip? Where do these animals gettheir food, water, and shelter? Write answers on chart paper making two columns.Have students discuss how the family members might have met their needs in theneighborhood, and what they did to meet their needs on the canoe trip:

City | Camping

2 Discuss with students what their needs are (food, air, water, shelter), and how wherethey live determines how their needs are met.

3 Make a list (or draw symbols) of how or where they get the things that they need tolive (e.g., food from a grocery store or an apple from a tree, water from the kitchenfaucet, apartment as shelter).

7• UNIT 1 • LESSON 1 •4 Distribute paper to students. Tell them that using what they know about drawing a

map, their task is to draw a picture of where they live and the places around them thatmeet their needs. For example, grocery store for food, house for shelter, water todrink, etc. If students do not have experiences in drawing maps, ask them to draw oneplace where they get something they need to live.

5 Have students share their drawings with the class. Point out that they meet their needsin different ways from each other in class, but also different from children who live inthe mountains, by the beach, or where there is snow.

Assessment�Evaluate students’ drawings.

Resources� BOOKS

• The Lost Lake by Allen Say• Three Days on a River in a Red Canoe by Vera B. Williams

Notes

• 9


UNIT 1 • LESSON 2

Explore a Water Habitat


Life Science

2. Plants and animals meet their needs in different ways.a. Plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environments.b. Plants and animals need water.

ObjectiveStudents will learn that both plants and animals need water to live.

Note: In this lesson and in the next several lessons, you and your class will be making awater habitat. As an alternative, you may choose to build a “paper mural” on the wall,adding each section as they are discussed. For example use a strip of blue butcher paper torepresent the water. You could also do both: design a real water habitat and a paper mural.

BackgroundAll plants and animals need water to live. Most animals need to drink water. Some ani-mals have special body features that permit them to live and reproduce under water. Landplants need water to grow. Aquatic plants live in water. Some water plants have rootsystems anchored in the mud. Other water plants float freely in the water.

Materials✔ 3-5 gallon clear plastic tub or a five- to ten-gallon aquarium (water habitat)✔ Water✔ Cups for students to add water to the tub✔ Chart paper✔ Journal for each student✔ A large map of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta✔ If available, hang pictures in the classroom of various habitats (e.g., river, ocean,

desert)

TimeOne hour

• UNIT 1 • LESSON 210 •Procedure

Note: The answers in italics are examples of students’ answers.

1 Gather students in a discussion group around an empty tub or aquarium. Discuss:• Does anyone know what this is? (aquarium or terrarium)• What kinds of living things could live here? (Students may indicate that land

animals, like a lizard, or water animals, like a fish, could live there.)• What would those animals need to live in here? (food, water, shelter)

2 Explain that they will be building a water habitat to observe living things and howthey act together. Write the word “habitat” on the board. Define “habitat” as a placethat has all the things that an animal or plant needs to live. Our habitat is where welive. What things do you think we will need to add to this tank?

3 Set the tank in place. If possible, have each child add cups of water to the tank.

4 Ask what kinds of plants and animals can live under water. Accept all reasonableanswers and record on chart paper. Students may choose animals that live in fresh orsalt water.

5 Ask students what all living things need to do to survive. (Breathe air, eat food, protectthemselves, etc.) Discuss how some of the animals meet their needs in water.

• Do all the plants and animals live in the same kind of water?• Is water the same in the river and the ocean? (salt water is in the ocean).• Do the same plants and animals live in each? Why do you think that is? (You

might explain that some animals have special adaptations to live in specific habi-tats, such as salt water or marshy areas).

6 Distribute a student journal to each child. Have students write their names at the topof their journals. Explain that each day as they build part of their water habitat, theywill record the information in their journals. You will need to collect the journals andcheck to make certain they are complete before students write in them again.

7 Say to students:• Today we looked at water—it is not living, but all living things need water. Some

animals even live in the water.• Draw and color a picture of water on the first page (and nothing else).• Write the following sentence: “Living things need water.”

8 Show a map of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Tell students: “We drink and usefresh water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta waterways.” Discuss ways we usefresh water.

11• UNIT 1 • LESSON 2 •Variation�Distribute journal pages that are printed with the sentence, and have students draw

and color a picture of water and then copy the sentence.

Assessment�Collect journals and check to make certain that all students drew and colored water

and wrote on the first page: “Living things need water.”�Have students share their drawings with the class.

Extensions�Discuss ways various animals use water.�Discuss why it is important not to waste water.

Resources� WEBSITES

• http://www.eduplace.com/activity/what do.htmlDescribes how to design a habitat.

• http://www.epa.gov/water/kids/waterforkids.htmlDescribes different sites containing water activities.

Notes

• 13


UNIT 1 • LESSON 3

Freshwater Life—The Delta Bottom


Life Science

2. The plants and animals meet their needs in different ways.a. Different plants and animals inhabit different environments and have external

features that help them thrive.

ObjectiveStudents will recognize that plants and animals meet their needs in different ways. Plantsand animals live in different areas to help them thrive.

BackgroundPonds, bogs, and marshes are homes to many kinds of plants and animals. The sedimentlayer in a pond ecosystem is made of clay, mud, sand, and rock that hold water much likea cup or bowl. Some ponds dry up in the heat of summer. Others can be fed by the riverwatershed or underground water supplies, and are permanent. The shallow water allowsthe sunlight to reach the pond bottom where some plants live and grow. Green plantsproduce food through a process of photosynthesis, which uses energy from sunlight,carbon dioxide from the air or water, and water to produce food and oxygen for the plant.Fish, mammals, and insects that live under water breathe oxygen.

Decayed plants provide food for animals, such as snails and worms. Small animals likefish, frogs, turtles, and crayfish eat small worms and various insects that are attracted tothe water.

Larger animals, such as Wood Ducks, beavers, muskrats, hawks, foxes, Turkey Vultures,owls, and others come to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to drink water, and to findfood and shelter.

Preparation�Remove the water from the tank or aquarium

Materials✔ Three- to five-gallon clear plastic tub or a five- to ten-gallon aquarium (water habitat)✔ Four cups pea gravel and rocks (in natural colors and rinsed)

• UNIT 1 • LESSON 314 •✔ Two or three larger rocks✔ Sand (playground-size, washed)✔ Water✔ Dechlorinating liquid for removing chlorine from tap water

TimeOne hour

Procedure

1 Gather students in a circle on floor with the empty tub in the center, and the con-tainer of sand and separate container of gravel and rocks close by. Ask students howthey think we will use the rocks, gravel, and sand, which are the nonliving parts of ahabitat. Discuss that this is the ground-level base of this habitat. Let students touchand feel the texture of the materials.

2 Arrange the sand (about two inches) on one side of the clear tub and the gravel on theother side. Fill the tub with water to about five inches from top, being careful not todisturb the ground level base. Add 2 or 3 larger rocks around edge, reaching out of thewater surface (so that small animals could crawl out of water if necessary). Add dechlori-nating liquid to the water. (People usually add chlorine to water to stop the growth ofbacteria; we want to see what will grow in our habitat.)

3 Tell students that we will put our tub in the sunlight to give it warmth and light. Placethe tub in a sunny area where students can easily see it as animals are added andobserved. (If using an aquarium, the tank may have a hood with light. Discuss withstudents how this light can represent sunlight.)

4 Discuss: How do living things depend on the ground level in a pond? Lead students toconclude that some living things, like some fish, needs plants to eat, and that manyaquatic plants need a place to grow, like in sand or silt at the bottom of a pond.

5 Distribute the journals to students and point out the last time they looked at freshwater. Tell students:

• On page two of your journal you will draw rocks and sand. These nonliving partswill form the base that holds water in the pond or marsh.

• Draw the rocks, gravel, and sand around the water and at the bottom. Add thewater to your picture. Put a sun in the sky. The sun gives energy and warmth.

• Write “Rocks and sand are nonliving things.”

15• UNIT 1 • LESSON 3 •Assessment�Collect journals and review page two: the sentence and the picture made by each

student.

Extension�Place sand in a shallow pan, slightly tilt the pan, and pour water on it. Have stu-

dents note how the water runs through the sand to form rivulets. Compare this tothe map of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.

Notes

• 17


UNIT 1 • LESSON 4

Freshwater Life—The Delta


Life Science

2. The plants and animals meet their needs in different ways.a. Students know different plants and animals inhabit different kinds of environment

and have external features that help them thrive in different kinds of places.

ObjectiveStudents will be able to visualize the different animals and plants that live along theSacramento-San Joaquin Delta by placing them on a picture frame created in this lesson.

BackgroundThe Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a unique convergence of two rivers, the Sacramentoand the San Joaquin, that flow through the Carquinez Strait and San Francisco Bay intothe Pacific Ocean. Water from melting snow in the northern Sierra Nevada Mountainstravels down the slopes and through the valleys washing away plants, animals, rocks, andsoil, dropping sediments here and there on its journey to the open sea. Over 700 miles ofwinding waterways, sloughs, marshes, bogs, and reclaimed islands form a maze of naturalplant and animals habitats. As a result many types of plants and animals live in the Delta.Salt water and fresh water interface near Antioch forming the San Francisco Bay-DeltaEstuary. This estuary provides a habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals and isthe largest estuary on the West Coast of North America.

Preparation�Gather pictures and other materials listed below.�Duplicate a class set of the smaller illustrations (four to a page) and cut apart.�Decide if you want to read to your students Big Book Let’s Take Care of the Earth by

Rozanne Lanczak Williams or On the River ABC by Caroline Stutson.�Draw a picture of a meandering stream on a large piece of butcher paper or obtain a

pocket chart to place illustrations of animals in habitat grouped by external features.

Materials✔ Poster of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta✔ Construction paper✔ Eight full page “Illustrations of Some Delta Animals” including a picture of a duck

• UNIT 1 • LESSON 418 •✔ Set of 30 smaller illustrations (four to a page)✔ Scissors✔ Glue✔ Crayons✔ The Big Book Let’s Take Care of the Earth by Rozanne Lanczak Williams or On the

River ABC by Caroline Stutson

TimeOne hour

Procedure

1 Read to the class the Big Book Let’s Take Care of the Earth by Rozanne Lanczak Will-iams or On the River ABC by Caroline Stutson.

2 Have students look at the poster of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Ask:• What are the different areas where plants and animals might live? (in mud, in

water, on land.)• What are the special features that plants or animals have that help them to live

where they do? (E.g., webbed feet to live in water.)

3 Hold up the picture of a Mallard (duck). Ask: “What external features do the duckshave that tell where they live?” Repeat with each living thing: Mallard (duck), Red-Winged Blackbird, Cattail (plant on which the Red-Winged Blackbird is perching), Red-Legged Frog, White Egret (bird), Mosquito (insect), White Catfish, and Raccoon.

4 Distribute construction paper to students. Ask them to draw a river flowing throughthe paper. Tell them to look carefully at the illustrations of the animals and plants todetermine what features they have that would have them live in places around theDelta. Ask each student to select five pictures. Have them color, cut, and glue pictureson the construction paper.

5 Collect finished work.

AssessementDo one of the following:

�Use the picture of a stream that you drew on a large piece of butcher paper in “Prepa-ration.” Distribute one animal picture to each student. As each is called, have thechild describe the animal by external features and tape the animal in its environ-ment. This can be made into a mural.

�Use a pocket chart to place illustrations of animals in habitat grouped by externalfeatures.

19• UNIT 1 • LESSON 4 •Extensions�Use pictures for students to graph their favorite pond and marsh animals.�Classify animals into the following categories: mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibian,

fish, and insect.�Compare and contrast pictures of land animals to aquatic animals.�Have students role-play specific animals (play charades).

Resources� BOOKS

• Let’s Take Care of the Earth (Big Book) by Rozanne Lanczak Williams• On the River ABC by Caroline Stutson

� WEBSITE

• http://www.naturegrid.org.uk/pondexplorer/pond3.htmlExamines animals in a pond.

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Documents

UNIT ONE • FIRST GRADE Designing a Habitat 1deltastudies.weebly.com/.../3/46233367/unit1-designinghabitat-pt1.pdf · UNIT ONE • FIRST GRADE Designing a Habitat ... Plants and