Exploring Biomes of the World

Our Kindergarten through third grade science co-op class has finished its first unit for the year. Each week, we learned about a different biome, or ecosystem found on earth. The information for each individual class can be found at the following links:

Introduction
Grasslands
Forests - Temperate
Tropical Rainforest
Salt Water Habitats
Seashore Habitats
Fresh Water Habitats
Tundra and Polar
Desert
Mountains
Caves



For each class, I had a few general, but essential resources.
For your convenience, I have listed them below.

Main Resources:
Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence
Habitats {Science Works for Kids Series} Grades 1-3, published by Evan Moor
Animal Habitats:Easy Make & Learn Projects, Grades 2-3, by Donald M. Silver & Patricia J. Wynne
Animal Habitats! by Judy Press

Other General Books:
The Usborne Living World Encyclopedia, by Leslie Colvin and Emma Speare
The Usborne Book of Wild Places: Mountains, Jungles, and Deserts, by Angela Wilkes
The Magic School Bus Hops Home: A Book about Animal Habitats, by Patricia Relf



Every now and then throughout the unit, I would find something that just didn't fit into the specific topic we were covering in class. These I would use at home with my child as supplements.

EcoMazes: Twelve Earth Adventures, by Roxie Munro was one such resource. The book is filled with mazes through different ecosystems. Children can pretend to be biologists, adventurers, photographers, etc. making their way through the natural area to accomplish a mission. There are also suggestions of specific plants or animals to search for within each habitat.

Usborne Great Planet Earth Search, by Emma Helbrough includes numerous habitats which we studied.  Each two page spread covers one habitat and includes interesting tidbits of information intermixed with lovely illustrations and items to search for and discover within the larger picture.

Gobble It Up! A Fun Song About Eating! by Jim Arnosky is a fun story to read aloud or listen to the accompanying CD.  The animals vary from stanza to stanza, but the message is the same: all these animals have to eat something.  It is a fun introduction or accompanying book for food chains.

At This Very Moment is another fun read by Jim Arnosky.  This book introduces different animals of various ecosystems throughout the text.  It pairs the activities of the animals with the reader's daily activities.  It can be a difficult concept for some to understand, but Arnosky does it easily and beautifully with his easy to understand words and wonderful illustrations.

Exploring Biomes - Caves

Since this was our last class on biomes, or ecosysytems, I began the class by asking the children to name all the biomes we have studied so far.  After writing their responses on the white board, we summarized each ecosystem briefly.  Then, I asked them what flora and fauna mean.  They knew by now they mean plants and animals.

After this brief overview of the unit, I introduced the final biome: caves.   Giving them the actual definition of a cave helped them visualize the ecosystem.  Several of the students had visited caves before and shared some of their personal experiences.

Next we spoke about the three different kinds of animals who use caves.  Most of this information was found in  Properties of Ecosystems, lesson 23. These include:

1. Trogloxenes - those animals who visit caves, but don't spend all of their time there
2. Troglophiles - the animals who live in a cave, but spend some time outside of it
3. Troglobites - the animals who spend all their time in a cave, and never leave

A good portion of time was spent discussing bats.  I used Bats, by Gail Gibbons and Bats: Night Fliers, by Betsy Maestro for visual aids and further information.

 

Then, the children made bats out of construction paper and clothespins. This is a craft I found at Enchanted Learning.

After their crafted bats were set to dry, we discussed where the animals who never leave a cave get food.  We had already covered the fact that most caves do not have a lot of plants since the sunlight is extremely limited.  The children thought of several scenarios, including:

• food being washed in by water or blown in by wind
• the animals eat other animals already in the cave

However, it was my son, who had already seen Planet Earth: Caves who blurted out the main source of food: bat guano (bat droppings).  From there, I outlined a food chain with bat guano at the beginning.  I also used this time to cover the limitations of life inside a cave.  It is definitely not an easy ecosystem to live in!

Finally, the children constructed "What's In a Cave?" booklets from Animal Habitats, Grades 2-3.

Resources:
Bats, by Gail Gibbons
Bats: Night Fliers, by Betsy Maestro


Additional Cave Resource:
Planet Earth, Caves, BBC Video, DVD

Additional Bat Resources:
"Batty Over Bats" page 22 of Fascinating Facts: Science, Grades 2-3, published by The Mailbox
Amazing Bats, by Seymour Simon
The Magic School Bus Going Batty: A Book about Bats, by Nancy E. Krulik
Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon

Exploring Biomes - Mountains

Since we had already studied temperate forests and tropical forests, we began with a brief review of these two ecosystems.  Then, we discussed coniferous forests, or evergreen forests using some of the facts found in Properties of Ecosystems, lesson 10.  I had a sample of a pine tree, courtesy one of my helpers, to show the children.  They were fascinated with seeing the branch and pine cones up close after we had learned about their unique characteristics.  However, all that up close and personal observations left the children and I covered in sap.  A quick trip to the bathroom to wash our hands alleviated the problem.

Once all the children returned to the classroom, I gave them directions on how to assemble and create a pine forest picture.  This idea was from Animal Habitats! by Judy Press.

Once the evergreen forest pictures were set aside to dry, I launched into mountainous ecosystems by first asking the children what they knew of mountains.  This enabled me to share a few odd-ball facts that didn't really fit into our lecture portion of class.  After the children had shared their knowledge, I began to present the information found in lesson 24 of Properties of Ecosystems.  The various ecosystems found in mountain ranges were first discussed and then variances and specifics about these ecosystems, or biomes, were covered.  We also touched upon what timber lines and snow lines are.  As we moved through the different potential biomes found on a mountain, we reviewed the flora and fauna of each ecosystem. Then discussed some animals specifically designed for mountain terrain, such as sheep and goats.  I used pictures from Rocky Mountains to help the children visualize the terrain, flora, and fauna.

After the information was presented, the children made bald eagles following the craft directions in Animal Habitats! by Judy Press.  They did need help with the slit for the wings, but were able to do the rest with minimal directions.

Finally, I asked the children to bring their bald eagles to the floor area where I read aloud Bald Eagles, by Doug Wechsler.  Since the book covered all the information I wanted to share about this amazing bird, I simply read and fielded questions from the children.

Resources:
Rocky Mountains, by Wayne Lynch
Usborne World Wildlife: Mountain Wildlife, by Anna Claybourne and Antonia Cunningham
Bald Eagles, by Doug Wechsler



Another Resource a.k.a. A Fun Extra My Child Got to Do Because I Am the Teacher:
Planet Earth, Education Edition: Mountains, Discovery Education DVD

 

 

 

 

Exploring Biomes - Deserts

Making a Gila Monster at the beginning of class intrigued the children.  They followed the directions from pages 12-13 in Animal Habitats!.  The project involves printing with bubble wrap for a textured lizard appearance.  These needed to dry before we could complete the lizard picture.  After the children painted their lizards, we asked them to set their lizards aside to dry.

Once the paintings were drying, I began asking the children what kind of habitat they thought it lived in.  Of course, after a little prompting, they knew it was a desert.  I then presented introductory material about desert habitats from lesson 19 in Properties of Ecosystems. The brief lecture included:

• characteristics of hot and cold deserts
• examples of hot and cold deserts
• fascinating desert facts

Then, the children completed a worksheet entitled "Desert Plants" from Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor, p. 17.  It included a variety of desert flora which was interesting to the children.

Specific animals were the main topic of discussion after the worksheet.  This led to another worksheet from Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor, p. 19 "Find the Desert Animals."  It was more of a decoding paper and the children were excited to see a Gila Monster on the worksheet.

As the children completed this page, we directed them back to their Gila Monster pictures.  Each child cut out their painted lizard pattern.  They prepared a background on a brown piece of construction paper by gluing on sand.  Finally, they added their lizard.

To finish the class, I read the book, The Magic School Bus Gets All Dried Up: A Book about Deserts.  Most of the children love the wild field trips Ms. Frizzle plans.  We have a few who are not amused by the bus, but they still like the class members' antics.  Personally, I like how much actual science is intertwined into the antics.  My teacher assistants for the class like Ms. Frizzle's outfits and keep asking when I'll start dressing like her.  {Not especially helpful, eh?}


Resources:
A True Book: Deserts, by Peter Benoit
A Desert Habitat, by Kelley MacAulay and Bobbie Kalman
The Magic School Bus Gets All Dried Up: A Book about Deserts

Other Resource a.k.a. The Fun Extras My Child Got to Do Because I Am the Teacher:
The Desert Alphabet Book, by Jerry Pallotta
Why Oh Why Are Deserts Dry? All About Deserts, by Tish Rabe
Planet Earth, Education Edition: Deserts, Discovery Education DVD

Exploring Biomes - Tundra and Polar Habitats

Studying a snowy, cold habitat in the midst of warm autumn days was a stretch, but tundra and polar habitats were next to explore.  We began with a brief introduction and description of cold weather and tundra.  Using information from lesson 18 of Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence, the following information was highlighted:

• origin of word tundra
• location of tundra
• climate, including temperature examples and snowfall amounts
• sunlight hours throughout the seasons
• ephemerals

The introduction of ephemerals became a starting point for "Polar Plants" p. 74 of Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor.  The worksheet displayed a few different types of tundra flora (plants).

Next, we discussed the concept of permafrost.  Turning our attention toward the fauna (animals) of the habitat, the children named a few animals they associated with the tundra and polar habitats.  I used The Best Book of Polar Animals and The Arctic to show pictures of the various animals and share some neat facts about their fur.  I was sure to mention those pesky mosquitoes who apparently reside in the tundra and fly in swarms during the summer months.

Later, we spoke about migration, hibernation, and camouflage. The mere mention of camouflage aroused interesting comments about chameleons, various frogs, and the sort, but finally we focused on the animals like Arctic Fox, Arctic Hare, and Ptarmigan. Then the children had fun painting the hare in a summer and winter scene to demonstrate camouflage. The activity was quite simple, but left a strong impression about camouflage and its usefulness. We followed the directions from pp. 78-79 in Animal Habitats! by Judy Press.

Then, each child completed an Arctic food wheel from the "Polar Regions" section of Animal Habitats: Grades 2-3, by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, pages 50-55.  We didn't have as much time as I would have liked to actually discuss this wheel, but I was able to present a brief overview about it while reading aloud The Arctic Habitat, by Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman.  Not only did this book touch upon food chains in the Arctic, it summarized nicely all that we had discussed during class time, and added a few more interesting facts.


Resources:
Tundra, by Peter Benoit
The Antarctic Habitat, by Mollie Aloian and Bobbie Kalman
The Arctic Habitat, by Molly Aloian and Bobbie Kalman
The Best Book of Polar Animals, by Christiane Gunzi
The Arctic, by Wayne Lynch.

Other Resource a.k.a. The Fun Extras My Child Got to Do Because I Am the Teacher:
Nothing Ever Happens at the South Pole, by Stan & Jan Berenstain - This is a fun read aloud set at the south pole.  Use caution though, as there are inaccuracies like polar bears at the south pole.  However, we just read it for the laughs

I Can Draw Polar Animals, by Helene Leroux Hugon - If your child is able to draw simple shapes, then this book will help them draw common polar animals.  Our son had fun trying his hand at a whale, polar bear, and wolf.

Planet Earth, Education Edition: Ice Worlds, Discovery Education DVD

Exploring Biomes - Fresh Water Habitats

From salt water and seashores, we moved onto fresh water habitats.  The class began by constructing a picture of cattails as inspired by Animal Habitats! "Pipe-Cleaner Cattails" project on pages 54-55.  A brief discussion of cattails followed.  As our local area has several marshes, most of the children were familiar with cattails.  In fact, one of my assistants brought in a few live cattails for our class to observe.

Once the pictures and observations were completed, I guided a brief class discussion on lakes and ponds.  I was sure to high light the main facts from lesson 16 in Properties of Ecosystems.  These included:

• similarities of lakes and oceans including sunlit zones
• definition of a pond versus a lake
• specific flora and fauna of lakes and ponds

Using Lakes and Ponds, by Fran Howard, I showed the children several examples of the plants and animals which live in these fresh water habitats.

Next, the children completed a worksheet from Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor, p. 47-48, entitled "Where Do We Live?"  The activity worksheet directed the children to color and cut out six animals who live in a fresh water habitat.  They were then asked to glue each animal to the appropriate part of the fresh water habitat: bank, surface, open water, or muddy bottom.

Following this activity, I then presented a brief lecture on rivers and streams using the information from Properties of Ecosystems lesson 17.  Some of the topics covered were:

• similarities of rivers and streams to lakes and ponds
• river and stream currents
• interesting river facts

The children then created fold out booklets of "Life in a River" by following the outlined directions in Animal Habitats, Grades 2-3.

As we discussed different animals they saw in their booklets, I directed the conversation toward the snapping turtle.  Adding a few interesting facts about turtles and tortoises, I steered them toward a different project.  The children assembled their own snapping turtles with the help of pages 56-57 in Animal Habitats!.

To end the class, I read aloud On the River ABC, by Caroline Stutson.  The book follows an ant traveling on a leaf boat through the waters of a river.  The ant sees many different animals on his journey to a new meadow.  The children liked the pictures and the different facts.  I liked the variety of animals presented in the book.


Resources:
Lakes and Ponds, by Fran Howard
On the River ABC, by Caroline Stutson


Anther Resource a.k.a. A Fun Extra My Child Got to Do Because I Am the Teacher:
Planet Earth, Education Edition: Fresh Water, Discovery Education DVD

Exploring Biomes - Seashore Habitats

After our class on salt water habitats, we studied seashores.  To connect the two classes, we began with a worksheet entitled "What Belongs in the Open Ocean" from Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor, page 57.  The children discussed which animals they thought swam in the deep waters and which animals stayed closer to the shore. 

Since we are only an hour or two from the seashore, the children shared some of their own personal experiences visiting the beach.  By a show of hands, it was determined that everyone had been to the beach at least once.  This made it quite easy to trade stories and experiences about the seashore.

Next, I presented some of the key points from lesson 14 of Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence.  These included:

• inter-tidal zone
• tides
• dynamic equilibrium
• seashore flora
• seashore fauna

Using some of the Oceans Animal Classifying Cards and pictures from Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore, I showed examples of the flora and fauna we discussed.

The two types of seashores: sandy and rocky, were then compared.  Once we began to explore the rocky beaches more closely, I explained tide pools to the children.  Since the beaches near us are sandy, most of the children had not seen, or explored a tide pool.

To further understand tide pools, I guided the children to construct the "Seashore" booklets found in Animal Habitats: Grades 2-3, by Donald M. Silver and Patricia J. Wynne, pages 66-70.  As the children constructed the booklets, they read about tides and tide pools.

{my Kindergartner's paper sea gull}

Afterward, the children made their own sea gulls from one piece of copy paper and a pipe cleaner.  We following the instructions in Animal Habitats! by Judy Press.

As is typical of our classes, I finished by reading a book to the children.  This time, the book was Along a Rocky Shore.  Interesting photographs and short explanations helped nicely summarize the lesson.


Resources:
Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore, by Jim Arnosky
Along a Rocky Shore, by Judith E. Rinard
Examining Tide Pool Habitats, by Zelda King
America's Seashores: Guide to Plants and Animals, by Marianne D. Wallace

Exporing Biomes - Salt Water Habitats

Since the class just finished learning about Temperate Forests and Tropical Rain Forests, the Kindergarten through third grade science co-op class began with a worksheet called "Giant Kelp - An Ocean Forest" from Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor, p. 56.  I first asked the children if they remembered learning the parts of a tree.  Then, we spoke of the three main parts of kelp: holdfast, stipe, and blade.  Each time I introduced the part, I related it to a similar tree part.  This served as review and comparison.  After all, the holdfast is not exactly like tree roots.  When the children turned their attention to the animals at the bottom of the page, I showed them colored photographs of a few from our Oceans: Animal Classifying Cards package.

Once the worksheet was successfully completed, I began a lecture based off the information in lesson 12 of Properties of Ecosystems.  Topics such as what is in salt water and the ocean zones were covered.  When discussing specifics about each layer, I used Down, Down, Down in the Ocean for illustrations.

Using the Ocean Zones project from Animal Habitats, Grades 2-3, the students were able to better visualize the concept of different layers within the ocean.  I was sure to point out the similarity between ocean zones and forest layers.

When children finished early, they worked on a floor puzzle called Under the Sea, by Melissa & Doug.

To summarize all the information about oceans we covered in class, I finished the time together by reading The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor.


Resources:
Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence
Down, Down, Down in the Ocean, by Sandra Markle
The Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor, by Joanna Cole


Other Resource a.k.a. The Fun Extras My Child Got to Do Because I Am the Teacher:
Planet Earth, Education Edition: Deep Ocean, DVD Discovery Education

Creating an octopus following the directions found in Animal Habitats! on pages 74-75.

Exploring Biomes - Tropical Rainforest

Each week, for the first eleven weeks of the school year, the Kindergarten through third grade science co-op class I teach is studying a biome or ecosystem.  After learning about temperate forests, naturally, we studied tropical rain forests.  Exploring both ecosystems in back to back classes helped students learn the similarities and differences of the two types of forests.
 
The class began with an introductory lecture using highlights from lesson 11 of Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence.
These highlights included:

• grow in tropical zone (near equator)
• more than 80" rain per year
• more than 1/2 of land animals and birds of the world call it home
• specific species of mammals, birds, and reptiles
• plants and produce, including medicines and food like pineapples, peppers, and cocoa

Throughout the brief lecture, I used a few pictures from Tropical Rainforests, by Seymour Simon and Tropical Rain Forests, by Peter Benoit for plants and animal classifying cards to show pictures of various animals of the rain forests.

Next the students completed a worksheet entitled "It Came from the Rainforest" from Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Evan-Moor, page 33.  This was a simple matching exercise, but it helped stimulate discussion about rain forest products the children encounter daily.

Next, we covered layers of the forests using material from lesson 9 of Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence.  The vocabulary words the children learned were:

• emergent layer
• canopy
• understory
• forest floor

Using the three page line drawing of a tropical rain forest from Animal Habitats: Grades 2-3, by Donald M. Siliver and Patricia J. Wynne, pages 71-75, students tried to locate and color some of the animals mentioned as I read Amazon Alphabet, by Martin and Tanis Jordan.  Not all the animals from the book matched the activity pages, but enough did.  This was a favorite activity for the children.

Afterwards, they created a Blue Morpho Butterfly using the steps outlined in Animal Habitats! by Judy Press.

Those who finished early worked at piecing together a floor puzzle called Rain Forest, by Melissa and Doug.

Finally, I read If I Ran the Rain Forest, by Bonnie Worth.  This fun Dr. Seuss Learning Library book entertains and informs.  It served well to summarize all the children had learned during the lesson.


Resources:
Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence
Tropical Rain Forests, by Peter Benoit
Tropical Rainforests, by Seymour Simon
Amazon Alphabet, by Martin and Tanis Jordan
If I Ran the Rain Forest, by Bonnie Worth
Tropical Forests: Animal Classifying Cards


Other Resources a.k.a. Extra Stuff My Child Got to Do Because I Am the Teacher:
The Umbrella, by Jan Brett
In a similar fashion to The Mitten, Brett weaves a tale of an unlikely boat, an upside down umbrella, floating down a stream in a tropical rain forest.  Many animals, such as a toucan, jaguar, tree frog, and tapir, inadvertently take a ride together in the umbrella boat.  All is well, cramped, but well, as the animals jostle down the river, until one little hummingbird wants a ride, too.  If you are familiar with The Mitten, then you can probably guess how this one ends.

Verdi, by Janell Cannon
We loved Stellaluna, and we loved Verdi too!  A baby emerald tree boa starts out determined not to change.  He loves his adventurous spirit and his yellow color.  He tries his best not to grow old and green.  It is an adorable story to share with a youngster.

Oh, No! by Candace Fleming & Eric Rohmann was a fun read aloud my son loved.  A deep hole in the ground holds a mouse, monkey, frog, and other animals who accidentally fall into it.  Just as they are attempting to escape along comes a tiger.

Exploring Biomes - Temperate Forests

Using Remarkable Trees of the World, by Thomas Pakenham, I showed the children photographs of the largest, tallest and oldest trees in the world.  Other interesting facts about roots and number of leaves on one tree, which I had found in my research, were shared.

Next the children created their own sequoia tree pictures following the directions in Animal Habitats! by Judy Press.  We added printed labels I had created at home.  The labels included information about native ranges, height, trunk circumference, and thickness of bark.

Part of a lecture derived from Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie and Richard Lawrence, lesson 10, was given.  Deciduous trees (broad leaf trees) and four seasons were the topics.

Then, using select pages from Eyewitness Books: Tree, by David Burnie, as visual examples of tree parts, the students completed a worksheet from Fascinating Facts: Science, Grades 2-3, p. 121 "The Key to the Tree."  Additionally, I had brought in a few seed pods and leaves from our backyard trees to examine.  The children got a kick out of the size of the catalpa's leaves and seed pods.

The second part of the lecture from Properties of Ecosystems followed with a concentration on the flora (plants) and fauna (animals) found within a temperate forest.

Another activity, autumn leaf rubbing, from Animal Habitats! was completed.  The children were very intent on choosing different leaves and colors to create their own "Deciduous Tree Leaves" page.  One of the other moms serves as a supply person and she found a wonderful variety of leaves for the children to examine and use in this activity.

As the children slowly finished, they began to fill in a Habitat worksheet for Temperate Forests.  This time, I asked students in second and third grade to use words, but kindergartners and first graders could still draw pictures.

Once every child was done with their leaf rubbing page, we gathered in a circle to read One Small Place in a Tree, by Barbara Brenner. 

Habitat worksheets were added to and finished after the book was read.



Resources:
Temperate Forests, by Peter Benoit
Eyewitness Books: Tree, by David Burnie
Remarkable Trees of the World, by Thomas Pakenham
One Small Place in a Tree, by Barbara Brenner


Extras for my child:  A benefit of having mom as his science co-op teacher?

Planet Earth, Education Edition: Seasonal Forests, Discovery Education, DVD - great segments on different forests around the world

Wild Tracks! by Jim Arnosky - Filled with fascinating drawings of life size animal prints on fold out pages, this book includes some text to explain the animals and their behavior, but the foot prints are the main attraction to this book. 

Maple tree drawing, leaf and bark rubbings (This idea was found in Tell Me, Tree: All About Trees for Kids, by Gail Gibbons and coincided with our son's Travel the World: North America studies)

Moose drawing from Easy to Read! Easy to Draw! Animals (also coincided with his Travel the World: North America studies)

Exploring Biomes - Grasslands

Our first biome, or ecosystem, we studied in science co-op was grasslands.  Might I add it was fascinating?  I learned, er, I mean, taught the children so much!  {I learned grass grows on one-fourth of all the land. It is extremely hardy, able to survive flood, fire, and below freezing temperatures, and it can grow to be over ten feet tall.}

The class began by making their own "Paper Prairies" following the directions in Animal Habitats! (pp. 90-91). Afterward, these were set aside to dry so each child could take them home that day.

{my kindergartner's paper prairie}

Next information from Properties of Ecosystems, lesson 8, was given.  I condensed the information and simplified the presentation for the Kindergarten through third graders.  The lecture included:

• grass types and sizes
• different flowers growing in the grasslands
• wet and dry seasons, including 10-30" rainfall per year statistic
• how grass and trees cope with droughts
• grazing animals with a review of the food chain we learned last time 
• migrating animals
• burrowing animals, including the benefits of burrows
• carnivores

{grass samples examined during class}

Wanting to help the children understand that grasslands grow in different places of earth, I copied a world map from Uncle Josh's Outline Maps Book and added a map key with pampas, steppe, prairie, and savannah.  Then, I drew lines to show where these grasslands are located.  The children had to color the map key and corresponding area as I relayed the regional information from the lesson in Properties of Ecosystems.

{Grasslands of the World map activity}

A habitat summary sheet, I created, finished our seat work and offered a summary of what was learned in class.  The worksheet is a simple grid with three large rectangles.  The first is used to describe or draw the habitat.  The second is to draw or describe the plants, or flora, in the habitat, and the last is for the animals, or fauna, which lives in the habitat.

Once they finished these summary sheets, we moved to a carpeted area and read Milia's Big Day.  A book which intertwines both a fictionalized story about a zebra and fascinating facts about real zebras was a perfect way to conclude the class.

Resources:
Properties of Ecosystems, by Debbie & Richard Lawrence, lesson 8
Grassland Wildlife, by Kamini Khanduri
Temperate Grasslands, by Ben Hoare
Gazelles, by Lynette Robbins
Milia's Big Day, by Thea Feldman
Grasslands Classification Cards



As with most co-op classes I plan, we ran out of time and did not complete everything. 
We skipped:

• information about grassland fires
• a video clip from Planet Earth, Education Edition: Great Plains, Discovery Education, DVD
• a grassland comparison of American Prairie and African Savanna from Animal Habitats Gr.2-3 pp.27-29

Of course, since I am the K-3rd grade science co-op teacher, my child got to do a few extras at home, including watching the entire video and listening to The Buffalo are Back, by Jean Craighead George, which happened to coincide with his Travel the World studies.  {A nice bonus!}

 

 

 

Exploring Biomes

Wednesday co-op is all about science for our family.  This year, other classes are offered, but our family chose to only participate in the afternoon science classes.  I am teaching the Kindergarten through third grade class.  We will cover three units this year: Exploring Biomes of the World, Journey to Outer Space, and Studying the Human Body.  Each unit will last 11 weeks.  The final class will be a fun review of the entire school year. 

Our first class was introductory.  The class has doubled in size, which means I needed to learn ten new names. Naturally, we began with a name and introduction activity.  Afterward, I tried to name them all.  Since I had pretty much memorized the class roster before class, it was easier to match faces to names.

The class moved from the floor to tables, and a brief lecture followed.  I needed to introduce the main vocabulary words for the entire unit and set about to do so with a discussion.  The children were eager to talk, and this made for a lively conversation about habitats, ecosystems, and ecology in general.  {Our ten main vocabulary words for this unit: ecology, habitat, biosphere, biotic, abiotic, ecosystem, biome, flora, fauna, climate - these are from our main spine book.}

Afterward, I had them each complete a narration (either orally or in writing, depending on age and ability).  This was simply to assess their comprehension and level of writing skills.  This, of course, will give me a better idea for planning upcoming classes. 

We then moved to the floor again.  This time, I read them Who Eats What? Food Chains and Food Webs, by Patricia Lauber.  There was much discussion about sharks and how they are "definitely at the top of the food chain, since they can eat people and all." (as one little boy reminded us several times)

We returned to our tables to organize our three prong folders with a label and title page.  Once these were completed, the children did a "Find the Habitat" page from an Evan-Moor workbook, Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series.

Spine Book and Main Resources:
God's Design for Chemistry & Ecology: Properties of Ecosystems, Answers in Genesis
Habitats: Science Works for Kids Series, Grades 1-3, Evan-Moore
Easy Make & Learn Projects: Animal Habitats, Grades 2-3, Scholastic
Animal Habitats! by Judy Press
The Usborne Living World Encyclopedia, by Leslie Colvin and Emma Speare


Next time, we'll begin studying each ecosystem, or biome, separately.  Grasslands will be first.