Plant and Animal Habitats Section: Habitat

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1 Topic Soil Suggested Activities: Section: Habitat Overall Expectations 2 & Components of soil Grade 3 Earth and 2.5 Science vocabulary Space Systems Overall Expectations 2 & Components of soil 3.1 Different types of soil Class Activity: Regarding soils What is going on down there? If possible take the class out to dig in the soil: o In the school garden o By the lake where there is a mud cliff that shows the cross section of soil. Great places to see this: - Petticoat Creek, - Seaton Trail south of Taunton Road, - Ajax Waterfront. Ask them to list all the things they find in the soil; o Roots o Worms o Old Leaves o Insects What is everything doing, what roles do the animals, old leafs, etc play? Have a discussion about soil: o What it is made of o The structure of the soil o Importance of the spaces between particles for air and water - Provide source of air and water for roots - Spaces for insects, worms, etc - Water flows through the space Homework Assignment: Bring a small bag of soil from home, and o Have a look at the soils from different gardens o Are they the same? o Are any different? Do some of the parents use compost and mulch- what difference could this make? Class Activity: Get some of the different soils that people brought in and for each of the different soil samples o Put 1 cm of soil in the bottom of a glass jar with screw top lid 1

2 o Shake well o Let the water settle over night o The next day inspect the soils o Did the water change colour and what does that mean? o Notice that the soil deposited at the bottom of the jar in layers o Talk about this 2

3 Topic Soil Erosion Suggested Activities: Section: Habitat Grade 3 Matter and Energy Grade 3 Matter and Energy Grade 3 Earth Systems Grade 3 Matter and Energy Grade 3 Earth Systems Overall Expectations Forces in nature Overall Expectations Forces in nature 1.1 Impact of soils 1.2 Human action on soil Overall Expectations Forces in nature 1.1 Impact of soils 1.2 Human action on soil Indoor Activity: You can demonstrate wind, water and ice erosion by bringing the extreme elements indoors - after making a small pile of soil or sand, you can demonstrate wind by using a small fan or your breath to show how easily particles are picked up and moved, and how water washes away the top layer of soil, by moving an ice cube across the soil pile carries it as well. Outdoor Activity: As a class, point out evidence of erosion on the school grounds. Some good examples are often near drains, drain pipes, and at the edges of the blacktop. Then, have students pair up with a partner to examine the rest of the area to look for other signs of erosion. Don't forget to set boundaries where they may explore. When students find examples of erosion, they are to describe it in their journals, and draw a labeled rough sketch of the erosion. Ask the Class: What human activities increase erosion? Discuss how all of the activities (farming, building houses and roads that create poor runoff situations, etc.) remove anchors to keep soil in place (i.e. plant roots), while also loosening the soil making it easy to be blown or washed away. Explain sediment in simpler terms for the students by demonstrating what it is using the example of sand in water- ask the class which looks more pollutedwater with sediment in it, or the glass of water without it? What impact will sediment have for drinking water, or water used for farming? Wrap-Up: The natural process of erosion works slowly but surely. In hundreds of thousands of years, erosion can wear away a mountain until it is level with 3

4 the plain. The more that students know about the causes and preventions of erosion, the more they can do to wisely use the land and not destroy and/or misuse it. Internet Links: Internet video link: o An excellent stop-motion video showing how roots grow in soil- great for showing how they act as an effective anchor to prevent erosion. 4

5 Topic Woodlands Section: Habitat 9 Grade 4 - Life Systems N/A 10 N/A N/A Grade 2 - Life Systems Overall Expectation 2 Suggested Activities: 14 Grade 3 - Life Systems 1.1 Importance of plants Ask the Class: What goes on in a woodland habitat - they can visualize a walk in the forest, and list some of the things they may see through their walk in the woods. o Trees (use local varieties like white ash, sugar maple, white pine, etc.) o Birds (e.g. red headed woodpecker, chickadees, etc.) o Animals (e.g. white tailed deer, moose, skunks, etc) o Fish in streams and creeks (e.g. minnows, crayfish, etc.) o Small plants/foliage (blueberry bush, grass, etc) After visualizing a walk in the woods, students will discover that there are many, many different elements in a woodland ecosystem in the air, earth, and water. Why is this diversity so important? What happens if an element is removed, and how does this affect the survival of other animals? (see internet links for an example of woodland food web) After going through slides 11-13, Ask the Class: What other kind of animals and plants live in woodland habitats? Make a list on the board, or assign the creation of a list as a homework assignment. Class Activity: Break the students into groups of 4, and ask them to pick an animal that lives in a woodland habitat and make a mind map of what that animal needs from a woodland ecosystem. Ask them to draw the animal in its habitat, and then label the elements that help support it. Before showing slide 14, ask the class why trees are so important. Ask them what could happen if all of the trees were removed from the woodlands? What could happen to the animals? How will the soil change (see erosion section)? Internet Links Image Link: o An example of a food web, used to illustrate the importance of biodiversity - ask the class to trace affected species if one element is removed. 5

6 Interactive Link: /walk/walk2_broadband.html o An excellent Smithsonian Institute website, which allows students to discover the many species which live within the different parts of a woodland ecosystem, with descriptions for each animal and their habitat. 6

7 Topic Wetlands Section: Habitat 15 Grade 3 - Life Systems 1.1 Importance of Plants 16 N/A N/A Suggested Activities Grade 2 - Life Systems Overall Expectation 2 Ask the Class: What is a wetland? o Any area of land that is covered with shallow water for part of the day/year. Discuss the 4 types of wetlands and the differences between them: o Swamps: A type of wetland that is dominated by woody vegetation and does not accumulate peat deposits. o Marshes: A low-lying wetland with grassy vegetation; usually is a transition zone between land and water. o Bogs: A wetland area rich in accumulated plant material and with acidic soils surrounding a body of open water. o Fens: A type of wetland fed by ground water and runoff, containing peat below the waterline. Wetlands cover a lot of land with water, which can t be used by people or most land animals - why are they so important? o Flood Protection: Excess water can collect in wetlands. o Erosion/Sediment Control: Vegetation reduces erosion and filters sediment. o Water Quality Maintenance: Microorganisms in wetlands can significantly reduce levels of natural and human-induced pollution. o Recharging Groundwater Supplies o Fish and Wildlife Habitats: Many species of fish and wildlife depend on wetlands for critical parts of their life cycle (usually breeding). o Recreation: Hiking, bird watching, hunting, fishing, trapping, boating, photography, and camping. Class Activity: After seeing a few examples of wetland inhabitants in slides 16-19, use the internet link provided to allow students to explore the many other animals that live in wetlands, or explore the animals as a class. Class Activity: Making a Wetland Food Web: o Prepare a variety of name tags (or picture cards) with each depicting one component of an ecosystem (e.g., sun, soil, water, air, grass, cattails, duckweed, muskrat, beaver, rabbit, grey squirrel, hawk, duck, fox, raccoon, skunk, human, snail, crayfish, earthworm, bacteria, algae, etc.) Each person picks a name tag and becomes that component. 7

8 o Everyone sits in a circle to symbolize the ecosystem. Begin with a few simple food chains. For example, the sun person holds the end of the string and you ask who needs the sun? Algae; so the ball is thrown/rolled to the algae person. Who eats algae? Snail; so the ball gets passed to the snail and so on until the chain is complete. Try a few different chains. o Now form a web. Starting with any one component, use the ball of string to connect the component to another related component. The relationship may be that the second component eats the first (e.g., plant connected to rabbit.) Or, the relationship may be that the first component needs the second to survive (e.g., plant connected to soil). o Connect the second component to a third (e.g., rabbit eaten by fox, or rabbit needs water). Continue in this way until everyone is connected to several people in several ways. As you go along, discuss what each connection or relationship is. Also, discuss interdependence. o Once everyone is connected, remove one component of the web (e.g., there is no water because it was drained). The water person shakes his or her strings. All members who feel the shake then shake their strings as well. This continues until it s demonstrated that every component is affected. Discuss how the various components are affected when one component of the web is removed. o What would happen if a chemical spill destroyed all the plants (plants tug their strings)? The plant eaters would starve, which would cause the meat eaters to starve. The web would be destroyed - at least temporarily. Internet Links: Interactive Web Link: o This Ontario Science Center website features an interactive activity, where the students can move around their pairs of binoculars and learn about the various species that populate wetlands in Ontario. 8

9 Topic Lakes and Rivers Suggested Activities: Durham Environmental Advisory Committee (DEAC) Section: Habitat 20 N/A N/A Grade 2 Life Systems Overall Expectation 2 Ask the Class: What makes up a lake or river habitat? o An area along the shoreline with plants that have shallow roots- this is where most animal activity (e.g. nesting) takes place. o A body of fresh water, where fish are free to live, and where aquatic birds and other animals find their food. o Areas of deep water (in lakes) where sunlight doesn t reach underwater vegetation; algae usually still grows near the surface in these and other areas. After listing these factors, ask the class what plants animals they have seen locally on lake and river habitats. Some examples are: o Fish (salmon, trout, etc.) o Ducks (red headed, mallard, etc.) o Cattails and Bulrushes Ask the Class: Housing along lakes is popular because of the nice view - but what impact could all of these new homes along lakeshores? Homework Assignment: Lake Ontario (and the other Great Lakes) and the rivers that feed them provide us with the majority of our fresh water supply - in fact, they hold 1/5 off all the fresh water in the world! If they became too polluted to use, what activities could we no longer do? Have students prepare a list, which could include things such as drink and bathe from clean tap water, and recreational activities (e.g. swimming, fishing, etc.). Internet Links: o A site detailing all five of the Great Lakes, with numerous links to current news reports, educational content, etc. 9

10 Topic Human Use of Land & Environmental Tips Section: Human Impact Grade 3 - Life Systems 1.2 Human Activities 23 Grade 4 - Life Systems Overall Expectations Human interactions 24 Grade 4 - Life Systems 1.1 Human interactions Grade 4 - Life Systems Grade 1 - Life Systems Grade 1 - Structures and Mechanisms Grade 2 - Life Systems 1.1 Human interactions 1.2 Human impacts 1.1 Personal actions 3.5 Care and respect 1.1 Waste 1.2 Human activity Suggested Activities: Grade 3 - Life Systems Grade 4 - Life Systems 1.2 Human activity 1.1 Human interactions 1.2 Human impacts Ask the Class: How do we use land every day in their lives? To help them visualize some of the uses, use slide 23, or even take a look out the window! Is our impact on the nature usually positive or negative? Do we litter and pollute more, or clean and preserve nature more? Homework Activity: Have the students record how they use land as they go through their day (i.e. they wake up in their house, which is on land used for housing, make a breakfast from food grown on farmland, take a car/bus to school on land adapted for transportation, etc.). Ask the Class: Sustainability is when we balance our needs with those of nature, so it is preserved for future generations - what do we need to do to balance how we use the land? How do we minimize our impact on the land? s Provide several examples of how students could do their parts to live a more sustainable life. 10

11 Ask the Class: Identify items in the classroom that can be reused, or that don t need to be thrown out. An excellent example is paper that has only been used on one side o Class Activity: Let the class design and decorate G.O.O.S (good on one side) paper bins from shoe boxes, which can be used in class and at home to re-use paper that would otherwise be recycled or thrown out. Class Activity: To encourage recycling, have the class perform a waste audit in their classroom- simply use clear garbage bags in garbage bins for the week, and at the end they can count how many recyclable and compostable items will be filling up landfills instead of being recycled. Class Activity: A survey of the school-ground, during recess or class time, could also provide a count of how much litter is polluting the student s own environment! Ask them what impact litter has on wildlife as well. Homework Activity: To promote awareness of preservation of small plants and animals, have students write about their favourite flower or animal that is smaller than them, and why they are so important to nature. You could also have them write a short story about a day in the life of my favourite small creature written from the perspective of a flower or small animal. Internet Links: o A site which lists 6 steps to greater sustainability through simple actions - posting the list in the classroom could inspire students to bring the ideas home and implement them, or they could be used to create a sustainable classroom. 11