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PictureSTEM: Designing Hamster Habitats

Lesson 1 STEM: Animals and Their Basic Needs

Lesson Summary: In this activity, students learn that animals have different physical characteristics such as fur, wings, scaly skin, and fins which help to distinguish them into specific groups. This lesson builds upon lesson #1, by first introducing students to a sorting activity in which they identify animals based on their physical characteristics, which also help to distinguish specific animal groups. This lesson builds background knowledge for the engineering design challenge in which students have to design a habitat that provides for their hamster’s basic needs.

Lesson Objectives: Sort animals by physical characteristics (fur, wings, scaly skin, fins/flippers) Sort animals based on basic needs (where the animals find food and shelter)

Time Required: 30 minutes

Standards Addressed: National Minnesota

ITEEA Educational Standard(s):Standard 2: Students will develop an understanding of the core concepts of technology. K-2 A. Some systems are found in nature,

and some are made by humans. K-2 B. Systems have parts or

components that work together to accomplish a goal.

Standard 10: Students will develop an understanding of the role of troubleshooting, research and development, invention and innovation, and experimentation in problem solving K-2. A. Asking questions and making

observation helps a person to figure out how things work.

National Science Educational Standards Content Standard C: Life Science,

organisms, and environments Content Standard D: Science and

Technology

Science Standards: 1.4.1.1: Living things are diverse with

many different observable characteristics. 1.4.2.1: Natural systems have many

components that interact to maintain the system.

PictureSTEM© 2013 University of Minnesota-STEM Education Center

Materials: Set of animal cards for

each group

Sorting placemat

SMART board /chart paper for a whole class basic needs list.


Vocabulary: Word Definition

habitat the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism

basic needswhat a plant or animal needs to survive – food, water, shelter, and space/air

characteristics A feature or quality belonging to a person, place or thingshelter A place providing protection

Background:Just as human beings have physical characteristics like nose, head, stomach which can be seen, animals also have physical characteristics. These physical characteristics are things we can see, touch, and feel such as those with furs, scales, wings, fins, four legs, etc. Depending upon their physical characteristics, some animals have their habitats in water such as oceans, coral reefs while others live on land in caves or in the forest and other places. Where an animal lives is safe and healthy to the animal.

Basic needs are things needed by a person or animal in order to survive. Animals, like human beings have certain basic needs (Let students name certain things that they think they need every day in order to survive). Animals need things like food, air/space, shelter, and water (You can let students name things that all animals need to live and then add what is not included) . Because of these basic needs, wherever an animal finds its habitat, these basic needs are there. Some animals get their food by eating plants or other animals.

Introduction:1. Gather students around the floor to ask the pre-activity

assessment. Review the basic needs of a hamster that was identified in the first activity. While looking at that information, ask students which of these things is needed for a hamster to survive. These “things” that an animal needs to survive are called basic needs. Make a list with the students of the basic needs of animals – food, water, shelter, space and air

2. A great transition from the literacy activity into this STEM activity is to refer back to the topic map that the students created during the literacy lesson. While looking at that information, ask students which of these things is needed for a hamster to survive. These “things” that an animal needs to survive are called basic needs. Make a list with the students of the basic needs of animals – food, water, shelter, space and air (example below). Place this list next to the topic map as a reference for the students in later lessons.

Comments:



Hamsters’ Basic Needs Basic needs are things that Hamsters need to

survive (stay alive)

food water shelter air space

3. Ask students: “Has anyone heard of the word habitat before? (A habitat is the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism). We say that animals live in a “habitat” (A habitat is the natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism.

4. After taking some student ideas, write the word on a piece of chart paper and after lesson 2, the class will work towards a student-friendly class definition of the word habitat to post in the room for use during this unit. (After reviewing what they have learned about hamsters, they teacher will introduce the activity that they will complete for today)

5. Tell students that “Today, we will do a fun sorting activity with these animal cards. (Hold up an example of a few of the different animal cards). Who can tell me what this animal is? (Hold up one animal card and call on a student to answer the question)”.

Activity:

6. Introduce the activity. There are two parts to this sorting activity that students will be engaged in during this lesson that will build on each other and scaffold for their Day 2 activity. The first part deals with sorting animals by their observable characteristics and the second part has students identify common sources of food and shelter for the animals to tie back to the concept of basic needs and introduce common characteristics and needs for tomorrow’s lesson on habitats.

Comments:



7. Part 1: Sort by characteristics. Each pair of students will get a deck of animal cards and a sorting placemat with two sides. Look at Side 1, their job is to place the correct animals into the correct box according to physical characteristics of their animal cards. This includes sorting, according to:

a. furb. wingsc. scaly skind. have fins or live under water

8. Once the students have completed the first sort, review as a class how they knew to sort the animals into the different categories. Was it from background knowledge or did they use the pictures to help them?

9. Part 2: Sort by basic needs. Students will then have the opportunity to flip the sorting placemat over and sort the animals by different categories, according to basic needs. Earlier in the lesson they identified that basic needs included food, water, shelter, space and air and now they will look at similarities for where animals find food, water and shelter. This will lay the foundation for the Day 2 lesson, when students learn that animals’ habitats provide for their basic needs.

10. Both of these sorting activities are great ways to assess students’ ability to describe and sort animals by physical characteristics (part 1) as well as their ability to recognize that animals need food, water, shelter, space and air (part 2).

Closure:

11.At the end of the activity, give students the following questions to test their understanding of the lesson;

1) Explain in your own words the term ‘habitat’? (The

Comments:



natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism)

2) Why are some things needed by animals or organisms referred to as basic needs? (They are things which if an animal or organism does not have, it will be difficult for the organism to survive for a long time)

3) Have students name some of the animals that they sorted into specific groups. (For example, which animals did we identify that had fins? Scaly skin?)

Assessment:

Pre-Activity Assessment Review the basic needs of a hamster that was identified in the first activity. While looking at that information, ask students which of these things is needed for a hamster to survive. These “things” that an animal needs to survive are called basic needs. Make a list with the students of the basic needs of animals – food, water, shelter, space and air

Activity Embedded AssessmentStudent oral explanation for how they sorted animals based on physical characteristics (part 1) and basic needs (part 2).

Post-Activity Assessment

At the end of the activity, give students the following questions to test their understanding of the lesson;

1) Explain in your own words the term ‘habitat’? (The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism)

2) Why are some things needed by animals or organisms referred to as basic needs? (They are things which if an animal or organism does not have, it will be difficult for the organism to survive for a long time)

3) Have students name some of the animals that they sorted into specific groups. (For example, which animals did we identify that had fins? Scaly skin?)


SEAL FOX PENGUIN

SNOWY OWL

REINDEER POLAR BEAR CAMEL

LIZARD

COYOTEVULTURE

DESERT TORTISE JACK RABBIT


SNAKE TIGER MONKEY GORILLA

PARROTTREE FROG

SHARK FISH

DOLPHINLOBSTER OCTOPUS STARFISH



Image Copyright: (All free source)

Seal – NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govFox - NOAA, www.noaa.govPenguin - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govSnowy owl - outdoornebraska.ne.gov Reindeer – National Park Service – www.nps.govPolar bear - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govCamel – www. nssl.noaa.govIguana – www.blm.govCoyote - http://www.aphis.usda.govVulture - National Park Service – www.nps.gov Desert tortoise - National Park Service – www.nps.govJack rabbit - National Park Service – www.nps.govSnake - National Park Service – www.nps.govTiger – www. geneva.usmission.gov Monkey – www.nsf.govGorilla – www. muller.lbl.govParrot – www.fws.govTree frog - http://climatekids.nasa.govShark - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govFish - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govDolphin - NOAA, www.noaa.govLobster - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govOctopus - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.govStarfish - NOAA photo library, www.photolib.noaa.gov



Side 1: What Characteristics do I Have?Fur Wings

Scaly or slimy skin Fins or live under water



Side 2: Basic NeedsPART 1. I get my food from… PART 2. I find shelter in…Eating plants Trees or Bushes A Shell

Eating other animals Caves, Rocks or Dens Coral Reef or Ocean


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