Animal Habitats Mini Unit Balanced Literacy Art Science

1
Animal
Habitats:
a mini-unit
integrating
balanced literacy,
science and art
Created by
Shelley Gray
Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

http://www.facebook.com/teachingresourcesbyshelleygray Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada License
2
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Teaching
Resources by
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3
Table of Contents
Shared Reading pages 4-17
Matching Activity pages 18-20
Habitat Idea Wheel pages 21-22
“My Habitat Book” pages 23-26
Habitat Investigation pages 27-32
Needs of Living Things Simulation pages 33-34
Herbivores, Carnivores & Omnivores: “Become an

Expert” Cooperative Learning Activity pages 35-41
Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores:

Roll It! Review Strategy page 42
Making Food Chains pages 43-50
Diorama Home Project pages 51-54
Credits and Copyright page 55

4
Shared Reading
Overview:
The following pages are to be assembled into a book titled “All About Animal
Habitats.” Although this book is intended for shared reading, it can also be used
as a read aloud or for guided reading. Following the reading of this story,
students will be involved in a reading comprehension activity. They will also
create their own book about animal habitats, which will be similar in structure
and content to the shared reading story.
Assembly Instructions:
 Cut around the outside border of each page. Fasten each page to a piece
of construction paper or other heavy paper. Laminate each page.
 Bind the book using coil binding, yarn or an alternative material.
Teaching Instructions:
 Read this book as a read-aloud, and then choose specific parts to use as
shared reading, where the whole class reads together.
 Throughout the story, some words have been put in bold print. These are
words that will likely require additional discussion so that students understand
the meaning.

5
All About…
Animal
Habitats
Written by Shelley Gray

Graphics by Scrappin Doodles and
Digi Web Studio

6
Hello. My name is Anthony and I am going

to teach you all about animal habitats.
A habitat is the place where an animal

lives. In its habitat, an animal is able to
find food, protection and raise its young.

7
Different animals have different habitats.

Habitats can be very small or very large.
Whether the habitat is small or big, it
must provide food, water, air, shelter
and space for the animal.

8
This tree stump is an example of a small

habitat. Can you think of a living creature
that might spend most of its life inside
this tree stump?

9
Did you guess ant? Some types of ants

spend most of their lives inside tree
stumps. Inside the stump they find
everything they need to survive.

10
This mountain range is an example of a

large habitat. Can you think of a living
creature that lives in the mountains?

11
Did you guess mountain goat? There are

many animals that make their homes in the
mountains, and a mountain goat is one of
them. In its habitat, a mountain goat finds
food, shelter, air, water and space to
live.

12
Let’s take a look at some more animal

habitats.

13
This mother bear and her cub live in the

forest. Their habitat includes the cave
where they sleep, the river where they
find fish and the land that they use to
hunt.

14
This elephant lives in the jungle. He

wanders for many miles to find food and
water. He finds shelter from the hot sun
underneath the trees. His habitat is very
large.

15
These birds live in a grassland area. The

mother builds a nest for shelter and
provides her young with worms to eat. She
finds the worms by hunting within her
habitat.

16
This horse lives on a farm. The farmer

provides her with a barn for shelter and
hay to eat. There is a nearby pond where
the horse drinks from. She has a large
pasture where she loves to run around.

17
This is the end of our habitat tour! Can

you think of some animal habitats that are
located around your home or school?

18
Matching Activity
Overview:
The following activity is intended for lower primary students. After

reading the shared reading selection, students will match the animal
from the story to its habitat.
Directions:
 Distribute two sheets to each student. The first is a chart where

students will glue the animals. The second is the sheet of animal
cut-outs.
 Have students work on the activity independently, in partners or
as part of a learning center.
**Tip** This activity can be used to assess comprehension.

19
Habitat Matching
Match the animal to the correct habitat.
Habitat Animal
jungle
tree stump
forest
grasslands

20

21
Habitat Idea Wheel

Overview:
The following activity is intended for upper primary students. Students

will use books, the Internet, or other material to research one of the
habitats from the shared reading selection. Students will write facts
about their chosen habitat on the idea wheel.
Considerations:
If students have no prior experience with researching or finding

important information, do this activity as a whole class. Project
information from a relevant website onto a projector screen. As a
class, read through the information to find important facts. Have
students write the facts on their own ideal wheel.
**Tip** Use this activity to introduce students to the concept of

research in other subject areas. For example, do a Social Studies
research on a topic such as Egypt using the same type of idea
wheel.

22
Habitat Idea Wheel

Choose one type of habitat from “All About Habitats.” Use the
Internet or books to find information and fill the idea wheel with
facts about the habitat.
Habitat: ______________________________

23
My Habitat Book
Overview:
The following three pages are to be used to create individual student books
called “My Habitat Book.” Students will take readers on a journey of several
animals and their habitats, just as Anthony did in the shared reading selection.
Directions:
 Cover page: Have students write their name beneath “Written by” and
decorate the cover page with pictures and lots of color.
 Page 1: Have students fill in information about the definition of a habitat.
 Page 2: Depending on the number of animals that you would like each
student to write about, photocopy multiple copies of this page for each
student. Have students fill in appropriate information on each page and
draw a picture.
**Tip for Scaffolding** As a class activity, record information about several

different types of animals and their habitats on large pieces of chart paper. As
students create their books, they can use the information from the chart paper
as information for their book.
Assembly Instructions:
 Cut around outside borders of all pages.

 Fasten to manila tag, construction paper or another heavy paper.
 Bind using coil binding, yarn or another material.
**Tip** Get together with another grade and have students read their books to
a “reading buddy.”

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My Habitat Book
Written by:

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A habitat is _____________________
_______________________________
______________________________.
Habitats can be big or small, but they all

must provide ____________,
__________, ___________,
_____________ and ______________.

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This is a ______________________ .
Its habitat is ___________________ .
Its habitat includes _______________

_______________________________
______________________________.

27
Habitat Investigation
Overview:
In this activity you will take your students on a nature walk to observe
a habitat. Remember that habitats can be found everywhere! For
example, you may have some students observe a tree in the
schoolyard, a ditch nearby or a small section of grass/dirt.
Have students do their observations in partners. If possible, give each

pair of students a magnifying glass to use for their observations. After
all, everything is more fun to look at with a magnifying glass!
Additionally, give each pair of students a clipboard, observation

sheet and pencil. You may also want to recruit a volunteer for the
day that you plan to do the walk!
Happy habitat hunting!
Extensions:
Have students collect several items from the habitat (such as a

blade of grass) and observe them under a microscope. However,
remember to discuss what is not appropriate to take from a habitat!

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Have students use this

sheet to record during
their habitat investigation.
Students can summarize

their investigation on one
of these sheets. Two
different versions are
included to help meet
the needs of your
students and your vision
for this investigation.
Allow students some quiet

time to sit outside and
sketch the habitat that
they are investigating.
You may want to
integrate art concepts
into this assignment.

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Habitat Non-Living
Location Living Things
Description Things

30
Nature Walk – Summary
What other habitat would you like to

observe?
___________________________________________

31
Nature Walk- Summary

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Remember to include lots of detail!
Sketch the Habitat

33
Needs of Living Things: a Simulation Activity

Overview:
In this kinesthetic learning activity, students will observe the effect that a change
in habitat can have on its inhabitants. The teacher will place cards around the
classroom that represent food, water, shelter and space. Students will represent
an animal of some sort (teacher’s choice) and must collect the resources that
are necessary for survival.
Directions:
 Copy enough cards for all students in the class. There should be enough so
that each student will have 1 shelter card, 1 space card, 3 food cards and
3 water cards.
 Place the cards around the room.
 Have the students represent an animal, such as a deer and travel around
the room to gather the necessary resources (1 shelter card, 1 space card, 3
food cards and 3 water cards)
 The first time that you do this, there should be enough cards for
everyone.
 Remember to establish expectations such as walking only, no taking
from others, etc!
 Simulate events such as drought, deforestation, overpopulation, etc. by
removing some of the cards and having students try to find enough
resources. Inevitably, some students will not be able to get enough food,
water, space or shelter.
 Discuss the effects of the events that you simulated. For example, some
animals might get sick, die or move to a new habitat.
Tip: Photocopy each type of resource on a different color of paper.

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space 
shelter
food food
food water
water water

35
Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores: “Become an Expert”

Cooperative Learning Activity
Overview:
In this activity, students will learn the definition of herbivores,

carnivores and omnivores using a cooperative learning technique
called “Become an Expert.”
Directions:
Part 1: Predicting and Activating Prior Knowledge
 Divide the class into groups of 3 and have group members sit
together.
 Distribute the “Predicting” activity and have students complete
it in their groups.
Part 2: Acquiring New Knowledge
 Appoint each person in the group a role: 1 will learn about

herbivores, 1 will learn about carnivores and 1 will learn about
omnivores.
 Next, gather all of the herbivores together, all of the carnivores
and all of the omnivores (**You will not want to have any more
than 5 people in one group; therefore, for larger classes it may
be necessary to have 2 groups of herbivores, 2 groups of
carnivores and 2 groups of omnivores).

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 Distribute the “Becoming an Expert” sheets to all people in each

group (for example, in the herbivore group, each member will
receive a herbivore sheet).
 Allocate a pre-determined amount of time, such as 5 minutes,
for the group to read and discuss the information on the
“Becoming an Expert” information sheet.
Part 3: Teaching the Original Group
 Ask all students to return to their original groups of 3(from Part

1). In each group, there should be “experts” in all 3 areas:
herbivores, omnivores and carnivores.
 Allocate approximately 2 minutes for each group member to
teach the other members about their area of expertise.
 Have group members complete the “Let’s Put it All Together”
sheet.
Class Discussion:
After all groups members have had a chance to share, hold a

discussion about herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. Ask students
to summarize what each is, as well as give example of each.

37
Predicting
Have you heard these words before? Circle the ones that you have
heard.
herbivore carnivore omnivore
Make a prediction!

38
Become an Expert On…
Herbivores!
A herbivore is a living thing.
A herbivore eats only plants and plant material.
A herbivore does not eat meat.
Here are some examples of what a herbivore might

eat: leaves, grass, fruit, nuts and bark.
Some animals that are herbivores are:

horses, rabbits and cattle.
Can you think of some other examples of a

herbivore?

39
Carnivores!
A carnivore is a living thing.
A carnivore eats meat only.
A carnivore does not eat plants.
A carnivore is called a predator because it hunts for

its food. For example, a lion hunts zebras for food.
Some animals that are carnivores are:

eagles, owls, lions and crocodiles.
Can you think of some other examples of a

carnivore?

40
Omnivores!
An omnivore is a living thing.
An omnivore eats meat and plants.
Most human beings are omnivores.
Here are some examples of what an omnivore might

eat: seeds, leaves, grass, fruit, fish and mice.
Some animals that are omnivores include:

bears, crows and turtles.
Can you think of some other examples of an

omnivore?

41
Let’s Put It All Together!

42
Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores: Roll It!

Overview:
In this activity students will consolidate their new knowledge of herbivores,

carnivores and omnivores with a fun rolling game.
Preparation:
 Prepare a square box for each group (a square Kleenex box works well).
Wrap it in heavy paper (such as that used for shipping parcels), and write on
each side. Write “herbivore” on 2 sides, “omnivore” on 2 sides and
“carnivore” on 2 sides.
Directions:
 In groups of 2-4, students will roll their “die.” The person must tell one fact
about the word that they roll. For example, if Patrick rolls “omnivore,” he
must say one fact about omnivores, or give an example of an omnivore.
**This is a great review strategy!*

43
Making Food Chains

Overview:
The cards on the following pages will be used for two separate
activities. In the first activity students will work in groups of three to
form food chains and/or food webs using pre-made cards. In the
second activity students will hold the cards and arrange themselves
into a food chain.
Activity #1 - Directions:
 Give each group of 3 a set of cards, a piece of chart paper and

a marker.
 Have groups use the cards to create food chains. Students
should record the food chains on the chart paper.
 If the teacher desires, students can also form food webs using
the cards.
Activity #2 – Directions:
 Group students into groups of 3-5 students. Give each student

a card. Have them stand up and arrange themselves into a
food chain within a pre-determined time limit (eg.45 seconds)
 Have groups switch cards and repeat.

44
Some examples of food chains…
grass grasshopper rat snake hawk
trees/shrubs giraffe lion
grass cow human
grass rabbit fox
grass zebra lion

45
sun grass
fish lion

46
rabbit fox
human seal

47
trees/shrubs cow
grasshopper shark

48
tiger snake
antelope giraffe

49
rat frog
mouse zebra

50
deer hawk

51
Diorama Home Project

Overview:
The following pages include a parent letter to be sent home

explaining a home project as well as a written reflection for students
to complete. Students will create a diorama of any animal habitat
and write a brief description of it.
To integrate speaking and listening:
Decide on a day that “habitat presentations” will take place. Have

each student show their habitat to the class and explain the design
and the reason behind it.
**Extension** Take a picture of each child’s habitat. Have students

paste the picture into a word processing document and reflect on
the process of making it. Use the reflection for student portfolios. If
students do not have much experience with technology, pair each
student with an older student from another grade to help them.

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Dear parents or guardians,
In our classroom we have been learning all about

animal habitats. We have learned that habitats can
be big or small, and that different animals have
different habitats. We have also learned that the
habitat must provide the animal with food, water,
shelter, air and space to live.
As a home project for this unit, I am asking all students to create a diorama of a
habitat. Your child can choose any animal habitat he or she wishes.
To make a diorama:
 Use a shoe box (or another box of a similar size).

 Choose the animal for which the habitat will be made. For example, a frog’s
habitat could be a pond, a bear’s habitat could be a forest, or a bird’s
habitat could include a tree and nest.
 Use any materials you wish to create a habitat inside the shoebox. You can
use paper, paint or another medium for the background. Add a three-
dimensional effect by creating landscape that “pops” out. Examples include
real branches or grass, plastic figurines, or small sculptures made from clay.
 Add your animal to the diorama. The animal can be a paper cut-out, a
plastic figurine, a clay sculpture, or something else entirely.
continued on next page…

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I am also sending a template home for each child to write a description of the
habitat. Please work along with your child to ensure that the important details
are included.
The due date for this project is _________________________.
Thank you for your involvement in your child’s education.
Sincerely,

54
My Habitat Diorama
The animal that I chose is ____________________
In its habitat, I included _____________________

________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
I used the following materials to make the diorama:

________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
________________________________________
The part of this project that I liked the best was

________________________________________
________________________________________
The part of this project that I liked the least was

________________________________________
________________________________________

55
Credits and Copyright Information
This resource was written and created by Shelley Gray.
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Canada
License. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ca/ or send a letter to
Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco,
California, 94105, USA.
Artwork and graphics copyright Grapics Factory, Thistlegirl Designs,

Scrappin Doodles and Digi Web Studio. Some artwork by Alice Smith.
More of Shelley Gray’s products, including novel studies, Math, Literacy

and Holiday products can be viewed at:
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Shelley-Gray
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1

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Join me on Facebook! Receive special

Just click on the following link and press “like”:

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Shared Reading pages 4-17

Matching Activity pages 18-20

Habitat Idea Wheel pages 21-22

“My Habitat Book” pages 23-26

Habitat Investigation pages 27-32

Needs of Living Things Simulation pages 33-34

Herbivores, Carnivores & Omnivores: “Become an

Herbivores, Carnivores and Omnivores:

Making Food Chains pages 43-50

Diorama Home Project pages 51-54

Credits and Copyright page 55

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Written by Shelley Gray

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Hello. My name is Anthony and I am going

A habitat is the place where an animal

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Different animals have different habitats.

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

This tree stump is an example of a small

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Did you guess ant? Some types of ants

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

This mountain range is an example of a

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Did you guess mountain goat? There are

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Let’s take a look at some more animal

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

This mother bear and her cub live in the

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

This elephant lives in the jungle. He

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

These birds live in a grassland area. The

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

This horse lives on a farm. The farmer

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

This is the end of our habitat tour! Can

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

The following activity is intended for lower primary students. After

 Distribute two sheets to each student. The first is a chart where

**Tip** This activity can be used to assess comprehension.

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Match the animal to the correct habitat.

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Habitat Idea Wheel

The following activity is intended for upper primary students. Students

If students have no prior experience with researching or finding

**Tip** Use this activity to introduce students to the concept of

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Habitat Idea Wheel

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

**Tip for Scaffolding** As a class activity, record information about several

 Cut around outside borders of all pages.

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Created by Shelley Gray This work is licensed under the Creative

Habitats can be big or small, but they all

Tip This activity can be used to assess comprehension.

Tip Use this activity to introduce students to the concept of

Tip for Scaffolding As a class activity, record information about several