1. DE Science Elementary
“5-Minute Prep” for Organisms and Environment Habitat Habitat Characteristics

2. Habitat Characteristics – The Big Ideas
A habitat is the specific place where an organism lives and can survive.
Habitats meet the needs of the organisms living in them.
A habitat includes all the living and nonliving things in it.

3. Habitat Characteristics – Prior Knowledge
Students will have knowledge of living things prior to this study. It will be helpful for students to use the FUN-damental, Needs of Living Things. It will also help if they have:
Seen and can name different types of living things.
Learned about the basic needs of all living things.

4. Habitat Characteristics – Common Misconceptions
Nothing can live or thrive in the desert environment.
Reality: A variety of animals and plants live in the different desert areas throughout the world. Most desert animals do not have to drink at all, but rather they get their water from food. The structure of many plants allows them to conserve water. Desert plants and animals have the ability to adapt to extreme temperatures and lack of water.

5. Habitat Characteristics – Using DE Science Content
When you close this presentation, you can review the following recommended resources for Habitat Characteristics.
Reading Passage: How a Habitat Meets Needs
eBook: Where Animals Live
Video Segment: Habitats
Use the PowerPoint version of this presentation for hyperlinks to these resources or you can get to them through the browser or search feature.

6. Habitat Characteristics – Instructional Ideas
Read the eBook, Why Organisms Need a Habitat.
Ask students to choose one animal. Have them draw a picture of that animal’s habitat.
Have students take turns sharing with the class.
Ask other students in the class to guess which animal lives in the habitat shown.
Continue taking responses until the animal has been correctly identified.

7. Habitat Characteristics – Instructional Ideas
Read the passage, Where Animals Live.
As a class make a list of animals and their habitats. Include as many as possible.
Hang this list for the duration of the study as a reference.
Guide the students through the Exploration, Habitat Characteristics.
Ask students to work through the rest of the Exploration and provide guidance as needed.

8. Additional Information:
State Standards:
If you wish to review your state standards regarding Habitat Characteristics, click here to get to the curriculum standards search feature of DES.
You can click on any standard to see what resources are available to teach it.
Additional Information:
For additional content, check the Extend section within the concept.