Objective: Students will be introduced to six different habitats and will match specific animals to the unique habitat that God designed to meet their needs.

A place where an animal lives, finds its food, and is sheltered.

Objective: Students will describe characteristics of a yard or garden as a habitat for various animals. They will Identify predator and prey as components of a food chain.

Review What is a habitat?

The order in which animals eat plants and other animals.

Predator – an animal that hunts other animals for food Prey – an animal that is hunted

Objective: Students will identify the characteristics of a forest and the types of animals that live there. Students will describe the function of animal camouflage.

Forests cover a little less than one-third of the earth’s land surface. A forest is an area where trees are clustered together causing most of the ground to be shaded. The climate must produce enough rainfall to support forest life

One element of God’s purposeful design of the forest is to enable animals to blend into their surroundings helping them hide from both predators and prey.

Objective: Students will identify the characteristics of a freshwater habitat and the types of animals that live there.

Lakes Ponds Rivers Streams

A habitat area where there is little or no salt in the water.

 Saltwater contains a lot of salt.  The ocean is a saltwater habitat.  Whales, dolphins, sharks, clownfish, etc. live in the ocean.  Freshwater contains less salt.  Streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes are freshwater regions.  Beavers, ducks, mosquitoes, dragonflies, etc. live in freshwater regions.

Stream – moving freshwater habitat that carries water to larger rivers; few plants grow there River – moving freshwater habitat that carries water to lakes and oceans; plants grow along the banks

Pond –still freshwater habitat that is smaller than a lake and has many plants that grow in and around it Lake – large, still freshwater habitat that is fed by rain and melting snow; many plants grow there

Objective: Students will identify the characteristics of a wetland and animals that live there.

Wetlands are areas of land that are water-soaked and soggy most of the time. They include: floodplains swamps marshes bogs

Habitat Food Chain

Objective: Students will describe the characteristics of a desert habitat and identify the types of animals that live there. They will identify how plants and animals are designed to live in desert habitats.

A desert receives fewer than ten inches of rainfall a year There are 4 types of deserts: hot and dry, semiarid, coastal, and cold Desert high and low temperatures are extreme

Not all deserts are sandy – some include mountains, rocky regions, or salt flats Desert animals include insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Many of these are nocturnal avoiding the heat of the day. God designed these animals to survive in the harsh environment.

Students will identify the characteristics of the two polar regions and animals specific to each.

 Artic  Mainly ice-covered ocean surrounded by frozen land  This frozen land called tundra includes the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America.  Temperatures are cold; winters are long and dark.  There are high winds and little precipitation.  Antarctica  Mainly ice-covered land surrounded by ocean  The whole continent is covered with a sheet of ice that is about 2 miles thick.  Temperatures are cold; winters are long and dark.  There are high winds and little precipitation.

 Plant life includes small shrubs, grasses, lichens, mosses, and about 900 kinds of flowers.  Animals that live there include: polar bears, caribou, reindeer, foxes, hares, lemmings, snowy owls, and wolves.  There are very few plants and land animals in Antarctica.  Animal life in the sea is abundant and includes: squid, fish, krill, seals, penguins, and whales.

The students will identify the characteristics of the tropical rain forest that distinguish it from other forests and explore the variety of animals that live there.

The top layer is called the emergent layer. Here a few giant trees are home to many birds and insects.

The canopy is composed of the upper parts of the primary trees. It is home to many insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals.

The understory layer provides a cool, dark environment for animals and insects.

The bottom layer is the forest floor where the largest of the animals in the rain forest live.

Tropical rain forests… …are warm and humid all year …receive a large amount of rain …are home to almost ½ of all the earth’s animals …produce nuts, coffee, cocoa, bananas, pineapples, and many other foods

Students will examine the causes and effects of air, land, and water pollution and identify ways they can prevent pollution. They will also discuss fire prevention.

Yards and Gardens Forests Wetlands Deserts Freshwater Regions Polar Regions Tropical Rain Forests

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’”

Pollute – to make things so dirty or unclean that it is harmful to life.

The air we breathe needs to be clean. Exhaust fumes from cars and trucks pollute our air. Breathing polluted air can make people and animals sick.

The water we drink needs to be clean. Chemicals, oil spills, and garbage put into the water pollute it.

The land where we live needs to be clean. Trash that is not thrown away can become harmful for plant and animals.

Students will identify animals that endangered and reasons why these animals are listed as endangered.

Endangered means that there are very few animals of a certain kind living. Dodo Bird

Bison Giant Panda

Natural Causes Overpopulation due to lack of predators Decrease in food supply due to drought or fire Man-made Causes Building and land development Over-hunting of animals or their predators Fire Pollution

In a review students will describe six habitats presented in this chapter – forest, freshwater region, wetland, desert, polar region, tropical rain forest – and identify animals that live in each one.

What is a habitat? A place where an animal lives finds food, and is sheltered.

What is a food chain? A food chain is the order in which animals eat plants and other animals.

Define predators and prey. Predators are animals that eat other animals and prey are the animals that are hunted.

Polar Region

Wetlands

Desert

Tropical Rain Forest

Freshwater Region

Forest