Animal habitats are so diverse. When I think about all the different spaces where plants and animals thrive, I’m truly in awe. Animals, and their ability to adapt within changing ecosystems, are full of surprises.
Any unit around animals is never a hard sell for children. From cute and cuddly to fast and fierce, kids love them. So learning about where and how they live in nature is an easy hook.
TEACHING RESOURCES FOR HABITATS
When I start planning science and social studies units, I almost always head to YouTube first. Videos are a great way to capture my kids’ attention. Plus, a good visual can go a long way in helping students understand a topic that don’t have a lot of experience with.
Animal habitats are one of those topics. I mean if you’re a second-grader living on the coast of Florida, visualizing the details of a vast, dry desert or an icy polar landscape may be a stretch.
One of our favorite videos for building background knowledge for animal habitats is HABITATS AROUND THE WORLD by Harmony Square. It’s a good introductory overview of a variety of habitats (grasslands, forests, oceans, etc.) at a content level that won’t overwhelm young kids.
Some of the best videography out there is produced by National Geographic. We love their short “101” series. The images are outstanding and up close! A quick search on YouTube will help you find so many videos about animal habitats, it can actually be hard to narrow down all the choices. Here are some of our top picks to help you get started:
- RAINFORESTS 101 by National Geographic
- AMAZING WAYS TO LIVE IN THE DESERT by SciShow Kids
- EXPLORING EXTREME ANIMAL HABITATS by Wild Kratts
I bet most of your kids like to sing. The HABITATS SONG by Hopscotch has a catchy refrain and moves through different animal habitats before the song ends. The chorus is easy for the kids to pick up, especially if you turn on the captions. Though shorter, THE HABITATS SONG by Generation Genius is also a fun one.
HABITAT FLAP BOOKS
This COLLECTION OF HABITAT FLAP BOOKS grounds our work throughout our study of animal habitats. They are one way I integrate reading and comprehension work with our science instruction. Covering seven different habitats, each book defines the habitat and then introduces readers to a variety of animals that live there.
Here’s a preview of the book for forest habitats, specifically woodlands. The black and white design is ink-friendly and allows the students to color their own.
I encourage you to let your children use highlighters, pencils, and sticky notes while processing the text with you. This gives them a space to write questions, record new ideas, and learn key vocabulary along the way.
The best part about these books is the flap feature. After reading each page, the children can match the correct animal flap to the text and glue it in place. For developing readers, the text on the bottom of each page is supported by familiar sight words and repetitive key words. If the text underneath the flap is challenging for them, this part can be read with a partner or a family member at home.
To check for understanding, each book comes with comprehension work. We’ve used these as assessments, but they can also just be ways for partners to work together as they process informational text. Or use them in small guided groups. For kids who are still developing as readers and writers, guidance and coaching in a small group can be very helpful in strengthening these skills.
To preview the set, CLICK HERE. You can also get individual titles in case you’re just studying one or two specific animal habitats. The set covers:
- The Arctic
- The Desert
- The Forest (Woodlands)
- The Ocean
- The Rainforest
- The Savanna (Grasslands)
- Wetlands
LAST, BUT NOT LEAST… MY PINTEREST PICKS
Pinterest is a go-to for me. After all these years, it’s still an easy place for teachers to find collections of ideas on any topic. Need inspiration for your animal habitats unit? Start here:
- PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT HABITATS AND ECOSYSTEMS
- RAINFOREST ANIMAL CRAFTS FOR KIDS
- LEGO HABITAT PROJECTS
- HOW TO MAKE A ROLY POLY BUG HABITAT
- POLAR OPPOSITES – PENGUIN AND POLAR BEAR CRAFTS
RELATED BLOG POST
If you’re studying about animals that live in different habitats around the world, consider making time for your students to do a little research and reporting. My students love writing their own reports. Templates like these help guide their research so they don’t get overwhelmed. You can read more in this earlier blog post: INFORMATIONAL WRITING TEMPLATES FOR KIDS.
Happy teaching!
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