Animal Habitat Unit

Primary Grades

This unit was developed during my student teaching at McCleary Elementary School. The unit is geared for the primary grades, but can be modified for the intermediate grades. The topic was chosen because of student’s interests in animals.

The unit was developed to help students distinguish features of different animals including their habitats. The unit includes the Polar Regions, the Rain Forest, and the Grasslands. Through studying these habitats an animal was chosen to be studied more thoroughly than the others (approximately 2 lessons). Animals chosen included polar bears, monkeys and apes and zebras.

Also incorporated in this science based unit were various books (both fact and fiction), poetry and art. At the end of studying each habitat students created murals to display in the hallway. Students also learned the difference between mammals, birds and reptiles during this unit.

Assessment during the unit was based on completion of projects, quizzes, anecdotal notes, and answers to review games. Students also drew pictures and wrote about what they were learning. Students also got a chance to take a field trip to the zoo to see some of the animals they were studying.