Lesson Plan: Changes in Habitat

Subject:  Science

Grade: 3

Lesson Objective: To understand that changes to an environment can be dangerous

Next Gen Science Standard:  3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Starter:

Say:

• How do plants and animals in a habitat depend on each other?  (Allow the students to answer- students should explain that animals eat plants that grow and then other animals eat those animals.  When animals die, they put nutrients in the soil that helps the plants to grow.)

Main:

Say:

• Last class we talked about how the plants and animals in habitats rely on each other to survive.
• Today, we are going to talk about what happens to the plants and animals in a habitat if there are changes to the environment.
• Sometimes there are changes to an environment or habitat.  These changes can happen for different reasons.
• Some of the changes happen because of something that people do or because of weather patterns or a natural disaster.
• Animals and plants in habitats are affected by any change that happens to an environment.
• Any change to an environment can cause a change in the way that living things interact or depend on each other.
• People often cut down trees to make room for farms or for houses. 
• When trees are cut down, it takes away places for animals to live and it takes away food from animals that eat the leaves or fruit from the trees.
• This can be very dangerous to the animals in that habitat because if they cannot eat, they will die.  Then, the animals that eat those animals will not have food either.
• Sometimes making changes to an environment like cutting down many trees can cause a change in temperature or rainfall in that habitat. 
• This will make it difficult for the plants and animals that live in that habitat because they are not used to the new temperature or amount of rainfall.
• Air and water pollution also cause problems for animals that live in habitats that are affected.
• Any change to an environment can cause really big problems for plants and animals in a habitat. 
• The changes can make the plants and animals in that habitat die.
• We just talked about how changes to the environment can be very dangerous for the plants and animals that live in a habitat.
• Please take out your notebooks.
• You are going to write a few sentences describing what makes changes to an environment dangerous.

Feedback:

Say:

Who would like to share what you wrote about what makes changes to an environment dangerous?  (Allow the students to share.)

Written by Kimberly Greacen, Education World® Contributing Writer

Kimbery is an educator with extensive experience in curriculum writing and developing instructional materials to align with Common Core State Standards and Bloom's Taxonomy.

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