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Materials
Pictures
of these South Carolina habitats:
Picturecards
of these South Carolina species:
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Procedure
Part I
- Have students
examine the map of South Carolina showing the different regions
as well as the 3-D topographic map of South Carolina. Have the
students use their senses of sight and touch to examine the
3-D map and then describe how the regions of the state are different
from each other in the way the land and water look. Write what
the students describe for each region on a chart.
- Explain
to students that because the land is different the habitats
that are found in each region tend to be different. Have students
watch the section in the "South Carolina Aquarium Orientation
Video" that describes the different habitats in the different
regions of South Carolina. After each region is shown, pause
the video and ask the students to describe what they saw in
each region's habitats. Have them list living and non-living
things that they see. Add their descriptions to the chart.
- Break up
the students into five small groups. Assign each group one of
the regions discussed: Mountains, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Coast
or Ocean. Using the chart the class created about each region,
have the student groups create shoebox dioramas that represent
habitats found in their assigned region. Have them create things
out of construction paper that represent both living and non-living
things found in that habitat. When dioramas are completed, have
student groups explain to the rest of the class what they are
showing in their habitats.
Part II
- Keep the
class divided into their small groups. Explain to students that
because living things are so different from each other, only
certain places can be used by them as habitat. Tell the class
they will be playing a game called, "This is Your Habitat!".
Set up the dioramas at the front of the room. Choose one of
the species from the South Carolina picturecards. Show the students
the picture of the animal or plant and pretend to be that organism
and describe what your habitat needs are: what and how the organism
eats, what kind of water it needs (salt or fresh), how it gets
air (from atmosphere or water), what kind of shelter it uses
and how much space it needs. Students can ask further questions
to find as much about the organism's habitat needs as possible.
Student groups then examine the dioramas again and decide which
is the most suitable habitat for the species the teacher is
representing. Each student group will make their guess. Once
all guesses are made, the teacher will discuss with students
which environment is a suitable habitat for the organism and
which environments are not and why.
- Continue
to do the same process with as many of the species as you think
your students' attention span can handle. Tally the score of
each group's correct answers and reward the winning group in
some manner.
- Set up
the classroom with pictures of each of these South Carolina
habitats: Mountain stream, Piedmont river, blackwater swamp,
saltmarsh and deep ocean. Each habitat should be given its own
area in the room. Introduce the habitats to the students and
ask them to look at the pictures and describe them. Provide
information about each habitat such as what the climate is like
and whether the water is salt or freshwater. Show the students
a map of South Carolina and point out where each of these habitats
is found in the state.
Part III
- Tell the
students that each of them is going to be a plant or animal
found in South Carolina and that the teacher is going to give
them clues to help them figure out what habitat they should
be living in. Hand out pictures of each of the species, one
per student. Select one species at a time, give the students
who are that species information about their species and then
guide them to find their correct habitat. Example: Ask which
students are oysters. Tell the students that oysters are an
animal that have a hard shell, stay in the same place their
entire life and live in places where they are covered by saltwater
at least half the day. Ask the class which habitat they think
the oysters should live in. When the students decide the salt
marsh, the oysters will stand in this habitat area. For species
that can live in more than one habitat, such as the river otter,
the teacher may want to have an otter student standing in each
of its natural habitats.
- Collect
the students’ animal cards, shuffle them and then hand them
out again. Students will look at the card and then have one
minute to go to their habitat. Students can act out their animal
or plant as they go. After a minute, the teacher will go to
each habitat and ask the students which species belong and which
do not belong. If a species is in the wrong habitat, ask the
students if it will be able to get the things it needs from
the habitat and discuss why not. Have other students guide the
species to its correct habitat. Repeat this game as long as
deemed necessary.
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Follow-up questions
- Are these
animals found in other places in the world besides South Carolina?
- Are there
places where these animals are not found?
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