Activity 7: Habitat Pen Pals
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By becoming “habitat pen pals,” your students will learn about the diversity of habitats around the world and will write letters from the perspective of organisms living in these habitats.
This is one of 96 activities that can be found in PLT’s PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide. To get the activity, attend a training either in person or online and receive PLT’s PreK-8 Guide.
The PreK-8 Environmental Education Activity Guide is a supplementary curriculum that is multi-disciplinary, with an emphasis on science, reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies.
Each activity displays explicit connections to practices and concepts expected by the following national academic standards so teachers can easily see where the materials will fit into their lesson plans:
- Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)
- Common Core Toolkit, includes
- English Language Arts (CCSS.ELA)
- Mathematics (CCSS.MATH)
- College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies (C3)
Our professional development further demonstrates these connections, as well as to state and local standards, contact your state coordinator.
STEM: Habitat Pen Pals
Challenge students to use their creative skills to define a habitat, investigate related species, engineer a wildlife corridor, and manipulate an interactive model to demonstrate population growth.
Deep in the Woods
Deep in the Woods Grades K-2 Written by: Christopher Corr Published by: Francis Lincoln Children’s Books ISBN-13: 978-1847807274 Recommended Reading Spend time in the woods and meet many new animal friends! This modern retelling of the traditional Russian folktale “Teremok” is a joy for adults and children alike. In Russian, the word teremok means... Read more »
Word After Word After Word
Word After Word After Word Grades 3-5 Written by: Patricia MacLachlan Published by: HarperCollins, 2010 ISBN-13: 978-0060279714 Recommended Reading Every school day feels the same for a group of fourth grade friends: Lucy, Henry, Evie, Russell, and May. Then a guest speaker – a real, live, and well-known writer – named Ms. Mirabel, visits... Read more »
A Day in a Forested Wetland
A Day in a Forested Wetland Grades K-3 Written by: Kevin Kurtz Illustrated by: Sherry Neidigh Published by: Arbordale, 2018 ISBN-13: 978-1628559125 Recommended Reading A continuation of Kevin Kurtz’s award-winning “A Day In” series once again delights readers with a rhythmic, scientifically-sound look into a typical day for the animals that call the soggy forest... Read more »
Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects
Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects Grades 3-5 Written by: Matthew Clark Smith Illustrated by: Giuliano Ferri Published by Two Lions, 2015 ISBN-13: 978-1477826324 Recommended Reading Learn about a quiet village in the French countryside. Learn about a famous naturalist. Learn about the significance of observing species in their natural habitats.... Read more »
A Walk on the Tundra
A Walk on the Tundra Grades 3-5 Written by: Rebecca Hainnu and Anna Ziegler Illustrated by: Qin Leng Published by Inhabit Media Inc., 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-926569-43-7 Recommended Reading Have you ever picked a flower because it tastes tangy and sweet? Have you learned how to prepare your grandmother’s most delicious meals? Do you know... Read more »
Tall Tall Tree
Tall Tall Tree Grades K to Grade 4 ISBN-13: 978-1584696018 Dawn Publications, 2017 Recommended Reading Teachers and parents alike can use this book, Tall Tall Tree written by Anthony Fredericks and illustrated by Chad Wallace, to take children on a virtual fieldtrip into the dense redwood forest. Not only will readers experience the grandiose... Read more »
Over and Under the Snow
Over and Under the Snow Grades K to Grade 4 ISBN-13: 978-0811867849 Chronicle Books LLC, 2011 Recommended Reading Even if children do not live in an area that experiences seasonal change, videos and books about snow can help students imagine and understand something they have never experienced first-hand. In this book, a young girl... Read more »
Welcome To The Neighborwood
Welcome To The Neighborwood Grades PreK to Grade 3 ISBN-10: 0763665940 Candlewick, 2015 Recommended Reading Learn about forest habitats and micro-communities as artist-turned-author, Shawn Sheehy, takes readers from neighborhood to neighborwood. In his stunning pop-up book, Welcome to the Neighborwood, he introduces readers to seven woodland animals and insects. In this book, readers investigate how... Read more »
The Gardener
The Gardener Published: 1997 Author: Sarah Stewart Illustrator: David Small Genres: Picture book, Children’s literature Recommended Reading Set in the 1930’s Depression, young Lydia Grace Finch spends her days in the country gardening with her grandmother. When her Papa loses his job and no one buys her Mama’s dresses any longer, Lydia Grace is... Read more »
There’s a Babirusa In My Bathtub!
There’s a Babirusa In My Bathtub! Grades 2 to 5 ISBN: 9781584691181 Dawn Publications, 2009 Authored by Maxine Rose Schur Illustrated by Michael S. Maydak Recommended Reading This book introduces 13 exotic animals using a variety of witty, lively poems that makes learning about these unsung animals fun and exciting. On each two-page spread,... Read more »
EE Resources
Endangered Species Success Stories
Success Stories is an interactive map of the United States that documents the 40-year impact the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has had on preventing species extinction. Students in grade levels 6-12 can use this interactive map to learn more about endangered species. Developed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the success stories map celebrates the... Read more »
Ask a Biologist
Digitally bring a professional into your classroom with Arizona State University’s Ask a Biologist. Students can use the Ask a Biologist’s web resources to learn about and research many different environmental issues. Multiple activities, stories, images, and links are also available for educators to use and build lessons around.
Create a Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat
The Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service gives step-by-step recommendations for creating a wildlife habitat at site, based on on-the-ground experience from successful projects.
Tree Product Images
Print out pages containing many examples of everyday products from trees!
Color the World!
Coloringnature.org offers more than 500 realistically illustrated coloring pages that can be downloaded and printed for use in PreK-8 classrooms. Choose from categories such as amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, insects, animal homes, biomes and habitats, and trees. Consider pairing the pages with PLT activities as diagrams, models, or assessment tools.
Climate Change around the World
An article in BBC News that discusses impacts of global warming in countries around the world and in major sectors of society: health, water, food, ecosystems, coasts, and industry.
World Wetlands Day
Free educational materials are available to help you celebrate World Wetlands Day (or celebrate Wetlands any day), sponsored by Ramsar Convention.
EarthViewer App
Have you ever wondered what the Earth looked like 400 million years ago? With EarthViewer, a free iPad application, users can explore the Earth’s geologic history. The app tracks the planet’s continental shifts, changes in climate, and explores biodiversity levels over the last 540 million years. Combining visual analysis withe hard data, the app can help... Read more »
iNaturalist
iNaturalist is a species identification app that allows users to record their observations of living things by way of taking photos and appending GPS coordinates to their discoveries. Each user has their own profile and can follow others to keep a tab of what others are posting, or share what they have photographed. The app... Read more »
Nature’s Sound Map
Nature’s Sound Map is an interactive tool that allows you to listen to clips of nature all over the world. The sounds range from those of an individual animal to entire ecosystems.
Plant for the Planet Video
Inspired by Wangari Maathai, 9-year-old Felix Finkbeiner founded “Plant for the Planet” and has planted more than 500,000 trees in Germany which he says will help sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Watch Felix’s video, part of the Young Voices on Climate Change series, to learn about his efforts to plant trees for a... Read more »
EPA’s Save our Species
This free coloring book will introduce you to 21 endangered and threatened plants and animals found in the United States. Print the pages and use your crayons to bring to life oceans, swamps, deserts, islands and a variety of plants and animals. If we all work together, we can continue to share the earth with... Read more »
Amazing Animals and Creature Features
These online resources from National Geographic for Kids present animal information in an interactive way. Targeted at elementary students, the website features clickable facts and photos of more than 40 animal species from Adelie penguins to zebras. Users can watch videos of the animals, find maps showing where each animal lives, and print out a... Read more »
Endangered Species Interactive Map
The US Fish and Wildlife Service has launched a web-based interactive map with information about endangered species success in every state: stories of species making strides towards recovery, audio interviews and podcasts with biologists about on-the-ground endangered species conservation, and more.
American Bird Conservancy Video: Go Birding, Save Species!
Enjoy this one-minute video featuring our favorite feathered friends. Can you identify all of these spectacular birds? Visit www.conservationbirding.org for the full species list. The video was created to showcase the American Bird Conservancy’s web site that enables birders to find birding routes and lodges that support habitat protection. Go birding to celebrate Earth Day!
Encounters: Wild Explorer
The public radio program Encounters: Radio Experiences in the North explores the natural history of Alaska and the Far North. An accompanying website offers K-12 teachers links to the episodes as well as resources, such as slideshows, videos, and sound clips, introducing the animals and habitats of the regions: beavers, bears, caribou, humpback whales, boreal... Read more »
Schoolyard Habitat Program
This US Fish & Wildlife Service initiative helps teachers and students create wildlife habitats at their schools. Their Schoolyard Habitat Project Guide offers teaching and learning opportunities in many discipline areas and provides opportunities for long-term data collection. Additionally, schools and organizations serving K-12 students may apply for grants of up to $8,000.
WildLab Bird
A free app that can be downloaded onto any Apple device (try iBird Lite for Android). Use WildLab Bird to learn the basics of bird identification. This application uses audio, photographs, maps, and the process of elimination to help identify over 200 bird species. Sightings can also be entered into a national bird watching database for... Read more »
Forests, by Cathryn Sill
Look to Forests by Cathryn Sill to introduce early learners to forest habitats and the organisms found there. Each page presents one sentence describing a particular forest habitat: boreal forest, tropical rain forest, cloud forest, temperate rain forest, deciduous forest, or tropical dry forest. Each description is accompanied by a realistic illustration. The afterward also... Read more »
Habitat the Game
The Wildlife Conservation Society and Rainforest Alliance have created a free, new app designed for students 7-12. Habitat challenges students to care for virtual endangered animals while they earn points by completing real-life missions, like recycling or visiting a park zoo.
Ferret – Free iPad App
This free, interactive iPad app teaches children how to classify animals in a series of taps and swipes. Ferret marries science and design, allowing children to discover and learn about select species. The app allows students to “build” animals using a periodic table-like classification system, and in doing so, describe their distinct characteristics.
Expedition: Insects
Giant deadly hornets, gorgeous fluttering butterflies, and stealthy crawling stink bugs: discover these and more fascinating insects in Expedition: Insects, an e-book written, illustrated, and animated by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. Students will learn about sic different types of insects in natural habitats around the world and how evolution and adaptation is responsible for the... Read more »
Dawn Publications – If You Love Honey
“If you love honey, then you must love honeybees” so says Dawn Publications’ children’s book, If You Love Honey. If You Love Honey takes readers on an exploration through the benefits and beauty that prevail through the relationships of living, breathing organisms that co-exist in nature. The colorful illustrations and simple concepts help young minds... Read more »
Conservation Connect LIVE! Broadcasts
Connect your students with conservation professionals using the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s new broadcast series. Visit the FWS website to pick one of an existing dozen videos to use in your education and conservation programming. Approximately 8 additional videos will be added over the next 8 months. New broadcasts take place at 2pm Eastern... Read more »
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Is It Only Natural?
Students explore various factors that have caused climate change in the past, analyze carbon dioxide levels over time, and construct a claim, supported with evidence and reasoning.
The Carbon Cycle
Students model the movement of carbon atoms in the carbon cycle and explore the relationship between atmospheric carbon and plants.