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Why would a wild animal visit a playground?
Animal Adventures Unit | Lesson 2 of 4
Back > Share

Why would a wild animal visit a playground?

Animal Adventures Unit | Lesson 2 of 4
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
Video trouble?

DISCUSS:

Why do you think the bighorn sheep come to the playground?

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DISCUSS:

Why do the sheep climb up into the dry mountains every night? Why don’t they just stay in the park? Any ideas?

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Step
01/17
Get your supplies.
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Step
02/17
You’re going to fold your Habitat Journal in half along the thick black
line. Flip it over, line up the corners, and make a crease. Fold it again
along the thin black line.
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Step
03/17
Write your name and date on the front of your Habitat Journal. Open
your Habitat Journal so that you can see the page with Park Habitat
at the top.
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Step
04/17
You’re going to practice looking for animals in the park habitat. Look
for bighorn sheep, hawks, lizards, tortoises, and coyotes. Count how
many animals you see in 15 seconds.
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Step
05/17
When you see an animal, find it in your Habitat Journal and add an X
to the square right above it. If you see that same kind of animal again,
add an X to the next square.
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Step
06/17
You’ll have a minute and 30 seconds to find as many animals as
possible. Watch carefully! Ready, set, go!
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Step
07/17
Circle each kind of animal that you found in the park habitat.
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Step
08/17
Count up the total number of animals that you found in the park.
Count up all the boxes with an X and write that number in your
Habitat Journal.
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Step
09/17
It’s time to visit the Desert Habitat to see how many animals you can
find.
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Step
10/17
You’ll have a minute and 30 seconds to find as many animals as
possible. Watch carefully! Ready, set, go!
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Step
11/17
Circle each kind of animal that you found in the desert habitat.
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Step
12/17
Count up the total number of animals that you found in the desert
habitat. Count up all the boxes with an X and write that number in
your Habitat Journal.
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Step
13/17
DISCUSS:
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Step
14/17
Here’s what we noticed.
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Step
15/17
Take a look at the kinds of plants and the number of plants that the
botanist found in the park habitat and in the desert habitat.
DISCUSS:
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Step
16/17
We talked to a wildlife biologist who showed us these photos of
bighorn sheep in the park and the desert habitats.
DISCUSS:
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Step
17/17
DISCUSS:
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Slide Image
Slide Image

grass


1 of 15

a type of plant with lots of long, thin leaves growing from the ground
Slide Image

cactus


2 of 15

a type of plant that usually has spikes and is found in the desert
Slide Image

habitat


3 of 15

the place where an animal or plant lives
Slide Image

desert


4 of 15

a habitat that is usually hot and that gets very little rain
Slide Image

grassland


5 of 15

a habitat with mostly grasses and very few trees
Slide Image

ocean


6 of 15

a habitat that is a large area of salt water
Slide Image

rainforest


7 of 15

a habitat that is usually warm and gets lots of rain
Slide Image

wildlife


8 of 15

animals and plants in nature
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predator


9 of 15

an animal that hunts and eats other animals
Slide Image

wildlife biologist


10 of 15

a scientist who studies animals in nature
Slide Image

botanist


11 of 15

a scientist who studies plants
Slide Image

observe


12 of 15

to pay close attention to something
Slide Image

graph


13 of 15

an image that helps you understand information
Slide Image

diversity


14 of 15

lots of different types, such as many kinds of animals in a forest
Slide Image

compare


15 of 15

to notice what is similar and what is different between things
🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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Featured Reviews

“Loved that my students were actually "doing" the science skills: observing, collecting data, graphing, analyzing data, making predictions, drawing conclusions, etc. It was all embedded here! Thank you!”
· Zerrin · Teacher
“Really taught the concept of habitats and diversity well. Very appropriate the second grade students. The activity demonstrated data collecting well.”
· Kathy · Teacher
“Students were engaged the entire lesson. They loved counting and graphing the number of animals they saw.”
· Kelly · Teacher
“I loved how the lesson had students observing the details in the habitat--exactly what they need to work on--the skill of observation! ”
· Lynne · Teacher
“Very interactive without needed a lot of materials or prep times. Great for busy or distance teachers. ”
· Heather · Teacher
“The kids were totally engaged, and they really thought about the reasons for why the sheep would make such a daily journey. It made an impact. ”
· Susan · Teacher
“The students loved the lesson, especially the activity when they felt like science detectives!”
· Gary · Teacher
“Students loved the phenomenon of the sheep being in the park. It was engaging and they loved collecting data and analyzing it. THANK YOU!”
· Heather · Teacher
“My students loved looking for the different animals and record them in their booklets! The interactive parts were really fun for them. It was also a fun way to integrate math and science.”
· Fiona · Teacher
“My students engagement was awesome. The video hit the content area of habitats in such an exciting way for students. Thank you Mystery Doug for being at the forefront of science education for kids! - A very grateful teacher”
· Susan · Teacher
“The students loved this lesson. They were very engaged by this real life yet unique situation. They loved watching for the animals and marking the journals. This was a great end to a unit we just completed on habitats. Thanks!”
· Teresa · Teacher
“Looking for the animals and counting them was the best part!! ”
· Tina · Teacher
“My students loved the observation and recording part of the lesson. The were very engaged and interested in the lesson!”
· Andrea · Teacher
“I loved that students were able to record their data! Super lesson!!!!”
· Claire · Teacher
“This is even better than the frog lesson! I loved it, the students loved it! They have talked about it all day! An authentic way to explore the world without leaving the classroom!”
· Kristen · Teacher
“Interactive journal, videos, timing of the lesson, content! Thank you. Great habitat lesson:)”
· Susan · Teacher
“The class loved the interactive journaling for the virtual fieldtrip.”
· Patricia · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 2

Animal Biodiversity

Habitat Diversity

2-LS4-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students solve the mystery of why a group of wild bighorn sheep would leave their usual desert habitat to visit a second, very different habitat: a local playground. In the activity, Habitat Scavenger Hunt, students record observations of the diversity of life found in the desert and the playground, as well as the physical characteristics of each location. Students combine these observations to create an understanding of how the living and non-living parts of a habitat support the animals that live there.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Habitat Journal printout Print 30 copies
Habitat Journal Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 copy
Prep Instructions

There is no activity prep for this lesson.

Schoolyard Habitat Scavenger Hunt (Optional)

Since there’s so little prep for this lesson, we suggest you consider extending this lesson by having your students perform their own Habitat Scavenger Hunt in two different locations at your school site.

Instructions for this extension can be found here.

Exploration

10 mins

Hands-On Activity

30 mins

Wrap-Up

10 mins

Grade 2

Animal Biodiversity

Habitat Diversity

2-LS4-1

Slow internet or video problems?
Credits
 
Biodiversity Lesson 2: Why would a wild animal visit a playground?

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