Unit 1: Habitats of the world.(Brief Article)

Background Information

The Audubon Society's Sharing the Earth project studies sites in developing countries where wildlife and habitats are threatened by rapid population growth and places, like the United States, where high resource consumption degrades and erodes natural habitats. Sandhill cranes are a case in point. They have been roosting along Nebraska's Platte River for 10 million years, but in the last few decades, upstream dams have drawn off two-thirds of the river's natural flow to provide water for irrigation and for growing cities and towns. Although the Audubon Society is taking measures to contain river degradation in order to protect the sandhill crane's habitat, in the long run it can do nothing to maintain wetlands without water. If the planet is to survive, the Audubon Society counsels, humans must leave room for wildlife to thrive.

Unit Concepts: Students learn that there are different types of habitats, that animals and plants adapt to habitats, and that pollution harms habitats.

The activities listed below suggest ways of presenting and enriching the content and skills in Unit 1. The activities correspond to days 1 through 6 on the page 2 calendar matrix.

SAVING A HABITAT

Literary Appreciation

Enrichment. To build background for introducing the concept of a prairie, obtain a copy of One Day in the Prairie, by Jean C. George, and read it aloud to the class.