Cooperative groups select and illustrate a name for their group. The homes of wild animals and human beings are made from natural resources. Students locate and observe animals' homes on the school grounds and share these observations. Students brainstorm to identify different types of wild animals' homes, determine how these homes reveal the type of environment in which the animals live, and define the word habitat . Cooperative groups design a mural or a booklet showing wild animals' habitats in specific ecosystems.
Students use a poster and reference books to identify types of early American Indian dwellings.
Each cooperative group designs a model of one type of early American Indian home from information provided on a card. The class completes a chart to compare early American Indian dwellings. Each cooperative group studies one type of home and presets its findings to the class. On a map of the United States, students list the special features of each type of home described by the groups. Students observe houses in their school's neighborhood.