Students compare a small rock to a bean seed and draw each one before soaking them overnight. They listen to the story Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig and identify some differences between living and nonliving things. Students make observations on their school grounds for evidence that living things are dependent on their environment. They examine the bean seeds they soaked in the previous lesson and compare these to the rocks. They plant both to determine which will grow.
Students draw an environment for the living thing that they represent in their cooperative group.
In their cooperative groups students build a bird nest. A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman and identify the homes of some living things. They locate homes of plants and animals in their environment. Pairs of students make a diorama of a habitat or a model of a home for a certain plant or animal. By using sound makers and canisters containing fragrances, students listen and use their sense of smell to locate their partners.