Grade Two Science - Habitats

Learning about endangered species and animals habitats that they live in is an important area of subject within the grade two science curriculum. Here is a great interactive website by scholastic associated with "The Magic School Bus" which contains a link to a fun activity about animals and their habitats. With the link to animals habitats it provides a variety of animals and different homes, and it is your job as the student to match up the correct ones! Some other features of this website are fun science activities you can try at home and you can also play games such as a maze on the computer and print off coloring pages to color with at your desk!

I would incorporate this website into my classroom by first doing a mini lesson with my class about animals and their specific habitats. With this, I would also incorporate the aspect of hibernation and endangered animals as well. After completing this mini lesson at the students desk I would then allow for them to access the computers to this website of the magic school bus. I would then direct them to the link of the animals habitats and get them to try to complete the task. Once they have completed this a few times, I would then have them access other areas of the website such as perhaps printing off a coloring page to do at their desk or building the "monster bug." To wrap up this lesson on animals habitats, I would have the students return to their desks and have a class discussion on some other animals they know about their habitats, and perhaps some other endangered animals they are familiar with as well, like the bald eagle!

I feel that this website is a fun and exciting way to get kids to want to learn. It plays music, has fun games, and is also able to challenge students at the grade two level on their knowledge about animals habitats. I also like how once you have completed the task of finding the animals habitats, it then displays a fun fact at the top of the page about one of the specific animals you helped to find their habitat. For example, the site displays that the whooping cranes nest in a marshy area among tall grass and cattails that provide protection from predators. I feel that by allowing your students to have the access to computers and other sources of technology in the classroom it allows for them to become more comfortable with using them and it enhances their technology and learning skills as well!