DISCUSS:
Why do you think the bighorn sheep come to the playground?
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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DISCUSS:
Why do you think the bighorn sheep come to the playground?
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
DISCUSS:
Why do the sheep climb up into the dry mountains every night? Why don’t they just stay in the park? Any ideas?
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
Exit Full Screen
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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| Habitat Journal printout | 1 per student |
| Habitat Journal Answer Key teacher-only resource | 1 per class |
There is no activity prep for this lesson.
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.
Student slideshow: English | Spanish
Teacher printout: English & Spanish
In this reading, students learn about the story of how scientists discovered sharks living next to an underwater volcano.
Discussion Question: Why do some bighorn sheep have collars?
You or your students may have noticed that some bighorn sheep were wearing collars. Why would anyone put a collar on a wild sheep? Ask your students if they have any ideas.
Answer: Scientists put collars on the bighorn sheep to help keep track of the animals. These collars help scientists count how many different sheep there are in the mountains, figure out which sheep regularly visit the park, and note which sheep are healthy.
You and your students can go on your very own Habitat Scavenger Hunt. All you need to do is select two different places that you can explore and compare at your school site.
Print out the instructions here.
You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.
How do scientists learn about wild animals? In this mini-lesson, students explore how scientists are able to learn about animals in their natural habitats.
What's at the bottom of the ocean? In this mini-lesson, students discover some of the animals that live in the very unique habitat at the bottom of the ocean.
Why do we get head lice? In this mini-lesson, students explore the tiny animals that live in a very unique habitat--the top of our heads!
If you are in an NGSS state, these mini-lessons support the DCI LS4.D: Biodiversity and Humans
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