Students investigate the schoolyard as a real habitat to understand how living and nonliving parts work together to help plants and animals survive and how changes can affect that system. Through observation, mapping, modeling, and a small improvement project with a city parks partner, they apply science ideas about animal structures, senses, erosion, weathering, and habitat needs to a place they know. The work builds toward student-created labeled maps, habitat sketches, and brief oral explanations that show where pollinators or birds can find food, water, shelter, and space. Across the project, students practice collaboration, feedback, reflection, and problem solving as they design and revise ideas that could make the schoolyard more supportive for local living things.

Students will identify and label living and nonliving parts of a schoolyard habitat and explain how these parts work together to provide food, water, shelter, and space for pollinators or birds. They will use observations, simple maps, and habitat sketches to construct arguments about how plant and animal structures support survival and how animals use senses to respond to their environment. Students will investigate how weathering, erosion, and other Earth processes can change habitats, then compare simple design solutions for improving a schoolyard space within clear materials and time constraints. They will collaborate to give and use sticky-note feedback, revise their maps and oral explanations, and reflect on their teamwork, challenges, and growth before sharing their work with families and a community partner.

Students will create field-note observation cards, living/nonliving sorting labels, and habitat sketches as they investigate the schoolyard. In teams, they will produce a labeled map of a schoolyard habitat space that shows where a pollinator or bird can find food, water, shelter, and space, along with a brief oral explanation. They will also develop a small habitat improvement design plan with simple criteria and constraints, informed by feedback from classmates and a city parks department partner. By the end, the class will present a gallery-style display of revised maps, sketches, and design ideas during the Habitat Walkabout Showcase.

Kick off with a “Habitat Detectives” scavenger hunt in the schoolyard, where teams search for and photograph or sketch living and nonliving habitat parts, then sort what they find into food, water, shelter, and space for a pollinator or bird. Bring in a city parks department staff member to join the walk and pose a simple design challenge: identify one area that could better support animal survival during weather, erosion, or other natural changes. Back in class, students build a quick class anchor map of the schoolyard, mark where animals’ needs are met, and generate questions about how habitat parts connect and what happens when one part changes. Close with a short partner share and prediction about which schoolyard spot would be the best habitat and why.

Host a Habitat Walkabout Showcase in the schoolyard where families and a city parks department staff member tour a gallery of student-made labeled maps and habitat sketches. Each group gives a brief oral explanation showing where a pollinator or bird can find food, water, shelter, and space, and points out how living and nonliving parts of the habitat connect. Students can also share the small improvement they planned or built, explain how feedback helped them revise their map, and invite visitors to leave comments or questions on sticky notes. This format keeps the exhibition active, public, and manageable within the short project timeline.