Grade 2 | SCIENCE
WEEK 7 • STUDENT TEXTBOOK • DAYS 31–35
Read each lesson with a parent or teacher and study the worked example. Then answer the questions for that day in the Week 7 Practice Workbook.
Week 7 Student Textbook | Week 7 Practice Workbook | Week 7 Teacher Guide | Week 6 Student Textbook | Week 8 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index
Day 31: What Is a Habitat?
A habitat is the place where a plant or animal lives. A habitat gives living things what they need: food, water, shelter and space.
Many different plants and animals share one habitat. Even a small backyard is a habitat for birds, insects, worms and plants.
Worked example: A squirrel builds a nest of leaves high in a tree. What need does the nest meet?
- A nest is a place to rest and stay safe.
- A safe place to live is shelter.
Worked answer: Shelter.
Day 32: Forest Habitats
A forest is a land habitat with many trees growing close together. The trees make shade, and fallen leaves cover the ground.
Alabama has large forests. Deer, owls, squirrels, woodpeckers, mushrooms and many kinds of insects live in forests. Each one uses the forest in a different way.
Worked example: Why do many forest animals use trees?
- Trees give food, such as acorns, leaves and insects in the bark.
- Trees give shelter, such as branches and holes for nests.
Worked answer: Trees give them food and shelter.
Day 33: Desert Habitats
A desert is a land habitat that gets very little rain. Many deserts are hot in the day. Plants and animals that live there must survive with little water.
A cactus stores water inside its thick stem. A desert tortoise digs a burrow under the ground to stay out of the hot sun. Fewer kinds of plants grow in a desert than in a forest.
Worked example: Why does a cactus have a thick stem?
- Deserts get very little rain.
- The thick stem stores water for dry times.
Worked answer: It stores water.
Day 34: Survey a Small Habitat
Scientists count the kinds of living things in a place to learn about a habitat. More kinds of living things means more diversity.
A survey must be careful and fair. Watch each spot for the same amount of time and look in the same ways.
Worked example: Why should you watch both spots for the same amount of time?
- If you watched one spot longer, you might find more there just because you looked longer.
- Equal time makes the comparison fair.
Worked answer: So the comparison is fair.
Day 35: Independent Check: Land Habitats
Today you will answer on your own.
Use what you learned this week: what a habitat gives living things, and how forests and deserts are different.
Worked example: What four things does a habitat give living things?
- Think of what every animal needs to live.
Worked answer: Food, water, shelter and space.
Week 7 Student Textbook | Week 7 Practice Workbook | Week 7 Teacher Guide | Week 6 Student Textbook | Week 8 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index