Unit 06 There’s No Place Like Home

1. The Sleepover
2. Let's Sell!
3. The Rainforest Tree

1. The Sleepover
Students learn the following information (in Resources) about the animals:

• What sort of animal am I?
• Where do I live?
• Why do I live there?
• What do I eat?
• What eats me?
• Do I use camouflage?
• How have I adapted to my home and environment?
• Do I have any relationships with other animals or plants in my environment?

The invitation

• The students brainstorm what they would need to take to a sleepover such as bedding, food, clothes.
• Model writing a letter of invitation to a sleepover addressed to a friend or group of friends.
• Students write pretend letters of invitation to a friend.
• Discuss the letters and their information. Is there anything to add or change?

The host

• Discuss the animals that students have investigated. Which one could provide the best venue for a sleepover and why?
• List all ideas students generate. Through discussion and negotiation, choose one animal to be the host.
• Using the shared writing technique write a letter of invitation to a sleepover for the other animals. This will need to follow the genre of invitations (including the venue, time and date, what food and bedding to bring, the other guests and any other relevant information students think of).

The reply

• Discuss the letter and what implications it might have for the other animals, such as size of venue, time of sleepover, (is the animal nocturnal or diurnal), are they the predator/prey of other guests. Are they carnivorous or herbivorous, will they eat the suggested food? Will they be able to go?
• Brainstorm what they might write in response to the invitation.
• Model writing a negative reply and a positive reply using another animal as the writer.
• Students choose an animal and, using the knowledge they have about that animal, write a letter of reply.
• Students read and discuss each other’s letters, providing feedback on accuracy.

2. Let’s Sell!
The object of this activity is to produce a real estate advertisement for one of the animal’s homes. Students will need to know and understand the answers to the following questions:

• What sort of animal am I?
• Where do I live?
• Why do I live there?
• Which other animals might want to live in this home?
• What do I need to be near to survive such as plants, for food and protection, other animals for food?
• What do I definitely not want to be near? (What might eat or harm me?)
• What do I eat?
• What eats me?
• Do I use camouflage?
• How have I adapted to my home and environment?
• Do I have any relationships with other animals or plants in my environment?

1. Immerse the students in advertisements for property.

2. Discuss the language and terminology used such as:

• Roomy
• Near to schools
• Private
• Quiet
• Trendy
• Well appointed
• Spacious
• Luxurious

3. List words for future use.

4. Model writing an advertisement for a house or building which is familiar to the students.

5. Brainstorm advantages and disadvantages of the house's position, building materials used, .htmlect and other important features.

6. Students write an advertisement for their own homes or a house they know well.

7. Share and discuss their work.

8. Discuss animals they have been learning about:
Why do they live in their particular homes?
Is there anywhere else that would be suitable for them to live?
What is special about their homes?
Would other animals be able to live there?

9. Model writing an advertisement for one of the animals in the rainforest.

10. Students choose an animal.

11. Determine what they already know about that animal’s home.

12. Decide what they need to find out to complete the task.

13. Research for additional information that they need to write an advertisement for the animal’s home.

14. Using a scaffold students write a real estate advertisement.

15. Share and discuss the finished products.

3. The Rainforest Tree

As students learn about rainforest animals and their habitats, co-construct a large rainforest tree. Make it either 2D, using paint and flat collage materials or 3D using boxes, stockings filled with paper for branches or any other suitable material. Create and label the different layers, leaf litter, understory and canopy.

Understanding of relationships between animals and their environment will emerge as the students build their tree, as well as an awareness of the diversity of life to be found in a single rainforest tree. The students can use the information in the resources section or investigate themselves.

This project allows each student to participate at their own level. When finished it forms a focal point for further investigation such as a debate, a questionand answer session, a slideshow or animation.

1. As the students learn about the animals, they draw or construct the animal and its home.

2. Place each animal in its appropriate spot on the tree with a short description or report.

3. Ideas for further investigation:

• How does each animal contribute to the rainforest?
• How is the rainforest important to each animal?
• What can we do to help these animals?
• Where does each animal fit in the food chain?