Food Source Habitat

Objective

In this activity, students will use information sheets, field guides, or the Internet to research the main food sources for earthworms, cicadas, wolf spiders, and a critter of their choice. Students will then use the information they have gathered to match each critter to the soil habitat type best suited to its food source needs.

Making the connection:

  • Doing this activity along with Looking for Life and Rock Flip can help students make connections between the critters they observe and the soil habitat in which they are found.
  • By doing this activity along with Ground Cover, students can apply the information they gather to their own backyard.

Activity

Hypothesize

Which soil habitats are best for earthworms, wolf spiders, and cicadas?

Plan it!

  • Choose a soil critter, other than earthworms, wolf spiders, and cicadas, that you would like to learn about. You can look through the Underground Adventure Field Guide for ideas. Write the name of the critter on row four of the Critter Food Source worksheet .
    Depending on the time you have available, you may want to assign only one or two critters to each student or group of students.

Do it!

  1. Use the What Do Your Backyard Critters Eat? information sheet, the Underground Adventure Field Guide , other field guides, or the Internet to research earthworms, cicadas, wolf spiders, and the other critter you chose. Look for information about what each of these critters eats. As you read, put a checkmark on the Critter Food Source worksheet beside the types of food each critter eats.
    If you have assigned one or two critters to each student or group of students, direct students to fill in only the rows that apply to them. Create a master chart on the board and allow each student or group to fill in the information for their assigned critter when they have completed their research. Each student can then copy that information onto their own chart, or reference the master chart for the second part of the activity.
  2. Check your work by comparing it with that of another student or a teacher. If your information is different, do more research to find out why.
    Asking students to check their work at this stage ensures that they base the remainder of the activity on accurate information. If time permits, allow them to clarify any discrepancies themselves. If students have found discrepant information, this can provide a teachable moment on evaluating resources.
  3. Read the Habitats in Your Backyard information sheet to learn about several different types of soil habitats.

Record it!

  • When you have finished reading the information sheet, draw or cut and paste a picture of each type of soil habitat onto the Food Source Habitat worksheet .
    Students who are not comfortable drawing can cut images from a magazine or print them from the Internet.
  • Look back at the Critter Food Source worksheet . Think about the main food source for each critter and the descriptions you read of the different soil habitats. On the Food Source Habitat worksheet , put a checkmark to show the soil habitat or habitats in which each critter would live.
  • Add the worksheets to your field journal.

Remember, be sci-wise!

  • Know why. For each checkmark you place on the chart, be able to explain why that critter would do well in that soil habitat.
  • Think it through. If you are unsure which critters might live in the different soil habitats, try to figure it out step by step. First look at what the critter eats. Then, determine if that critter's food source can be found in each soil habitat.

Assessment and Reflections

  • Based on your research, do you think your hypothesis was correct or incorrect? Why?
    Answers will vary.
  • Thinking about what you learned, what soil critters would you expect to find at your field site? Why?
    Answers will vary based on your field site, but students should make the connection between the soil environment of the field site and the types of critters they may find there.
  • Do you think your field site is a good soil habitat for the critters you researched? Why or why not?
    Again, the answers will vary based on the field site, but students should be able to base their answer on the kinds of soil habitats found at the field site and what kind of food source that habitat is likely to provide.
  • Describe how you could use similar information to match larger animals with their habitats.
    Students could look at the main food sources for the animals and then the types of food available in a particular habitat to see if they are a good match.
  • How might human action affect a soil critter's habitat?
    There are many possible answers, including: clearing home sites and planting grass, paving for roads and parking lots, raking and mulching, etc.
  • Complete this section on the Factors That Affect the Soil Overview worksheet .
  • Looking at the bigger picture, how might the information you gathered help you to answer your research question?
    Answers will vary, but students should begin to make a connection between the research they did here and the data they have collected in other activities.

Extension

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