Peter Horton - Educator

Unit 16 – Informational Reading: Animals and Nature

Schedule of Content Areas

The more topics or themes you read about, the more you improve your overall knowledge, which allows you to talk about, learn about, and expand your vocabulary. First, read the content carefully. Next, copy it to improve your spelling, vocabulary, sentence structure, and paragraph writing. As a result, you will gain many ideas and information that you can later use in different situations.

Animals and Nature

# Word Definition Example Sentence

1 Habitat

The natural home of an animal or plant. The panda’s habitat is the bamboo forest.

What is a Habitat? A Guide for 6th Grade Students

Introduction
Have you ever wondered where animals and plants live and how they survive? The answer is habitat. A habitat is the natural environment where an organism lives, grows, and reproduces. Moreover, it provides everything an organism needs: food, water, shelter, and space. A habitat can be as large as a forest or as small as a leaf. Habitats have different features, such as temperature, rainfall, soil, and sunlight. Consequently, these features affect the types of organisms that can live there. For example, a polar bear can live in the cold and snowy Arctic, but not in the hot and dry desert. Similarly, a cactus can survive in the desert, but not in the wet and shady rainforest. In this document, you will learn about habitats, why they are essential, and what makes up a habitat.

Why Are Habitats Important?

Habitats are important for many reasons. First, habitats support biodiversity, which is the variety of life on Earth. Biodiversity is essential for the health of our planet, because it provides benefits such as oxygen, food, medicine, and natural resources. Second, habitats maintain the balance of nature, which is the harmony between living things and their environment. For instance, habitats help regulate the climate, recycle nutrients, and purify water. Third, habitats are home to many amazing and unique organisms, some of which are endangered or threatened by human activities. Therefore, by protecting habitats, we can help conserve these species and their roles in the ecosystem. However, it’s important to note that habitats like coral reefs, wetlands, and rainforests are not invincible. In fact, they are vulnerable to pollution, deforestation, and climate change, all caused by human activities. Thus, this vulnerability underscores the urgent need for conservation efforts.

What Makes Up a Habitat?

A habitat is a complex system, composed of two main components: biotic and abiotic factors. Biotic factors are the living things in a habitat, such as plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria. They interact with each other and form a community. For example, in a pond habitat, you can find fish, frogs, turtles, algae, and water lilies. On the other hand, abiotic factors are the non-living things in a habitat, such as air, water, soil, rocks, and sunlight. These factors affect the physical and chemical conditions of a habitat. For instance, in a pond habitat, you can find temperature, pH, oxygen, and minerals. Overall, both biotic and abiotic factors influence the survival and adaptation of organisms in a habitat. In conclusion, this interactive nature of biotic and abiotic factors is what makes a habitat a dynamic and fascinating place.

2. Ecosystem 

A community of living organisms and their environment.
Example: The coral reef is a diverse ecosystem.

What is an Ecosystem?

Introduction
An ecosystem is a community of living and non-living things that interact with each other in a specific area. It includes plants, animals, microorganisms, soil, water, air, and sunlight. Thus, everything in an ecosystem depends on each other for survival and well-being.

Scaffolding

To understand an ecosystem, consider the metaphor of a house. A house comprises different parts, such as walls, roofs, windows, doors, furniture, and appliances. Similarly, each part of an ecosystem has a function and a role. Furthermore, the people in a house use its resources and affect it by changing, repairing, or damaging it. Likewise, organisms in an ecosystem interact with each other and with their environment, forming a system that works together.

Modeling

An ecosystem is similar to a house, but it is more complex and diverse. It consists of producers, consumers, decomposers, and abiotic factors. For example, producers make their own food, such as plants and algae. Consumers eat other organisms, such as animals and fungi. Meanwhile, decomposers break down dead or waste matter, such as bacteria and worms. Abiotic factors, like temperature, precipitation, wind, and soil, also influence the ecosystem. Additionally, energy and matter flow through an ecosystem, creating resources and services for the organisms.

Explanation

An ecosystem is essential because it provides many benefits, including food, water, oxygen, medicine, and recreation. Moreover, it supports biodiversity, which enhances resilience. Consequently, ecosystems can recover from disturbances, such as natural disasters or human activity. Some changes are gradual, such as succession, while others are sudden, such as invasion.

Example

A forest is a perfect example of an ecosystem. It contains various trees, plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms, along with soil, water, air, and sunlight. As a result, energy flows from the sun through producers to consumers, and matter is recycled via biogeochemical cycles. Ultimately, forests provide benefits like wood, fruits, nuts, herbs, and wildlife, while also supporting biodiversity, resilience, and adaptability.