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Urban Animals

How does wildlife adapt in a city? Students will learn about animals that live in urban areas and create a diorama to depict their habitat.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper
  • Recycled Cardboard Box

Steps

  • Step 1

    With the shrinking availability of natural habitats, wild animals turn to cities for their living space. Ask students to research what types of animals are likely to thrive in a city and how they have evolved to to adapt to this new environment. Ask students to explore how advances in the field of sustainability and environmental protection, such as creating green spaces and improving the hygiene of cities, has helped animals in urban areas.

  • Step 2

    Have students create a diorama of animals in an urban setting. It might be ducks or swans in a city park, raccoons roaming city streets, or even colorful parrots spotted on telephone poles. They can create a background and some city features on paper, then glue the scene to an open recycled box. They can create and cut out additional features to embellish the diorama.

  • Step 3

    Have students present their dioramas and discuss some of the animals they learned about as well as how the animals have evolved to adapt to life in an urban area.

Standards

SCI: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information based on evidence.

SS: Time, Continuity, and Change: Understand linkages between human decisions and consequences.

Adaptations

Have students learn about organizations that help animals survive in various areas, such as Community Wildlife Habitats, Charles Gordon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, or Urban Wildlife Conservation (a division of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service).

Have students investigate some of the dos and don'ts of feeding wildlife. For example, feeding bread to ducks and geese can make them dependent on humans for food and also fill them with "junk food." And if you have a birdfeeder in your yard, remember to clean it frequently and discard wet seeds.