STEM & Maker Activity 28

Species Map
Supplies, instructions, resources, and worksheets are below!

Project Description
Plants and animals are different in different parts of the world. Plants and animals live in different environments or biomes. Sometimes plants and animals migrate to other areas which can affect the new environments because they are not native to that area. In this project, you’ll observe an environment (or biome) and map the plant and/or animal species that live there.

Activity Time
5 days

Supplies Needed
1/2 inch 3-ring binder (or staple together at the end)
26 pieces of 8/12 x 11 inch printing paper
Printer or copy machine
Pencil with eraser
Ruler (if necessary)
Black sharpie marker pen
Digital camera or colored pencils
Magnifying glass (optional)
Scissors
Glue stick
Species Worksheet
An outdoor area for observation (backyard, park, tide pools, etc.)

Learning Objectives
Understand how plants and animals live in different environments
Understand how invasive species can change environments
How plants and animals adapt to environments
Learning about observation
Using tables and notes

Vocabulary Terms to Understand
Look up each word and write their definition on paper to include in your 3-ring binder.
observation
5-senses
environment
biome
species
habitat
organism
invasive
climate
terrestrial
marine
fresh water
humidity
diversity
estuary
soil nutrients
marine
desert
mountains
elevation
inference
qualitative
quantitative

Example Instructional Video

How to Observe a Plant


Observation vs Inference

Instructions
1. Print 25 Species Worksheets using the 25 pieces of paper or use a copy machine to produce them.
2. Use 5 Species Worksheets for each day of observation (5 total days).
3. Use one sheet of blank printer paper to draw a map of your observation location. First draw out your location map using pencil. Use a ruler if necessary. Then, use the black marker sharpie to trace over your map. Use an eraser to erase the pencil markings. Use this map to mark the location and label of each species you discover. Alternative, you can take a screenshot and print your observation location using Google Maps. Put it in your 3-ring binder. You will label the names of each species you find on your map, in their proper location where you found them.
4. Locate different animal and/or plant species in your observation environment. Use a different Species Worksheet for each species you find. Use the Species Worksheet (about 5 per day), and complete the Species Worksheet for each species. Use your digital camera to take a picture of the species you find. Cut out and glue each picture on to the appropriate Species Worksheet. Or, you can draw each species on the Species Worksheet using colored pencils. Put each Species Worksheet in your binder. There are some species databases in the Resources listed below to assist you.

Questions
Answer the questions below and include them in your 3-ring binder:
What is a biome?
How do invasive species affect environments?
What are the major biome types?
What climate do you live in?
What type of plants and animals live near you?

More Resources
iNaturalist.org: Species Observations
List of Biodiversity Databases
A to Z Animals
Nat Geo: Biomes
Habitats and Biomes
Types of Biomes in the World
Tropical Rainforests
Invasive Species