A Morning Meeting sharing activity for Grade 3 from the book Doing Science in Morning Meeting.

Happy Habitats

Science Content: Animals and habitats
Disciplinary Core Ideas: Life Sciences—ecosystems (interactions, energy, and dynamics)
Science & Engineering Practices: Asking questions; constructing explanations
Crosscutting Concepts: Structure and function; stability and change

Materials Needed: None
Vocabulary: Habitat, survive

How to do it:
  1. Assign students partners (someone they don’t usually play with, for example).
  2. Model the sharing with a volunteer: “Today, we’re going to share about one thing in our homes that helps us to survive. I’ll start. A bed helps me get the rest I need. Felipe, what helps you survive at home?”
  3. Have students share with their partners.
  4. As time allows, invite a few students to share with the whole class.

Variation: Have students choose an animal and share with a partner one thing about their animal’s habitat that helps it survive.

Extending the Science Learning After Morning Meeting:

  • Ask reflective questions, such as “How do the things that help us survive at home relate to what helps animals survive in their habitats?” (For example, a fox uses a den for rest and we use a bed for rest).
  • Encourage students to study an animal’s habitat and compare and contrast it with their “home” habitat.


Doing Science in Morning Meeting: 150 Quick Activities That Connect to Your Curriculum
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by Lara Webb & Margaret Berry Wilson

Foster science learning with quick, fun, meaningful activities for grades K–6. Increase students’ excitement about science, deepen content knowledge, and enhance science skills.

Shaped by A Framework for K–12 Science Education, which serves as the foundation for the Next Generation Science Standards, Doing Science in Morning Meeting can supplement any science curriculum. The book also includes 10 science-theme meetings, in which every component of Morning Meeting connects to the same science concept or skill set.

No matter which activities you use, the activities in Doing Science in Morning Meeting will inspire you and your students to think and act like scientists!