Human Shelter

In this lesson, students investigate the relationship between the materials used to build human shelters (homes) and the environments in which they are found. Students observe and compare different images of human shelters to understand the connection between the natural environment and the resources that people use in their homes.

• Because humans are animals, we also need shelter, as well as food, water, and air.
• Humans build shelters or homes using different materials depending on the natural resources available in the area where they live.

• What kinds of shelters do people live in?
• Why are shelters important to people?
• What are houses and apartment buildings often made of?
• How do people change their environment when they build shelter?
• What are some of the ways that houses are different around the world?
• Why do people who live near forests often build houses out of wood?

Misconception: Anything that moves is alive, while all nonliving things have died.  

Fact: Not all moving things are living. Living things all have certain characteristics in common, including the ability to grow, exchange gasses with the environment, reproduce, excrete waste, and respond to stimuli, and all living things need energy to carry out these functions. Nonliving things do not meet all of the characteristics of life.

Misconception: Plants are not alive because we cannot see them move.

Fact: Plants are alive because they meet all of the requirements for life. For example, there is movement within plants; we just cannot see it.

Animal : a living thing that needs to eat other living things for energy and breathes in oxygen

Habitat : a place where life grows; provides plants and animals with clean water, air, food, and shelter

Shelter : a structure that protects animals from other animals and weather

In this mini-lesson, students observe photos of human shelters made from different materials found in the corresponding environments. Students compare the photos to observe how humans can use different natural resources from the environment to build shelter. As the teacher facilitates a Socratic dialogue, students discuss their observations of the shelters and the natural materials used to create those shelters. This conversation continues in the next lesson when students analyze how human activity impacts the environment. Students also develop solutions for ways to reduce this impact.