The Habitat Tracker Teacher Experience

This part of our site will guide you, the teacher, through the three modules needed to successfully complete the Habitat Tracker program during a three-week time span. You can use the menu bar on the left to guide you through Module 1, Module 2, Module 3 and their associated lessons and inquiry activities.


Module pages have been designed to provide you with a brief summary on the topics covered in the lessons for that specific module. Each lesson plan is presented in the following format:

  • OVERVIEW of the activity and how it relates to the nature of science and scientific inquiry.
  • LEARNING GOALS list what students should understand by the end of each lesson.
  • BACKGROUND information to help you understand the topics of the lesson.
  • PROCEDURES are step-by-step warm up and procedural instructions, which will guide you through the activity. Additionally, extension activities for further learning opportunities will be presented here.
  • ASSESSMENTs allow you to gauge how well each student understood the concept, which in most cases, involves worksheets or journal entries that take place during or after the activity.
  • EXIT TICKETs are a method of assessment that allow you to further determine how well your students understood the concepts presented in the lesson. In this assessment, students use index card-sized paper to answer questions about key points from the lesson (~ 2 to 10 minutes). Students must hand their cards to you before they can exit the classroom at the end of the day.

Along the way, we will highlight common student misconceptions and provide “word wall words” that you can display prominently in your classroom to drive the learning experience and that give you an idea of how long each lesson will take. Additionally, the Sunshine State Standards targeted by each lesson and a list of the materials you will need to complete each lab are identified, and pertinent files are provided as linked documents. Each lesson has been built to be a self-guided experience, but we will include additional resources and links in each lesson’s media bar, if you would like to explore the subject in more detail.

If you are unfamiliar with the nature of science and scientific inquiry or just need a refresher, we provide a holistic overview of this topic on the next page.

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