Science Fundamentals

Gr 2—6—This brief production introduces biological diversity. A bubbly female narrator looks at six types of habitats and their indigenous plants and animals. The polar regions, tundra, desert, grasslands, forests (coniferous, temperate, and rain), and water (both fresh and salt) are covered. When a habitat is first presented, a map of the world glows with color where environmental regions of that type are found. Thus, students learn that kangaroos, bison, and elephants, though living on different continents, all live in grasslands. Terms that may be unfamiliar are shown on the screen and then defined by the narrator. Through both still images and video clips, students are shown what the habitats look like, the plants and animals unique to them, and how the animals have adapted to their environment. Since the program is so short, it misses some good visual opportunities. For example, the arctic hare's white winter coat is shown, but not it's dark summer coat. The DVD wraps up with an overview of the concepts presented. Students will need a lot of follow up to retain the information presented.—Geri Diorio, Ridgefield Library, CT