Lesson 04 – Humans and Habitats

Read About Humans and Habitats

Vocabulary

Read the vocabulary terms to understand the reading better.

Natural Habitats

Natural habitats are natural environments in which a species or groups of species live.

Pollution

Pollution is when gases, smoke and chemicals get into the environment and make it harmful to living things.

Recycling

Recycling is the process of taking materials ready to be thrown away and transforming them into new products.

Humans and Habitats

How do humans affect natural habitats?

More People

The population of Earth is growing. More space is needed for things such as homes, hospitals, schools, stores, and factories. Natural habitats are destroyed by building on them.

Think of the plants and animals that might live in a habitat. They might disappear from the area forever.

More Pollution

Humans create pollution. When there are more people, there is more pollution. Here are some examples:

• Factories put smoke into the air. Chemicals in the smoke are harmful to plants and animals.
• Factories dump liquid waste into lakes and rivers. Chemicals in the waste poison life in lakes and rivers. Dangerous chemicals build up inside a fish’s body. If you eat the fish, those chemicals go into your body.
• People pour dangerous chemicals down drains. These chemicals might end up in lakes and rivers. They might end up in our drinking water. Many people do not realize that things such as paint, old medicines, and cleaning products contain harmful chemicals.

More Hope for the Future

Today, more and more people realize that it is important to protect habitats. More people are trying to save natural habitats. Here are some of the things people are doing:

• Recycling wood and paper products. This means fewer trees need to be cut down.
• Finding ways for factories to produce less pollution.
• Taking dangerous liquids to hazardous waste facilities.

To learn about more ways you can help the environment, watch the video by Fun World For Kids on Youtube.

Now Show What You Know!

Complete some questions about the reading selection by clicking “Begin Questions” below.