Provide a metaview, lifting students into a wider view of the concept. Use another medium (not reading or writing) to connect students' personal knowing to the concept (i.e. visual arts, music, movement, metaphor, etc.) Involve learners in reflective production that blends the emotional and the cognitive.

Make coathanger magnifying glasses; look on grass & dirt; what do you see?

Objective: Students will discover that within a habitat, there are mini-habitats that sometimes go unnoticed.

Activity: Have a wire coathanger for each student. Bend the wire into a circle. This is representing a magnifying glass. Show students a real magnifying glass. Go outside to a grassy area. In partners or individually, have students observe what is inside the boundaries of their coathanger magnifying glass. After a few minutes, have students choose another area to observe. Make sure students look at two different types of micro-environments (i.e., dirt, grass, mud, concrete, etc.). Have students draw what they saw in their magnifying glass.

Assessment: Students' drawings will reflect two different mini-habitats.