Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 30 minutes
Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores
Animals and habitats
CCSS NGSS.K-LS1-1England: KS1 Y1 Animals, including humans
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: What animals need to survive
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Animal picture cards, Habitat maps, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What animals need to survive). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- How does a fish get the oxygen it needs? (from the food it eats / it does not need oxygen / from the water, using its gills / by jumping out to breathe air with lungs) → from the water, using its gillsPrompt: Fish have special parts on the sides of their heads.
- What animals need: which statement is true? (Many animals need shelter from weather and predators. / Fish do not need oxygen. / Animals can make their own food from sunlight, like plants. / Animals only need food, never water.) → Many animals need shelter from weather and predators.Prompt: Think about what you need to live.
- What animals need: which statement is NOT true? (Animals can make their own food from sunlight, like plants. / Animals need water to survive. / Animals get energy from their food. / Many animals need shelter from weather and predators.) → Animals can make their own food from sunlight, like plants.Prompt: One sentence is a mistake.
Hook · 3 min
- Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
- Share the objective: Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 7 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Is a sheep a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore?
- Step 1: Herbivores eat only plants.
- Step 2: So the answer is: herbivore
- Answer: herbivore
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 6 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Is a giraffe a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore? (herbivore / carnivore / omnivore) → herbivorePrompt: Does it eat plants, animals or both?
- Which of these animals is a carnivore? (tiger / human / giraffe / horse) → tigerPrompt: Herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat meat, omnivores eat both.
You do: independent practice · 7 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 3 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- A bear eats berries, roots and fish. What kind of eater is it? (carnivore / producer / omnivore / herbivore) → omnivorePrompt: It eats plants and animals.
- Is a chimpanzee a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore? (herbivore / carnivore / omnivore) → omnivorePrompt: Does it eat plants, animals or both?
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: What animals need to survive.
- Use concrete materials: animal picture cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder