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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.
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  1. Is a giraffe a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore? (herbivore / carnivore / omnivore) → herbivorePrompt: Does it eat plants, animals or both?
  2. 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.
  1. A bear eats berries, roots and fish. What kind of eater is it? (carnivore / producer / omnivore / herbivore) → omnivorePrompt: It eats plants and animals.
  2. 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

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Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which of these animals is a carnivore?

    • A. owl
    • B. deer
    • C. horse
    • D. chimpanzee
  2. Question 2

    Is a brown bear a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore?

    • A. herbivore
    • B. carnivore
    • C. omnivore
  3. Question 3

    Cows have wide, flat back teeth. What are they good for?

    • A. catching fish
    • B. grinding grass and plants
    • C. cracking bones
    • D. tearing meat
  4. Question 4

    Which of these animals is a omnivore?

    • A. shark
    • B. wolf
    • C. deer
    • D. human
  5. Question 5

    Is a shark a herbivore, a carnivore or an omnivore?

    • A. herbivore
    • B. carnivore
    • C. omnivore
  6. Question 6

    Humans eat bread, vegetables, eggs and fish. What kind of eaters are humans?

    • A. herbivores
    • B. omnivores
    • C. carnivores
    • D. producers

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Answer key: Herbivores, carnivores and omnivores

  1. 1. A. owl

  2. 2. C. omnivore

  3. 3. B. grinding grass and plants

  4. 4. D. human

  5. 5. B. carnivore

  6. 6. B. omnivores