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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes

Environments change: human impact

Ecosystems and food chains

CCSS NGSS.4-ESS3-1CCSS NGSS.5-ESS3-1CCSS NGSS.MS-ESS3-3England: KS2 Y4 Living things and their habitatsEngland: KS3 Biology: Interactions and interdependencies

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Environments change: human impact.

  • 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: Simple food chains

Leads to: How communities protect Earth's land, water, air and life; Living and non-living factors in an ecosystem

Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Simple food chains). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? phytoplankton → krill → penguin → ___ (leopard seal / acacia leaves / grass / lettuce) → leopard sealPrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.
  2. grass → rabbit → fox. Which living thing is a plant? (grass / rabbit / fox) → grassPrompt: It is at the start of the chain.
  3. Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? algae → tadpole → fish → ___ (acacia leaves / phytoplankton / heron / grass) → heronPrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
  • Share the objective: Environments change: human impact. 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: Does this help or harm wildlife: draining wetlands?
  • Step 1: Actions that destroy or pollute habitats harm living things.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: harms wildlife
  • Answer: harms wildlife
  • 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. Does this help or harm wildlife: dumping plastic in the sea? (helps wildlife / harms wildlife) → harms wildlifePrompt: Does it make habitats bigger and cleaner, or smaller and dirtier?
  2. Which is a natural change to an environment? (spraying pesticides / building a car park / a volcano erupting / building a dam) → a volcano eruptingPrompt: Which one is not caused by people?

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. Does this help or harm wildlife: digging a wildlife pond? (helps wildlife / harms wildlife) → helps wildlifePrompt: Does it make habitats bigger and cleaner, or smaller and dirtier?
  2. How can plastic in the ocean harm sea turtles? (Turtles use plastic to build nests / They can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them / Plastic is food for turtles / Plastic makes the water warmer) → They can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat themPrompt: What do some turtles like to eat that floats?

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: Simple food chains.
  • Use concrete materials: food web 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

  • Move on to: How communities protect Earth's land, water, air and life; Living and non-living factors in an ecosystem.
  • 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-4.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Environments change: human impact

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which action helps wildlife?

    • A. creating a nature reserve
    • B. draining wetlands
    • C. dropping litter
    • D. cutting down rainforest

  2. Question 2

    Does this help or harm wildlife: dropping litter?

    • A. helps wildlife
    • B. harms wildlife

  3. Question 3

    Which is a natural change to an environment?

    • A. spraying pesticides
    • B. building a dam
    • C. building a car park
    • D. a volcano erupting

  4. Question 4

    Does this help or harm wildlife: draining wetlands?

    • A. helps wildlife
    • B. harms wildlife

  5. Question 5

    Why is cutting down large areas of rainforest a problem?

    • A. It makes more rain
    • B. Many animals and plants lose their habitat
    • C. Rainforests have no animals
    • D. Trees grow back in a day

  6. Question 6

    Which action harms wildlife?

    • A. leaving wild areas for bees
    • B. digging a wildlife pond
    • C. planting native trees
    • D. dropping litter

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Answer key: Environments change: human impact

  1. 1. A. creating a nature reserve

  2. 2. B. harms wildlife

  3. 3. D. a volcano erupting

  4. 4. B. harms wildlife

  5. 5. B. Many animals and plants lose their habitat

  6. 6. D. dropping litter