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Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 30 minutes

Habitats and microhabitats

Animals and habitats

CCSS NGSS.2-LS4-1CCSS NGSS.3-LS4-3England: KS1 Y2 Living things and their habitats

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Habitats and microhabitats.

  • 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: Adaptations to habitats; Match animals to their habitats

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? (Animals only need food, never water. / Fish do not need oxygen. / Animals get energy from their food. / Animals can make their own food from sunlight, like plants.) → Animals get energy from their food.Prompt: Think about what you need to live.
  3. What animals need: which statement is NOT true? (Animals get energy from their food. / Animals need water to survive. / Animals need air to breathe. / Fish do not need oxygen.) → Fish do not need oxygen.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: Habitats and microhabitats. 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: Which habitat is the polar bear best suited to?
  • Step 1: Polar habitats are icy and cold; animals there have thick fur or fat.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: the Arctic (polar)
  • Answer: the Arctic (polar)
  • 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. Which habitat is the woodpecker best suited to? (the rainforest / the Arctic (polar) / woodland / the ocean) → woodlandPrompt: Think about where it could find food and stay at a good temperature.
  2. Which animal would you most likely find in a pond? (a frog / a camel / a lion / a polar bear) → a frogPrompt: Which animal needs water to lay its eggs?

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. Which animal would you most likely find in a pond? (a frog / a lion / a camel / a polar bear) → a frogPrompt: Which animal needs water to lay its eggs?
  2. Which habitat is the poison dart frog best suited to? (the Arctic (polar) / the ocean / the desert / the rainforest) → the rainforestPrompt: Think about where it could find food and stay at a good temperature.

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

  • Move on to: Adaptations to habitats; Match animals to their habitats.
  • 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-2.

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

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Habitats and microhabitats

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    What is a habitat?

    • A. a type of weather
    • B. a kind of food
    • C. the natural home of a plant or animal
    • D. an animal's baby
  2. Question 2

    Which habitat is the jaguar best suited to?

    • A. the rainforest
    • B. the desert
    • C. woodland
    • D. the ocean
  3. Question 3

    Which animal lives in woodland?

    • A. starfish
    • B. scorpion
    • C. rattlesnake
    • D. woodpecker
  4. Question 4

    Which animal would you most likely find in a pond?

    • A. a lion
    • B. a frog
    • C. a polar bear
    • D. a camel
  5. Question 5

    Which habitat is the deer best suited to?

    • A. the desert
    • B. woodland
    • C. the ocean
    • D. the Arctic (polar)
  6. Question 6

    Which animal lives in the rainforest?

    • A. woodpecker
    • B. polar bear
    • C. jaguar
    • D. jellyfish

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Answer key: Habitats and microhabitats

  1. 1. C. the natural home of a plant or animal

  2. 2. A. the rainforest

  3. 3. D. woodpecker

  4. 4. B. a frog

  5. 5. B. woodland

  6. 6. C. jaguar