Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 45 minutes
Compare how many kinds of living things live in different places
Animals and habitats
CCSS NGSS.2-LS4-1CCSS NGSS.SEP 4England: KS1 Y2 Living things and their habitatsEngland: KS2 Y4 Living things and their habitats
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Compare how many kinds of living things live in different places.
- 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: Match animals to their habitats
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 · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Match animals to their habitats). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which habitat suits this animal best: toucan? (Arctic ice / coral reef / rainforest / grassland (savanna)) → rainforestPrompt: Think about what the animal needs: warmth or cold, water, trees or open space?
- Which animal is best suited to this habitat: desert? (frog / polar bear / camel / clownfish) → camelPrompt: Which animal's body would help it survive there?
- What would probably happen to a polar bear moved to a hot desert? (It would overheat and struggle to find food. / It would turn into a camel. / It would grow scales. / It would be happier.) → It would overheat and struggle to find food.Prompt: What is its thick fur good for?
Hook · 5 min
- Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
- Share the objective: Compare how many kinds of living things live in different places. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: What does "biodiversity" mean?
- Step 1: Biodiversity is the variety of life in an area.
- Step 2: So the answer is: the variety of different kinds of living things in a place
- Answer: the variety of different kinds of living things in a place
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- How could the school increase biodiversity on the playing field? (Remove every tree and bush. / Leave a strip of long grass and plant wild flowers. / Cover it in concrete. / Mow it every day.) → Leave a strip of long grass and plant wild flowers.Prompt: What do insects and small animals need?
- Why did the car park (parking lot) have so few kinds of living things? (It was too dark. / Hard ground gives little food, water or shelter. / Cars eat the plants. / Animals are not allowed in car parks.) → Hard ground gives little food, water or shelter.Prompt: What does a habitat need to support lots of life?
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- How could the school increase biodiversity on the playing field? (Mow it every day. / Cover it in concrete. / Remove every tree and bush. / Leave a strip of long grass and plant wild flowers.) → Leave a strip of long grass and plant wild flowers.Prompt: What do insects and small animals need?
- Why is it fair to search each place for the same 10 minutes? (It does not matter how long you search. / Animals only come out for 10 minutes. / A longer search in one place would find more just because of the extra time. / Ten is a lucky number.) → A longer search in one place would find more just because of the extra time.Prompt: What should be the only difference between the searches?
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: Match animals to their habitats.
- 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-2.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder