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? (desert / Arctic ice / coral reef / rainforest) → rainforestPrompt: Think about what the animal needs: warmth or cold, water, trees or open space?
- Which animal is best suited to this habitat: Arctic ice? (toucan / clownfish / mountain goat / polar bear) → polar bearPrompt: Which animal's body would help it survive there?
- Coral reefs are losing colour as seas get warmer. Why does this matter for clownfish? (Clownfish only like bright colours. / It makes the water saltier. / Their habitat gives them shelter and food, so damage to it harms them. / It does not matter at all.) → Their habitat gives them shelter and food, so damage to it harms them.Prompt: What does a reef provide for the fish that live there?
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.
- Why did the car park (parking lot) have so few kinds of living things? (It was too dark. / Animals are not allowed in car parks. / Hard ground gives little food, water or shelter. / Cars eat the plants.) → Hard ground gives little food, water or shelter.Prompt: What does a habitat need to support lots of life?
- What does "biodiversity" mean? (the biggest animal in a place / the variety of different kinds of living things in a place / how hot a place is / the number of buildings in a place) → the variety of different kinds of living things in a placePrompt: "Bio" means life and "diversity" means variety.
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.
- Why did the car park (parking lot) have so few kinds of living things? (Cars eat the plants. / Animals are not allowed in car parks. / Hard ground gives little food, water or shelter. / It was too dark.) → Hard ground gives little food, water or shelter.Prompt: What does a habitat need to support lots of life?
- How could the school increase biodiversity on the playing field? (Cover it in concrete. / Mow it every day. / Leave a strip of long grass and plant wild flowers. / Remove every tree and bush.) → Leave a strip of long grass and plant wild flowers.Prompt: What do insects and small animals need?
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