• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Habitats and microhabitats). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. Which habitat is the rattlesnake best suited to? (the desert / the rainforest / the Arctic (polar) / the ocean) → the desertPrompt: Think about where it could find food and stay at a good temperature.
2. Woodlice are found under logs and stones. What does this microhabitat give them? (damp and dark conditions / bright sunlight / hot and dry conditions / salty water) → damp and dark conditionsPrompt: Woodlice dry out easily.
3. Which animal lives in the desert? (jaguar / Arctic fox / rattlesnake / jellyfish) → rattlesnakePrompt: Think about whether each animal suits cold, heat, water or trees.

• Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
• Share the objective: Match animals to their habitats. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Which habitat suits this animal best: mountain goat?
• Step 1: Grippy hooves help mountain goats climb steep rocks.
• Step 2: So the answer is: mountains
• Answer: mountains
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• 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 suits this animal best: clownfish? (coral reef / grassland (savanna) / desert / pond) → coral reefPrompt: Think about what the animal needs: warmth or cold, water, trees or open space?
2. Which animal is best suited to this habitat: mountains? (polar bear / clownfish / badger / mountain goat) → mountain goatPrompt: Which animal's body would help it survive there?

• 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.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Coral reefs are losing colour as seas get warmer. Why does this matter for clownfish? (It does not matter at all. / Their habitat gives them shelter and food, so damage to it harms them. / It makes the water saltier. / Clownfish only like bright colours.) → 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?
2. Which animal is best suited to this habitat: woodland? (clownfish / mountain goat / badger / polar bear) → badgerPrompt: Which animal's body would help it survive there?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-2.