Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 45 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 · 5 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.
- Why does a rabbit need a burrow? (for shelter and to stay safe / to find sweets / to grow taller / to make the soil wet) → for shelter and to stay safePrompt: What does a home give an animal?
- What animals need: which statement is true? (Fish do not need oxygen. / Animals can make their own food from sunlight, like plants. / Animals only need food, never water. / Animals get energy from their food.) → Animals get energy from their food.Prompt: Think about what you need to live.
- What animals need: which statement is NOT true? (Animals get energy from their food. / Animals need air to breathe. / Fish do not need oxygen. / Many animals need shelter from weather and predators.) → Fish do not need oxygen.Prompt: One sentence is a mistake.
Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 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.
- Which habitat is the starfish best suited to? (woodland / the Arctic (polar) / the rainforest / the ocean) → the oceanPrompt: Think about where it could find food and stay at a good temperature.
- Which animal would you most likely find in a pond? (a camel / a polar bear / a lion / a frog) → a frogPrompt: Which animal needs water to lay its eggs?
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.
- Woodlice are found under logs and stones. What does this microhabitat give them? (salty water / bright sunlight / damp and dark conditions / hot and dry conditions) → damp and dark conditionsPrompt: Woodlice dry out easily.
- Which habitat is the sloth best suited to? (woodland / the desert / the rainforest / the Arctic (polar)) → 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