Science lesson plan · Kindergarten (Reception and Year 1 in England) · 45 minutes
Animal homes: nests, burrows, hives and more
Animals and habitats
CCSS NGSS.K-ESS3-1CCSS NGSS.K-LS1-1England: EYFS Understanding the World: The natural worldEngland: KS1 Y2 Living things and their habitats
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Animal homes: nests, burrows, hives and more.
- 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: Animals that live on land, in water or in both
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? (to find sweets / for shelter and to stay safe / 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? (Many animals need shelter from weather and predators. / Animals need air to breathe. / Animals get energy from their food. / Fish do not need oxygen.) → 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: Animal homes: nests, burrows, hives and more. 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: Where does a rabbit live?
- Step 1: Rabbits dig burrows underground to hide and stay safe.
- Step 2: So the answer is: burrow
- Answer: burrow
- 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.
- Where does a bat live? (cave / hive / lodge / den) → cavePrompt: Think about what this animal builds or finds to stay safe.
- Which animal lives in this home: an empty shell? (ant / robin / bat / hermit crab) → hermit crabPrompt: Picture the home: is it underground, in a tree, in water or made of silk?
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.
- Which animal lives in this home: web? (robin / rabbit / beaver / spider) → spiderPrompt: Picture the home: is it underground, in a tree, in water or made of silk?
- A rabbit's burrow is underground. How does that help the rabbit? (It can fly away faster. / It gets more sunlight. / It can see further. / It can hide from foxes and keep warm.) → It can hide from foxes and keep warm.Prompt: Is it easy for a fox to follow a rabbit down a narrow tunnel?
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: Animals that live on land, in water or in both.
- 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/kindergarten.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder