Science lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 45 minutes
Why some animals live in groups
Ecosystems and food chains
CCSS NGSS.3-LS2-1England: KS2 Y4 Living things and their habitats
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Why some animals live in groups.
- 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: Producers, consumers, predators and prey
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Food web cards, Arrows to build chains, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Producers, consumers, predators and prey). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- acacia leaves → giraffe → lion What is the giraffe in this food chain? (primary consumer / producer / secondary consumer / tertiary consumer) → primary consumerPrompt: Start at the plant and count the arrows.
- acacia leaves → giraffe → lion Which animal is the prey of the lion? (acacia leaves / giraffe / lion) → giraffePrompt: A predator hunts and eats other animals; its prey is the animal it eats.
- Food chains: which statement is true? (A consumer gets its energy by eating other living things. / Herbivores are predators. / A food chain can start with a lion. / Producers eat consumers.) → A consumer gets its energy by eating other living things.Prompt: Producers make food; consumers eat.
Hook · 5 min
- Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
- Share the objective: Why some animals live in groups. 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: How does living in a group help here: wolves hunting as a pack?
- Step 1: So the answer is: they can catch animals much bigger than one wolf
- Answer: they can catch animals much bigger than one wolf
- 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 does living in a group help here: honeybees in a hive? (they share warmth in freezing winds / they can catch animals much bigger than one wolf / one warns the others when a hawk is near / workers share jobs like collecting food and caring for young) → workers share jobs like collecting food and caring for youngPrompt: Think about food, safety, warmth and sharing work.
- Geese fly in a V shape and take turns at the front. How does this help? (Birds behind save energy, and sharing the front spreads the hard work. / It makes them fly slower. / It keeps them dry. / It helps them see the ground.) → Birds behind save energy, and sharing the front spreads the hard work.Prompt: Cyclists in a race ride close behind each other for the same reason.
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 does living in a group help here: meerkats taking turns as lookouts? (it is hard for a predator to pick out one fish / workers share jobs like collecting food and caring for young / one warns the others when a hawk is near / they share warmth in freezing winds) → one warns the others when a hawk is nearPrompt: Think about food, safety, warmth and sharing work.
- True or false? Living in a group can help animals stay warm. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Think of the benefits and the costs.
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: Producers, consumers, predators and prey.
- Use concrete materials: food web 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-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder