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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 minutes

Environments change: human impact

Ecosystems and food chains

CCSS NGSS.4-ESS3-1CCSS NGSS.5-ESS3-1CCSS NGSS.MS-ESS3-3England: KS2 Y4 Living things and their habitatsEngland: KS3 Biology: Interactions and interdependencies

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Environments change: human impact.

  • 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: Simple food chains

Leads to: How communities protect Earth's land, water, air and life; Living and non-living factors in an ecosystem

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 · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Simple food chains). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? grass → grasshopper → frog → ___ (lettuce / snake / seeds / algae) → snakePrompt: It must eat the thing before it in the chain.
  2. Where does the energy in a food chain first come from? (the top predator / the soil / the Sun / the rain) → the SunPrompt: What do plants need to make food?
  3. Which living thing fills the gap in this food chain? ___ → giraffe → lion (krill / acacia leaves / rabbit / grasshopper) → acacia leavesPrompt: A food chain starts with a plant.

Hook · 6 min

  • Show a food web and ask what would happen if one animal disappeared.
  • Share the objective: Environments change: human impact. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Does this help or harm wildlife: draining wetlands?
  • Step 1: Actions that destroy or pollute habitats harm living things.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: harms wildlife
  • Answer: harms wildlife
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Does this help or harm wildlife: dropping litter? (helps wildlife / harms wildlife) → harms wildlifePrompt: Does it make habitats bigger and cleaner, or smaller and dirtier?
  2. A new road is built through a wood. How might this affect the badgers that live there? (They will turn into a new species straight away / They will have more food / It will have no effect / Their habitat is split and some may be hit by traffic) → Their habitat is split and some may be hit by trafficPrompt: Badgers travel to find food.

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Why is cutting down large areas of rainforest a problem? (It makes more rain / Many animals and plants lose their habitat / Rainforests have no animals / Trees grow back in a day) → Many animals and plants lose their habitatPrompt: Where would the animals that lived in the trees go?
  2. Does this help or harm wildlife: cutting down rainforest? (helps wildlife / harms wildlife) → harms wildlifePrompt: Does it make habitats bigger and cleaner, or smaller and dirtier?

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: Simple food chains.
  • 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

  • Move on to: How communities protect Earth's land, water, air and life; Living and non-living factors in an ecosystem.
  • 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-4.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Environments change: human impact

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Does this help or harm wildlife: creating a nature reserve?

    • A. helps wildlife
    • B. harms wildlife

  2. Question 2

    Why is cutting down large areas of rainforest a problem?

    • A. Rainforests have no animals
    • B. Many animals and plants lose their habitat
    • C. It makes more rain
    • D. Trees grow back in a day

  3. Question 3

    Which action helps wildlife?

    • A. cutting down rainforest
    • B. dumping plastic in the sea
    • C. recycling plastic
    • D. dropping litter

  4. Question 4

    Does this help or harm wildlife: planting native trees?

    • A. helps wildlife
    • B. harms wildlife

  5. Question 5

    How can plastic in the ocean harm sea turtles?

    • A. Turtles use plastic to build nests
    • B. Plastic makes the water warmer
    • C. Plastic is food for turtles
    • D. They can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them

  6. Question 6

    Which action harms wildlife?

    • A. draining wetlands
    • B. leaving wild areas for bees
    • C. recycling plastic
    • D. creating a nature reserve

  7. Question 7

    Does this help or harm wildlife: recycling plastic?

    • A. helps wildlife
    • B. harms wildlife

  8. Question 8

    Which is a natural change to an environment?

    • A. spraying pesticides
    • B. building a car park
    • C. building a dam
    • D. a volcano erupting

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Answer key: Environments change: human impact

  1. 1. A. helps wildlife

  2. 2. B. Many animals and plants lose their habitat

  3. 3. C. recycling plastic

  4. 4. A. helps wildlife

  5. 5. D. They can mistake plastic bags for jellyfish and eat them

  6. 6. A. draining wetlands

  7. 7. A. helps wildlife

  8. 8. D. a volcano erupting