YEAR: 2
SUBJECT: Science
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Key Questions
Lesson A
Understand the differences and
similarities between plants and
animals.
Understand the differences between
things that are living and things that
have never been alive.
Understand that animals including
humans move, feed, grow, use their
senses and reproduce.
Relate life processes to animals and
plants found in the local environment.
Group living things according to
observable similarities and
differences.
Use simple scientific language to
name and describe living things.
Scientific Enquiry
Use first-hand experience and simple
information sources to answer
questions.
Make simple comparisons.
Living Things
ACTIVITIES
OUTCOMES
RESOURCES
Including other adults
Whole class teaching: Remind children of work done about living and non living in Year 1 and make
class concept map on flip chart or use session resources on whiteboard to ask - ‘What do we know?’
What would we like to know? (session resources). Children generate questions to be answered over
Strand (return to this at end of Strand to find out ‘What we have learnt/discovered.’)
Explain that animals and plants are both living things. Show a range of pictures of plants and animals
using suitable books or session resources. Note: chn may not think of trees as plants, or minibeasts
as animals!
Group activities:
Adult-led activity: Provide a minibeast/s e.g. snail, beetle found locally and a plant/s in a pot or in a
tray so roots are visible (pictures could be used if this is not possible). Have labels with questions
available to prompt discussion of similarities and differences (session resources). Select questions
as appropriate for individuals or groups. Can it move? Children will know that animals can move
about but may not realise plants move as they respond to light and as they grow. Can it breathe?
All animals breathe and although you cannot see plants taking in air it is happening. Can it have
babies? Animals have babies or lay eggs (snails eggs look like tiny white beads) while plants produce
seeds or spores or send out runners to make new plants, cuttings can also be taken. Can it see,
hear, feel, taste and smell? Plants are sensitive to light, some plants wind round a support. Does it
need water? Does it need food? Animals all need food but plants make their own through
photosynthesis. Both need water. Encourage children to observe carefully and talk about what they
see. What colour is it? Are plants always green? etc.
Safety: Wash hands after handling animals and plants.
Independent activity: Give the children slips of card or paper and ask them in pairs or individually to
draw and label as many animals and plants that they can think of to sort later, one on each piece of
card. Explain that animals include fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians as well as mammals (session
resources). Tell them that humans are mammals. Provide books, pictures, etc for reference.
Independent activity: Explore www.symbolworld.org for good activities and information on animal
groups. Click on learning - science and nature - more stories or use this link
http://www.symbolworld.org/science-sites/animal_groups/index.htm.
Extension: Children label their animals as mammal, reptile, bird, fish or amphibian. If they know any
interesting facts they could write them on the back (write ‘fact’ on front of card to show there is
something interesting to read).
Plenary: Children sit in a circle and sort their favourite picture/s of plants and animals in two sets.
Extension: Children say if their animal is a mammal, reptile, bird, fish, or amphibian and if time read
the fact.
I can:
1. Recognise
differences
between
plants and
animals.
2. Explain
that there
are different
groups of
animals.
Minibeast in
container e.g. snail
and plant in pot or
tray (so roots are
visible) to look at
or alternatively a
picture of plant
and animal, topic
books, hoops for
sorting, supply of
A6 pieces of card
or paper.
Evaluation
Lesson B
Understand that there are different
plants and animals in the locality and
they need to be handled with care
and sensitivity.
Find out about the different kinds of
plants and animals in the local
environment.
Learn how to treat animals with care
and sensitivity.
Use simple scientific language to
communicate ideas and to name and
describe living things.
Learn through a range of
environmental contexts that are
familiar and of interest to them.
Scientific Enquiry
Use first-hand experience and simple
information sources to answer
questions.
Make simple comparisons.
Whole class teaching: NB. Lessons B and D are based around outside activities and need access to a
nature area or garden where it is possible to find insects and other creatures. If you have no such
access a good quality set of plastic minibeasts would be very useful.
Introduce vocabulary (lesson resources) and talk about in particular the words ‘minibeast’ and
‘habitat’. It is useful to have extra adult help for this session. Tell the children that they are going
to go for a walk around the school grounds to see what plants and animals they can find (it is worth
checking beforehand to find where it is best to see/collect minibeasts). Children talk with a partner
to try and guess what they might see and where they might see it. Discuss procedure and ways of
collecting minibeasts that will not harm them. They need to remember where their minibeast was
collected so they can return it to the same place. Show how to use a hand lens properly.
Safety: Wash hands after handling animals and plants.
I can:
1. Handle
living
creatures
with care.
2. Name some
animals and
plants that
live in our
school
grounds.
Access to nature
area, containers
for minibeasts, e.g.
tubs with
magnifying
lids/margarine
containers + lids,
paintbrushes,
pooters or good
set of plastic
minibeasts, hand
lenses.
Class activities: Start in a fairly arid part of the playground and look for plants. Why are there not
many plants here? Will there be many animals or minibeasts? End up in the garden, nature trail,
wild area, etc. Ask Do you think there will be more animals here? Why? Give children time walk
around carefully looking for animals. Come back as a group and discuss. With help they could collect
one minibeast between 2 people, with the class ending up with as many different kinds as possible.
Take minibeasts back to class. Talk about and try to name what you have found, make labels
together to put by tub. Put minibeasts tubs on tables on white pieces of paper. Children move round
doing careful drawings, counting legs, etc (lesson resources). Then return minibeasts to the place
they were found.
Independent activity: Look at topic books to find more information about the creatures found.
Lesson C
Understand that we can group living
things by the way they look.
Find out about the different kinds of
animals and plants in the local
environment.
Use simple scientific language to
communicate ideas and to name and
describe living things.
Learn through a range of
environmental contexts that are
familiar and of interest to them.
Scientific Enquiry
Learn that it is important to collect
evidence by making observations.
Make simple comparisons and
identify simple patterns and
associations.
Plenary: Share questions, points of interest and observations raised by session.
Whole class teaching: Talk about the minibeast hunt from the last lesson and show the set of plastic
minibeasts. Explain that scientists need to sort (classify) living creatures into groups to help them
study them. Ask – How could we sort these animals? In a circle give each child a plastic minibeast
and help them to sort them on a chart according to number of legs, shells/no shells, wings/no wings,
etc (lesson resources).
Introduce the minibeast fact cards (lesson resources) and read through them with the children.
Adult-led activity: Repeat sorting activity with small groups using correct vocabulary. Begin to talk
about where the minibeasts might live in preparation for the next lesson.
Independent activity: Give the children sets of minibeast fact cards (lesson resources) or topic
books and ask them to draw and write about one or more minibeasts including 3 facts (or different
number according to ability). Ask Where do they live? What do they look like (number of legs,
wings, eyes etc)? What do they eat?
Extension: Ask children to think about interesting ways to present their facts, layout, diagrams, etc
- show examples from books. Could provide circles, hexagons etc to draw round to put
diagrams/text in.
Independent activity: Use sorting sheet to record minibeast groupings (lesson resources) by drawing
I can:
1. Name some
of the plants
and animals
that live near
where I live.
2. Ask
interesting
questions and
find answers
to some of
them.
Set of plastic
minibeasts (one
minibeast for each
child), floor chart
(enlarged lesson
resource).
and labelling.
Independent activity: Explore
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/6_7/plants_animals_env.shtml
for good lower primary facts.
Lesson D
Understand that where animals live
affects the way they look.
Find out about the different kinds of
animals and plants in the local
environment.
Identify similarities and differences
between local environments and ways
in which these affect animals and
plants that are found there.
Use simple scientific language to
communicate ideas and to name and
describe living things.
Learn through a range of
environmental contexts that are
familiar and of interest to them.
Use simple scientific language and
describe living things.
Scientific Enquiry
Ask questions and decide how they
might find answers to them.
Use first hand experience and simple
information sources to answer
questions.
Lesson E
Understand that working with others
can help us to find ways to answer a
question or solve a problem.
Know how to treat animals with care
and sensitivity.
Learn through a range of
environmental contexts that are
familiar and of interest to them.
Scientific Enquiry
Ask questions and decide how they
might find answers to them.
Plenary: Have a circle time with questions which start ‘I wonder why…?’ Encourage children to ask
questions about minibeasts. Ask Did anyone find answers to any of the questions when looking
for (researching) facts)? Share work done by children.
Whole class teaching: Show some pictures of other obvious, non minibeast examples of animals e.g.
giraffe, polar bear, dolphin, zebra (lesson resources). Develop the idea that creatures live in
different habitats because in those places they can find what they need to survive. Explain simply
that over many, many years their bodies and the way they live have gradually changed to suit where
they live. Make links with the plants (or lack of plants) found in those habitats.
Class activities: Go on another minibeast hunt. This time the emphasis is not on collecting but on
noticing where the minibeasts are to be found, relate to plants where possible. Keep asking - Where
does it live? + Why do you think it lives there? If there is no access to wild area, provide pictures
of minibeasts in their habitat or look at Canterbury environmental website (see below) although any
kind of live minibeast is 100% more engaging for the children! Use ‘minibeast habitats’ (lesson
resources) to record where they were found. Complete the first 2 boxes and then back in the
classroom have a discussion about why the minibeast might have been found there. Give the children
the list of prompts (lesson resources) for support.
I can:
1. Talk that
about why
animals live in
different
places.
2. Suggest
reasons why
plants and
animals are
found in
different
places.
Access to nature
area, hand lenses
or pictures of
minibeasts in
habitats.
Safety: Wash hands after handling animals and plants.
Independent activity: Look at topic books to find more information about the creatures found.
Plenary: On a whiteboard or projector take children through Australian Museum website (kid’s
pages) for lots of great information and pictures about habitats. Just click on this link,
http://australianmuseum.net.au/Wild-Kids-Habitats click on coastal habitats, forest habitats, etc.
Whole class teaching: This is a problem solving session. Tell the children we are going to have a snail
race to find out - Which is the fastest snail? And that they need to help solve a problem. How
could we design a race track for snails? What will be the problems? Remind them about when
they have a race themselves. What makes it fair? The problem is that the snails won’t obey the
rules! How can we design something with a start and finish where it doesn’t matter which ways the
snails crawl? Discuss snail welfare! Handle gently, return to habitat, etc.
Class Investigation: Give the children 5-10 minutes to think and discuss with a partner and on rough
paper to come up with some different designs for a snail race track. Share ideas with another pair.
Come back as a class to share ideas altogether. Somebody may come up with a small circle (starting
line) within a large circle (finishing line) which works well. If not guide them towards this idea!
(lesson resources).
I can:
1. Talk and
listen to
other people
to solve a
problem.
2. Understand
when an
investigation
is fair and can
talk about the
A1 piece of black
sugar paper with
small circle in the
middle inside a
large circle, about
5-8 snails, chalk,
timer.
Make and record observations and
measurements.
Compare what happened with what
they expected would happen and try
to explain it drawing on their
knowledge and understanding.
Warn them that even with this track some of the snails may not co-operate (it is worth having one
or two snails as back up). If you stand a dormant snail on a drop of water this usually wakes them up.
Number the snails with tiny number labels on their shells if they are not sufficiently distinctive, the
children will enjoy naming the snails. Write the names on an enlarged version or whiteboard version
of the time sheet (lesson resources). Estimate how long the whole race will take and whether it will
work.
Let the snails go and time and record how long it takes for each snail to cross the finishing line.
Draw a dotted line with chalk to trace each snail trail which will show up on the black paper. The
used race track can form a good starting point for a display.
results of an
investigation.
Safety: Wash hands after handling animals and plants.
Independent activity: Children write a recount of the snail race possibly for display (lesson
resources).
Extension: Ask children to think about Which snail was the quickest? Which snail was the
slowest? How much longer did snail 1 take than snail 5? etc. Could lead into graph work.
Support: Children draw and label picture of race.
Plenary: Discuss the results. Reinforce the concept of fair testing. Talk about how to solve a
problem. Does it help talking to other people? Discuss how you can collect lots of ideas and that
there might not be one right answer.
Lesson F
Understand why it is important to
create and look after different kinds
of habitats.
Care for the environment.
Learn through a range of
environmental contexts that are
familiar and of interest to them.
Scientific Enquiry
Use first hand experience and simple
information sources to answer
questions.
Review their work and explain what
they did to others.
Whole class teaching: Check that the children now understand what the words ‘adapt’ and
‘environment’ mean.
Children often know quite a lot about environmental issues so a general discussion first may lead well
into caring for our local environment.
Remind them how in session B we noticed that in areas of the school grounds where there were not
many plants, there were not many creatures as a result. Planting plants and trees and having wild
patches can help. Think of areas in our locality where that might be possible. Playground, park,
churchyard, back gardens.
What could be of danger to animals? Litter, chemicals, vandalism, development, cars, pollution.
Class activity:
Adult-led activity: As a class, create a large A1 local habitat poster (see lesson resource for
possible design and headings). Give each group of children a different area to work on, e.g. trees, a
pile of logs and pebbles, long grass, a pond, flowers and bushes, soil and fallen leaves. Each group will
need a piece of A4 card to draw their habitat on and small pieces of paper to draw creatures on.
Extension: Children could go on to do work on endangered species using topic books.
Independent activity: This exciting website allows you to click on a habitat and find out and see film
clips about animals (not local!) that live there
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/CreatureFeature.
Plenary: Groups report back and talk about their habitat.
This site has a short presentation about pollution which could be useful for discussion of wider
environmental issues http://www.bbc.co.uk/scotland/education/sysm/eco/flash/flash.shtml.
Assessment: Review strand. What have we learnt? Can we answer any of our questions?
I can:
1. Talk about
ways to look
after our
environment.
2. Understand
that to help
animals
survive we
need to look
after
different
habitats.
One piece of A1
card, 6 x A4 card,
paper for
minibeast pictures,
pictures of
minibeast habitats
for children to
work from.