Gunter Primary School – Year 4 – Science
Habitats
Children will begin to understand the concept of a habitat, how it provides organisms found
there with conditions for life and how animals depend on plants or other animals which eat
plants for food. Throughout the unit ways in which organisms are suited to the habitat should
be emphasised.
Work in this unit also provides opportunities for children to learn about the interdependence
of living things and how the environment and living things need to be protected.
Where this unit fits in
Builds on work in Year 2 and Year 3
Children need:
to be able to measure temperature, time and distance
to recognise organisms as plants or animals.
Cross Curricular
Links - geography (Improving the environment), PSHE (Developing our school
grounds), art (Sculptures for the school grounds), IT (Taking and using pictures).
Vocabulary
In this unit children have opportunities to use:
words related to life processes eg nutrition
words relating to habitats and feeding relationships eg habitat, condition, organism,
predator, prey, producer, consumer, food chain, key
words which have a different meaning in other contexts eg producer, consumer, key,
condition
expressions making generalisations and comparisons.
Resources
hand lenses, collecting nets, containers for small animals
posters, video, CD-ROMs, reference books, simple biological keys, pictures of a
variety of habitats in or close to the locality of the school or similar to those in the
locality of the school
plastic containers suitable for investigating preferences of small animals eg snails,
woodlice
I.C.T. databank to build animal / plant files (or a group such as minibeasts - see
worksheets).
Digital camera for records
EXPECTTIONS - at the end of this unit
most children will:
identify local habitats; name organisms that live there; use
simple keys to identify organisms; state food source of some
animals; distinguish between those which eat plants & those
which eat other animals; plan how to investigate some of the
preferences of small animals found in the habitat
some children will not have
identify some local habitats; name a few organisms that live
made so much progress and there &, with help, identify these using simple keys & make
will:
observations of animals & plants
some children will have
progressed further and will
also:
represent feeding relationships by food chains; explain that
food chains begin with a green plant which ‘produces’ food for
other organisms & explain why it is necessary to use a
reasonably large sample when investigating the preferences
of small invertebrates
Key objectives for term 3b
1. Turn ideas into a form that can be tested, making a prediction
2. Make observations
3. Decide whether the evidence supports the prediction and suggesting explanations in
terms of their knowledge of science.
4. That different animals / plants are found in different habitats
5. To identify different types of habitat
6. To make predictions of organisms that will be found in a habitat
7. That animals / plants are suited to their environment
8. That food chains start with plants
9. To investigate specific habitats and make reports on their findings
LEARNING
POSSIBLE TEACHING
LEARNING
POINTS TO NOTE
OBJECTIVES
ACTIVITIES
OUTCOMES
Elicit understanding of ‘plant’ & ‘animal’. Introduce term ‘organism’ as a general term for all living
things. Use pictures of eg vertebrates, invertebrates, humans, small flowering plants, trees &
challenge children to sort them according to their own criteria and then into plants and animals. Let
children choose how to record their groupings.
Teachers will need to ensure that children who have difficulty recognising an organism as a plant or
animal have particular support in subsequent activities. Most living things which children encounter in
everyday life, apart from fungi (which are now placed in a separate category) can be classified as
plants or animals. Children often think that invertebrates, eg worms, spiders are not animals. Similarly
children may not classify trees as plants.
* to identify
A ‘class’ habitat should be
 Introduce the word ‘habitat’  identify local
different types of using pictures to illustrate
created using a plant trough or
habitats and
habitat
meaning. Explain that they will recognise those a grow bag.
be studying local habitats; go
which are similar
for a walk round the school &/or
immediate locality to find &
make a list of habitats. Review
the final list with the children &
group habitats of similar scale
or diversity together eg canal,
tree, hedge, flower bed, grass,
plant trough, under leaf, under
stone. Ask children to record
the habitats identified.
in scale or
diversity
 recognise that
animals and
plants are found
in many places
eg on window
sills
When comparisons between
habitats are made it is helpful to
choose habitats of similar
scales or diversity eg hedge,
flower beds, grass area, or
under leaf, under stone (micro
habitat).
SAFETY – All off-site visits
must be carried out in
accordance with LEA/school
guidelines.
* that different
 Using pictures of places in
 make & justify Different groups could
animals are found the immediate locality as stimuli, a prediction
investigate different habitats
in different
ask children to predict where a eg the woodlice and share results. This gives a
habitats
will be under the valid reason for recording
particular organism will be
found eg woodlice, snail,
stones because carefully and deciding on how to
present information to others.
butterfly, bee. Visit locality to
it’s damp
* to make
check predictions. Explain that  describe a
predictions of
collecting animals must be done habitat in terms of Information may be collated on
organisms that
the conditions
will be found in a with care so that the animals
an IT data-handling program.
are not damaged. Help children eg leaf litter is
habitat
to collect invertebrates and
cool, damp and If animals are brought into the
record
locations
in
which
they
dark
* to observe the
class, ensure they are treated
were
found.
Ask
children
to
 state that
conditions in a
sensitively & their needs met
animals and
local habitat and observe and describe the
and that they are returned to the
make a record of conditions eg light, water, soil, plants are found habitat from which they came as
in some places
the animals found shade, temperature. Ask
soon as possible.
children whether they found the and not in others
organisms they expected. Help and explain why
SAFETY – Children should
* that animals are children return any animals
eg worms are
suited to the
wash their hands after handling
collected to their habitat.
found in the soil
environment in
animals.
not in tarmac
which they are
because they
found
cannot find food SAFETY – All off-site visits
or burrow through must be carried out in
accordance with LEA/school
tarmac
guidelines.
* to group
Encourage children to use hand
 Present pictures (or living
 identify
organisms
lenses/microscopes carefully to
organisms collected earlier)
similarities &
according to
identify detail of organisms.
including similar pairs
differences
observable
eg bee/wasp, spider/beetle,
between similar
features
daisy/dandelion and discuss
organisms
features eg legs, wings, eyes,  group animals
colours. Ask children to group & explain criteria
similar organisms together and eg number of
explain their groupings.
legs, wings/no
wings on which
the groups are
based
* to use keys to  Present an organism (or
Children may devise their own
 use simple
identify local
keys using a simple IT program.
picture) from the local
keys to identify
plants or animals environment which is likely to be local plants and
unfamiliar. Ask them to write
animals
down 2 or 3 things about it.
Show some reference books
and ask children how easy it
would be to identify the
organism from these. Show
children a simple key and how
to use it. Practise with other
keys and other organisms.
* to pose
 Ask children to generate a
questions about question to investigate or offer
organisms and
alternatives eg
the habitat in
 How do we know that
which they live
woodlice prefer damp
and make
conditions?
predictions
 How do we know mealworms
prefer dark?
* to decide what  How can we find out what
evidence to
snails prefer to eat?
collect and to
 Do earth worms live above or
design a fair test below ground?
* to make reliable Discuss questions and help
observations of them to decide how to collect
organisms
evidence for their investigation
& what equipment to use eg
* to indicate
whether their
* How many woodlice should
prediction was
we use?
valid and to
* How long should we leave
explain findings in them to find out?
scientific terms
* What sort of food should we
give the snails?
* How can we see worms if
they’re underground?
* suggest a
question which
relates to an
organism in its
natural habitat
and say what
they think will
happen
Teachers will need to decide
which of the children’s
questions may be investigated
safely and profitably with
respect to living things.
This activity offers children the
opportunity to carry out a whole
investigation. It may be helpful
* recognise what to concentrate on the aspects of
evidence is
investigation highlighted in the
needed
learning objectives.
eg woodlice
should be able to
choose between
a damp and a dry
place and that a
reasonable
number of
woodlice should
be used
* make
observations
which are
relevant to the
question under
investigation
Help children to carry out the
investigation & make
observations. Discuss results & * draw
ask children to explain these in conclusions
terms of what they already know which match the
observations
about the animals and their
made and relate
usual habitats.
these to their
prediction and to
their knowledge
about the habitat
* to identify the
 Using secondary sources
 describe what Children may be familiar with
food sources of eg reference books, CD-ROMs, a particular
the everyday use of the word
different animals videos investigate the food
‘consumer’. It may be helpful to
animal eats &
in different
needs of a chosen animal from explain that it can use this as an analogy for the
habitats
a local habitat, & where it finds only live where its consumers in a food chain.
its foods. Use one that is found food source is
locally eg bird, small mammal, available & where
mollusc. Record findings as a conditions
eg warmth,
class poster or book.
moisture are
suitable
* to identify the
 Review habitats & ask them  identify food of It may be helpful to explain the
structure of a
to say which organisms are
a specific animal term ‘producer’ to some children
food chain in a
as ‘producing’ food for other
eg the privet
found in a specific habitat.
specific habitat
organisms and ‘consumer’ as
Challenge - to identify the food hawk moth
something that ‘consumes’ or
prefers privet
of specific animals, some of
eats other organisms.
which eat plants & some of
 state that
predators eat
Children are usually unable to
other animals
observe food chains in action;
 identify animals video clips and TV programmes
which are
are helpful.
predators and
their prey
Many children think the arrow in
eg birds feed on the food chain means ‘eats’. It
insects, foxes
may be helpful to suggest to
feed on rabbits, children that the arrow implies
herons feed on ‘gives food to’ or 'is eaten by' as
fish
a way of explaining the direction
 state that many in which it points.
animals which
are prey live on
green plants
 sequence valid
food chains
relating to the
local habitats
using the arrow
convention
correctly
* to recognise
IT simulation programs could be
 Think about the effect on
 identify the
ways in which
plants & animals of changing
effect of changes used to support work in this
living things and conditions in a habitat in various to the habitat on unit.
the environment ways eg draining a pond,
some organisms
need protection removing the shade, ground
cover. Ask children to prepare a
presentation to explain why the
organisms could no longer live
in a changed habitat or write a
letter opposing a change which
would alter a habitat.
which eat animals – refer back
* that animals are to previous activity. Extend
ideas about the food of animals
suited to the
habitat in which using secondary sources.
Introduce terms ‘predator’ &
they are found
‘prey’ & start by considering
pairs eg plant & 1 animal or 2
* that most food
animals. Challenge with
chains start with
question ‘where did the prey get
a green plant
its food?’ Ask children to find
out about this using secondary
sources. Show how a food
chain is represented. Give
pictures of organisms in a
habitat with information about
what each eats & ask them to
practise writing or sequencing
food chains. Where possible
relate this to the local habitat to
consolidate earlier work.
Assessment materials
A. Living and non-living things (AT2.3) - retest with B if necessary.
A. Suitable animal homes (AT2.3) - retest with B if necessary
Science Assessment Materials A&W. 5-6 (AT2.4a); 17-22 (AT2.4b); 27-28 (AT2.4c);
31-32 (AT2.4d)
Ginn Science 5 - 197-200; Minibeasts - 19l-196; Habitats 197-198