Teachers’ notes – Habitats 1
Synopsis
The aim of this activity is for learners to understand what a habitat is and to plan and carry out
fieldwork enquiries into different habitats. Initially, learners consider what they think a habitat
is. They identify gaps in their knowledge and understanding by raising questions they would
like answering about habitats. Learners search for information to answer their questions and
present their findings. Using photographs they decide whether different places are habitats
and consider in which habitat different animals and plants might be found. Learners consider
the equipment that might be useful when studying different habitats and the possible health
and safety issues that might arise during a fieldwork study. They choose a local habitat, plan
an enquiry to find out about this habitat and present the main features of the habitat. Finally,
learners consider what features might be different if they were to study a second habitat and
how a plan for this enquiry might differ from their first plan.
Curriculum links
Interdependence of organisms:
4. through fieldwork, the plants and animals found in two contrasting local environments, e.g.
identification, nutrition, life cycles, place in environment
5. the interdependence of living organisms in those two environments and their representation
as food chains
6. the environmental factors that affect what grows and lives in those two environments, e.g.
sunlight, water availability, temperature
7. how humans affect the local environment, e.g. litter, water pollution, noise pollution
Skills
Communication: 1, 2 & 3
Enquiry – Planning: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7
Enquiry – Developing: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7
Enquiry – Reflecting: 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6
Activities
Tab 1
The aim of this first tab is to encourage learners to share and
discuss their ideas about what a ‘habitat’ is. Rollover questions
are provided to support discussions. Learners might record their
ideas as hard copy in the form of a mind map, for example. Ideas
could be shared through an Interactive Whiteboard (IWB).
Tab 2

This tab requires learners to build on their understanding
of habitats. Initially, they identify gaps in their knowledge and
understanding about habitats by raising questions aimed at
finding out what else they want to know about habitats. Rollover
questions support discussion about the process of gathering
information. Secondly, learners are asked to present what they
have learned about habitats in one minute. Learners are given a
specific length of time for their presentation to encourage them to
focus on the most important information to include.
Tab 3
This tab provides learners with photographs of different places
and asks them to decide whether each one shows a habitat. A
randomiser generates eight images showing a range of diverse
places:
A stream, a wall, parkland, an elephant in a zoo, an urban
landscape, a puddle, a formal garden and a railway track. This
range of photographs is included to encourage debate about
where plants and animals might live and a consideration of why
they might live there. Rollover questions aim to support the
discussion of ideas.
These photographs provide many opportunities to develop
interesting discussions with learners. Asking learners to think in
terms ‘natural’ habitats and habitats that have been constructed
by humans might be helpful. There is a clear distinction,
however, both types of location may become colonised by living
things. The urban landscape can be thought of a humans’
habitat. Pets or zoo animals kept in some form of enclosure are
not in their natural habitats. There may be attempts by their
owners or keepers to reproduce some characteristics of their
natural habitats, to ensure their well-being and comfort. Learners
might be asked to consider questions such as: How successful
are such practices? Can we ‘own’ animals? Do we have a right
to keep them in captivity?
Some safari parks claim to provide a ‘natural habitat’ for their
animals as they have large spaces to live in. Learners might
consider the evidence for and against this claim.
Tab 4
This tab provides learners with photographs of different plants
and animals and asks learners to consider the question ‘In what
kind of habitat might you find these animals and plants?’ A
button generates images of familiar animals and plants:
Badger, daisy, fox, oak tree, spider, ladybird, newt and nettle.
The aim is for learners to discuss where they might see each of
these living things and what might be a suitable habitat for each
one.
Tab 5
This tab provides learners with photographs of four different
habitats that they are likely to be familiar with and might have
access to in order to further explore:
A garden pond, open woodland, a meadow/ open grassland, rock
pools on a seashore.
For each photograph learners are required to consider what
scientific enquiry equipment might be useful to carry out a
fieldwork study of that habitat. They should be encouraged to
explain why they think the equipment they list would be useful.
Tab 6
This tab presents learners with a series of photographs of
scientific enquiry equipment they might use while carrying out
different enquiries.
First aid kit, binoculars, calculator, digital camera, compass,
laptop, net, pencil and paper, stopwatch, measuring tape.
They are asked to consider how useful each piece of equipment
might be when studying habitats through fieldwork.
Tab 7
This tab provides learners with photographs of the same four
habitats used in tab 5.
A garden pond, an open woodland, a meadow/open grassland,
rock pools on a seashore.
Learners are required to consider the possible risks and hazards
to themselves and others if they were planning a fieldwork study
of each habitat. A fieldwork study of any habitat will pose a
possible threat to the habitat itself and the inhabitants of that
habitat. Learners might be reminded to treat habitats with respect
before commencing their study, for example, not to pick wild
flowers and to return any minibeasts to where they originally
found them.
Tab 8
In this tab learners choose a local habitat they would like to study
through a fieldwork enquiry. They are required to write a plan for
their enquiry. Questions are provided as support for outlining a
systematic enquiry of a habitat. If time constraints mean that
learners are unlikely to study two habitat that they can compare
then it might be worth making sure that different groups of
learners study different habitats.
Tab 9
In this tab learners are asked to present the main features of the
habitat they have studied on tab 8 in 30 seconds.
They are then required to choose a completely different local
habitat they might study. They are asked to suggest what
features might be different in this habitat and how a plan to study
the second habitat might be different. Time constraints might
prevent learners from carrying out their second enquiry.
However, the curriculum emphasis on comparing and contrasting
local environments could be met by inviting comparisons of
different group’s fieldwork studies.
Background information
Information relating to Tab 1:
The ‘Interdependence of Organisms’ is part of the Range of content outlined in the KS2
Programme of Study for Science. This document uses ‘environment’ and does not refer to the
word ‘habitat’. However, ‘habitat’ is commonly used in nature programmes and in everyday
speech. The Oxford Concise Dictionary defines these terms as follows:
Habitat: ‘natural home of plant or animal; habitation’.
Environment: ‘surrounding; surrounding objects, region or circumstances’.
The two terms are closely linked and it is worth exploring these terms with learners throughout
this Unit.