Popular searches in the last week:

2026, 2027, 2025, plants, english, time, poetry, history, forces, science

What is a habitat?

Science Year 3/4
This unit is part of Year 3/4 Science Habitat Helpers

Download all files

Objectives

You discover that some plants and animals are in danger. Their habitats are changing because of human activities like pollution, climate change, building and farming. You agree to help and your first job is to find out more about a local habitat by doing a survey of the plants and animals that live there.

Science Objectives

i) Recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things.

Working Scientifically

  1. Make systematic and careful observations and, where appropriate, take accurate measurements.
  2. Gather, record, classify and present data in a variety of ways to help answer questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Understand what is meant by the terms habitat and ecosystem and know that these can be affected by the activities of humans.
  • Undertake a habitat survey in the local environment.

Activities

  1. Discover that wildlife can be affected by human activity (Yrs 3&4).
  2. Understand the meaning of key scientific words like habitat, ecosystem, survey and evidence.
  3. Undertake a habitat survey in the local environment (Yrs 3&4).
  4. Review the findings of their survey and consider the interdependence of the living things that make up that particular ecosystem (Yrs 3&4).

Investigation - classify and identify
Show film clip http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/clips/zyx6wxs to introduce the problem and recruit the children’s help to put on a Habitat Helper’s Fair at the end of the block. Discover what a habitat is by exploring the local environment. Conduct a survey of plants and creatures in a micro habitat.
Year 3 - Create a tally chart from a template and use it to make a frequency table.
Year 4 - Draw a frequency table and use the data to create a frequency graph.

Vocabulary
Environment, habitat, ecosystem, pollution, climate change, human activity, survey, evidence, data

Log in or sign up to get access to this resource

School Subscription

Reduce teacher workload

From £200 (+ VAT) per year. Access to all key stages for multiple users.

Sign up

Individual Subscription

For inspirational teaching

Just £60 (£50 + VAT) per year to get access to all resources.

Sign up

Early Career Teacher

Develop your teaching

Just £42 (£35 + VAT) to get access to all resources for 2 years.

Sign up

Taster Account

100s of resources

Register to access all free resources.

Sign up

Already subscribed?

Log in to get access.