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Disappearing habitats

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

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Objectives

Human populations are growing and people need more land for buildings, and food production, but what does this mean for habitats? Some animals and plants are in danger! Rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate. Investigate the effect of deforestation on soil erosion by creating a miniature forest and rain storm. Discover what we can all do to help.

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

Working Scientifically

  1. Set up simple practical enquiries and comparative and fair tests.
  2. Report on findings from enquiries, including oral and written explanations, displays or presentations of results and conclusions.
  3. Use straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

Other Curriculum Areas
English Spoken Language

  • Speak audibly and fluently with an increasing command of Standard English.
  • Participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates.

You Will Need

Additional Resources

  • For the deforestation demo which needs to be prepared about 6 days ahead of the session: 2 large plastic trays, garden soil (enough to make a sizable heap on each tray), a packet of cress seeds, a small watering can with a sprinkling rose, some Monopoly houses
  • Access to the internet for individual research or printouts from useful websites
  • Flip chart
  • Printed Session 5 Task Sheets (one between three children)

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Plan and conduct a fair test to compare soil erosion on a hill with cress seeds and one without.
  • Work as a team to research an animal that is endangered by habitat loss.

Activities

  1. Discover that some habitats are lost because humans use the land for another purpose (Yrs 3&4).
  2. Set up a fair test to compare the effect of rain on a hill with vegetation and a hill that is bare by making a simulation with soil and cress seedlings (Yrs 3&4).
  3. Research animals endangered by loss of habitat and present findings to the class (Yrs 3&4).

Investigation - analysing secondary sources
How can we help? At the fair, we will need to persuade people to make changes in their lives and do things to help. Your job is to persuade them! Research what people can do to help. Plan ways to show them through displays, activities, speeches, refreshments, e.g. planting, shopping, baking, recycling, make lists of resources needed.
Year 3 - Plan the activities and display items you will need to educate and persuade the visitors.
Year 4 - Write a persuasive speech for someone in the group to give at the fair.

Vocabulary
Deforestation, sustainable, unsustainable, population, species, endangered, threatened, erosion

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