The Earth Our Home

2020-2026
The Earth: Our Home

Habitats and Environments
The Earth: Our Home
Contents
Contents 2
Basic Information 4
Timings 5
Learning Goals 7
The Entry Point 11
Knowledge Harvest 12
Explaining The Theme 13
Science Learning Goals 14
Science Task 1 15
Science Task 2 18
Science Task 3 21
Science Task 4 25
Science Task 5 27
Science Task 6 30
Science Task 7 32
Science Task 8 34
Science Task 9 37
Science Task 10 39
Science Extension Task 42
Geography Learning Goals 43
Geography Task 1 44
Geography Task 2 47
Design, Technology and Innovation Learning Goals 50
Design, Technology and Innovation Task 51
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Downloaded for use by Peachblossoms School on 15 February 2024.
From International Curriculum Association, a part of Fieldwork Education. © Fieldwork Education Limited. All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced without permission.
The Earth: Our Home
International Learning Goals 54
International Task 1 55
International Task 2 58
International Extension Task 60
Art Learning Goals 62
Art Task 1 63
Art Task 2 65
Art Task 3 67
The Exit Point 69
Resources 70
Glossary 72
The Big Picture 74
Assessment for Improving Learning 85
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The Earth: Our Home
Basic Information
Unit Summary
All living things – plants, animals and people – have a home or somewhere to live that we call a ‘habitat’.
A habitat can be huge like the ocean or small like a leaf. To survive, living things need to live in places
that meet their needs. What do living things need to survive? How do different habitats provide for their
needs? We will need to be scientists and geographers in order to answer these questions.
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Timings
This unit of work is intended to last about 6 weeks.
The following suggested timings are approximate guides and are dependent on each school's individual
context.
No of Hours No of Weeks
Entry Point, Knowledge Harvest, Explain the Theme 4 0.5
Science 22 2.75
Geography 4 0.5
Design, Technology and Innovation 4 0.5
International 4 0.5
Art 6 0.75
Exit Point 4 0.5
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Links to other IPC2020 subjects
Language Arts, Mathematics and ICT links
Learning Goals are included at the end of relevant task sections. These may be goals that are part of
doing the task as designed or through an extension to the subject learning.
Language Arts Learning Goals can be applicable to any language learned in school, used in the
community or at home. The suggested link activities can be approached in a variety of ways to connect
subject learning in the IPC thematic unit to different languages and also to encourage the application of
language skills to the IPC units.
For a home learning extension task carried out in the home language
By the additional language teacher
In the language of instruction.
These may include repeating the task in a different language to promote retention of knowledge referred
to, developing understanding of subject content through multilingual opportunities and further
developing language skills.
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Learning Goals
Science Learning Goals
Children will:
1.01 Be able to identify ways of finding out about scientific questions in familiar contexts
1.05 Be able to connect scientific investigations to familiar contexts
1.07 Be able to make predictions
1.08 Be able to use the senses safely to make observations
1.09 Be able to make observations and take informal measurements
1.10 Be able to compare results
1.11 Be able to compare results with predictions
1.12 Be able to describe the method and results
1.14 Know the names of the main external body parts of humans and animals
1.16 Know that plants need light and water to grow
1.17 Know the names of the parts of plants
1.18 Know that seeds can grow into plants
1.19 Know some differences between living things and things that have never been alive
1.20 Be able to sort living things in simple ways by features, lifecycles and behaviours
1.22 Be able to sequence given food chains
1.23 Know what all living things need to survive
1.24 Understand that people share environments with other living things
1.25 Understand that different locations support different living things
1.27 Know about similarities and differences between humans and other creatures
1.29 Understand the interdependence between plants and animals, humans and animals & humans
and plants
1.51 Know that the time taken for the Earth to orbit the Sun is equal to one year
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Geography Learning Goals
Children will:
1.02 Be able to identify features of familiar places on a map and/or plan, including globes and
digital maps
1.03 Be able to use given sources to gather information
1.06 Know about the weather and climatic conditions in the host country and how they affect the
environment and the lives of the people living there
1.07 Understand how where you are on earth influences weather and climatic conditions
1.08 Know about the natural geographical processes which impact on the host country/locality
1.10 Understand there is a difference between cyclical (predictable) natural changes and those that
are unpredictable
1.11 Be able to describe geographical features of the host country
1.12 Know about similarities and differences between localities including places of significance
1.13 Be able to justify views and opinions about the local environment
Design, Technology and Innovation Learning Goals

Children will:
1.01 Know that design is driven by a purpose
1.03 Be able to generate a design
1.04 Be able to articulate how their design meets the identified need
1.05 Be able to explore ways of constructing parts of a design
1.08 Be able to use tools and techniques following guidance from an adult
1.13 Be able to design products, taking inspiration from another source
International Learning Goals

Children will:
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1.02 Be able to identify similarities and differences between the lives of children from different
countries
1.06 Understand that people have an impact on the places that they visit
1.07 Be able to articulate how they should be making a contribution to positive change
1.08 Be able to connect actions and consequences
Art Learning Goals

Children will:
1.01 Be able to create a work of art to express experiences, ideas and/or emotions
1.02 Be able to demonstrate a specific technique
1.06 Be able to experiment and play with a variety of materials, techniques and technologies
1.07 Be able to select materials and techniques when creating and give reasons for their choices
1.08 Know about line and colour
1.09 Know that artwork can have a specific purpose
1.11 Understand that artists get inspiration from different places
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ICT & Computing Opportunities
This table shows opportunities to integrate ICT Learning Goals into subject tasks.
Task Goals
Art Task 1 1.01, 1.06
Science Task 10 1.11, 1.12
Science Task 2 1.19
Science Task 5 1.09, 1.14
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The Entry Point
Set up three display areas for items that form an animal, vegetable, and mineral display respectively in a
museum. Collect a selection of everyday items including some surprising things made from animal and
vegetable products. For the mineral products it can be anything else, including synthetic items or
naturally occurring metals and stones. Create an information card for each item with its name, what it is
used for and what it is made from. Put the items out in a muddled way so the cards do not match the
item and the items and cards are in the wrong location.
Explain to the children that you had a display ready but that someone must have moved everything.
(Perhaps a cleaner or an after-school club that used your room disturbed them). Ask the children to help
you match the information card to the item and then place it in the correct space.
Some suggested items are shown in the table below with sample information cards:
* Including honey will provide an opportunity for debate – it is made by bees(animal) but from flower nectar (plant).
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Knowledge Harvest
Divide a piece of paper into four. Draw the hottest place you can think of, the coldest place, the wettest
place and the driest place on Earth. Think about what grows there and what lives there. The children
should include some appropriate flora and fauna (animals and plants) and show the typical weather in
their picture. They should give each picture a title, from which you will be able to see if they have
knowledge of the names of habitats, biomes, regions on Earth or geographical terminology.
Potential labels: Arctic, desert, rainforest, tropic, equator, ocean, canyon, mountain, forest, tundra.
There are not specific right answers for which place they draw, but reasonable answers. For example,
they may draw a rainforest or an ocean for the wettest place. They may draw a desert for both the hottest
place and the driest place. They may draw a polar region or the top of Everest for the coldest place.
The children should share their pictures with a partner explaining why they chose to draw each type of
place. They should begin to think about where this place might be on Earth - nearer the Equator or nearer
the polar regions. Ask the children if they heard anything interesting from their partner.
Now, look at a world map. A terrain map will work better for this than a political map that shows
countries. Where do they think the places they have drawn might be on Earth? Some children may have
visited the places they have drawn and know which country it was. The aim is to see if they know about
the Equator and the polar regions. Discuss if the places they have drawn change with the seasons.
Look back at the Entry Point items you had in your museum. Discuss where each of the sources for the
animal and vegetable products might live. Some of them may live in more than one location. If there are
any they are not sure of, create questions for these, e.g. Do bees live in the desert? Where do rubber
trees grow?
Finally, discuss what humans might do in each of these four locations. Add a human to their drawing
showing what they might do there. For challenge and choice, they can add a speech bubble explaining
why they are there.
Any questions about habitats can be added to a chart divided into hot, cold, dry and wet or other.
Reviewing the Knowledge Harvest - Hints for teachers

Do the children know the main types of habitats/biomes and their related characteristics?
Do they know it is warmer nearer the Equator? Do they know which areas are referred to as the tropics?
Do they have any sense of animals/plants being suited to their environment? This could be revealed
through comments about whether it is too cold or dry for a certain animal or plant, because they need
water or they like warmth.
Do they know how humans use each type of place? Do they have a sense of positive/negative actions by
humans?
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Explaining The Theme
Explain to the children that, together, you are going to learn about what is outlined below.
In Science, we’ll be learning about:
What living things need to survive.
Animal classification.
Habitats and living things we can find in our local area.
Different habitats around the world.
How living things are suited to the habitat in which they live.
How plants and animals depend on each other.
What a micro-habitat is and the living things we can find in them.
The nutrient cycle.
In Geography, we’ll be learning about:
How we know places and habitats are changing.
How humans are changing the landscape.
In Design, Technology and Innovation, we’ll be learning about:
How to make a nesting box for bees.
In International, we’ll be learning about:
Threats to the world’s habitats.
How we can help conserve and protect habitats.
In Art, we’ll be learning about:
Colours and patterns animals use to camouflage themselves.
Artists who have painted particular landscapes and habitats.
How to use art to promote awareness of global issues.
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Science Learning Goals
Children will:
and plants
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Science Task 1
Learning Goals
Research activity
Recall what the word ‘habitat’ means by referring back to the pictures from the Knowledge Harvest. Ask
the children: what does a human habitat look like? If we live in a town, it might have houses, shops,
schools, roads and places where people work and play. A habitat is a place where we can find all the
things we need to survive. A place to sleep and be safe from predators and the elements, a place that
provides the right kinds of food to eat and water to drink so that we get nutrients and energy to live our
lives, a place with air for us to breath.
Discuss: What might an animal’s habitat look like? Are there any similarities with a human habitat? Where
does an animal get the things it needs? It doesn’t go shopping or buy a house to live in. They do not have
taps to get water from.
https://www.cserc.org/sierra-fun/games/match-habitat/
Play this quiz either in pairs on a device or as a whole class on an interactive whiteboard. When the
children get a correct answer, reasons why the animal lives in that particular place are given. This could
be to do with the characteristics of the animal or how the place meets its needs.
Check what they have learnt from playing the quiz. Make a list of what all habitats need to provide.
Shelter – animals need a safe place to rest and sleep away from the danger of predators and the weather.
They may also need a safe place for their eggs or babies.
Food – animals need a ready supply of nutrients – trees and other plants provide nectar, fruits, nuts and
seeds.
Water – essential for life – animals drink water from puddles, streams, rivers and ponds, etc.
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Recording activity
Ask the children individually to select one familiar wild animal. Draw a picture of this animal in its typical
habitat, where it lives. Ask the children to think about the ways in which the animal is suited to the
habitat and how the habitat provides for an animal’s needs. Does the animal have any special skills or
characteristics which make it suited to that habitat?
For their chosen animal, the children should find out where it sleeps, what it eats and where it finds food
and water. The children can illustrate how the habitat provides for an animal’s needs through adding to
and annotating their drawings. They should aim to use the correct vocabulary to describe the animal
physically: claws, beak, fins, scales, fur etc.
For challenge and choice children could add:
How it is adapted to its habitat. Does it have special body parts suited to its environment? E.g. a
monkey can grip on to branches with its feet as well as its hands.
Does it eat plants (a herbivore) or other animals (a carnivore) or both plants and animals (an
omnivore)?
The children’s annotations and drawings should show how their chosen animal is well-suited to its
particular habitat. Is it easy to spot in its habitat? Which background colour makes it ‘disappear’? (Art Task
2 link)
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Reflection
What questions from the chart can we answer? What new questions do we have? Ask the children to look
back on the questions they generated during the Knowledge Harvest. Are there any questions they are
able to answer now? Do they want to add more questions, or change the ones they first thought of, based
on the knowledge and understanding they now have? Adjust the display accordingly and discuss why it is
important to review and reflect on the questions we have.
Personal Goals
Communicator - 1.13 be clear and relevant
Thinker - 1.35 give a reason for why I think something
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Science Task 2
Learning Goals
Research activity
Provide images of a selection of living things - mainly animals (include at least one of each fish, bird,
insect, reptile, amphibian, mammal) and also at least one water plant, one tree and one flowering plant.
Ask the children to sort them into groups of their own choosing. Conduct a ‘gallery walk’ where the
children have a look at each other’s groupings. Can they guess the criteria that the other groups used?
As a class discuss: Has everyone grouped the living things in the same way? Share their guesses for the
other groups and find out the actual criteria used to make the groups. What similarities and differences
of groups were there? Why do they think there are differences between their groupings? Is there anyone
who disagrees with the way someone else has grouped their animals? How many different ways can we
group animals? Put the plants to one side. Discuss how scientists might sort the animals. Did anyone use
these scientific groupings?
Recording activity
Now ask the children to sort the animals based on observable characteristics into 5 classes of vertebrates
(mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish) and insects as a separate invertebrate group. Invite the
children to tell each other why they think their animal belongs in the group called ‘fish’ or the group
called ‘reptiles’, etc. Can they justify their ideas?
Then give the children an information card with the name of each class of animal and their characteristics
written on it. Ask the children if there are any animals they now think should change groups. What
changed their minds? Which animals were difficult to classify? The children should be able to describe
and compare the structure or body parts of some animals within each group (fish, amphibians, reptiles,
birds, mammals and insects) to explain why they can be grouped together.
Show the children how a simple classification key works to sort animals into broad groups - See example
below.
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Create your own classification keys to record the groups you discovered in your research for this task.
Extend this task for challenge and choice by sorting into other groups and asking more complex
questions.
To sort the animals further we would need to know how they behave, for example what kind of lifecycle
they have, how they move, when they go out into the wild, what they eat. This information and a more
detailed look at their physical characteristics could help us to make other kinds of groups. Explain each
of these possible groupings, ask the children to say how we could find evidence of which group an animal
belongs to.
Nocturnal or diurnal: observation of behaviours, when is the animal active?
Carnivores, herbivores or omnivores: For mammals a close look at their jaw can help with this.
Carnivorous mammals usually have strong jaws, long canines, forward-facing eyes, sharp claws and
powerful leg muscles to hunt prey. For birds the beak and claws will give a clue to the main food
source.
Vertebrate or invertebrate: How they move can give a clue, worms have no spine which shows in how
they move. Invertebrates are generally soft bodied but may have an (outer) exoskeleton.
Warm blooded or cold blooded: This is not an observable trait, it can be deduced from other
knowledge. If you know something is a mammal or bird, then we know it is (very likely) to be warm
blooded.
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Is the flying squirrel a bird or a mammal? What body parts does a bird have? Does a flying squirrel have
these body parts? If not, why not?
What body parts do insects have? (Head, abdomen, thorax, six legs, wings or hard wing cases.)
Can all birds fly?
ICT link: 1.19 Be able to use games and models to enhance learning
Reflection
Carolus Linnaeus is the father of taxonomy, which is the system of classifying and naming organisms. Why
do you think he invented this system? Why is it still used today?
Assessment for Improving Learning

Listen to the explanations of the original sorting criteria. How well did they apply their own criteria when
sorting?
Personal Goals
Adaptable - 1.01 approach tasks with an open mind
Adaptable - 1.02 try different ways of doing things
Resilient - 1.25 have more than one go at something
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Science Task 3
Learning Goals
Research activity
Teachers’ Note: This task involves a field visit to a local park or a similar local habitat. During this visit, you
must follow your school’s safety policy at all times. Make sure the children are dressed appropriately for the
field visit. Treat the environment with care and demonstrate to the children how to act responsibly, e.g. keep
any disturbance of the habitat and its wildlife to a minimum; keep your voices low to avoid scaring wildlife
away; do not leave any rubbish behind. Pay extra care if there is water in the local environment you explore.
Ask the children to close their eyes and imagine a tree. They should think about where they see the tree,
how tall it is, what the leaves are like, any patterns they remember seeing on the trunk.
Then ask them to open their eyes and draw a picture of the tree that they imagined. They should label
the parts of the tree. They can then share with a partner and add any missing labels to their own picture.
Make a list of the parts of a tree that the children know, if they have any labels missing, they should add
them to their picture.
Root, trunk, branch, leaf, bark, crown. (Some children may also have fruit, flowers or seeds but these are
not common to all trees at all times.)
At this age, children may typically draw the same type of tree that is common to their locality. Look at
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and compare the similarities and differences in the children’s pictures. Could you go outside a find a tree
that looks like the one in your picture?
The focus for the research task is to learn about collecting data and taking fieldnotes. Take a trip around
the school grounds or to a local park. Look together at the different varieties of tree. Discuss and note
their shape, size and colour. The children should be able to identify and name some of the trees they
find.
Draw diagrams to show the structure and different parts of a tree, including roots, trunk, branches, leaves,
fruits, flowers, seeds. They should draw or make leaf and bark rubbings to help identification. Take note
of the colour of the leaves. Look for evidence of the tree life cycle e.g. saplings, blossom, fruits and
seeds. Can the children find saplings (young) and mature trees? Do they think the trees were put there or
are naturally occurring? Is the tree on its own, with others of the same kind or with different trees? How
are the needs of the tree being met? Where do they get light, water, nutrients, air? Do they have enough
space or are the trees crowded? (Look at the roots as well as the crown/canopy to consider this.) Do they
think the trees change or stay the same? How might they look at different times of the year? How might
these trees look in different seasons?
Introduce the terms evergreen and deciduous - what do the children think they mean? Have they found
evergreen or deciduous trees?
Discuss the impact of the weather and seasons on plant growth. Do they think trees grow more or less in
winter than the other seasons? All plants need water, warmth, light, air and space to grow. Trees will not
die in winter but the parts above the ground may show no signs of growth and tree that lose their leaves
may look quite dead. However, the roots will continue to grow a small amount at quite low temperatures
and losing the leaf is to help the tree conserve energy.
Select one tree and create a page for a guidebook for their tree. They will need reference books to check
their ideas. Decide with the class what the requirements of the pages are (example contents below).
Labelled diagram of the tree
Bark and leaf rubbing
Picture of fruit, flowers, and seeds if you found them
Explanation of how the tree's needs are being met
Explanation of how the tree might change over its life? Throughout the year?
Some facts: Is it deciduous or evergreen? Was it growing alone or with other trees?
Combine the children’s pages into a class book.
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Recording activity
Ask the children: what other types of plants and animals would we expect to find in habitat where we
studied the trees? What does this local habitat have to offer animals? Recall that animals need shelter,
food and water. Did you spot any food sources, e.g. flowers (pollen), fruits, berries, nuts or seeds on your
first visit? The children will make predictions for what they expect to find.
The children will plan a field expedition to find out about the plants and animals and test their
predictions. They should create rules for the trip to ensure safe exploration, they should refer to the
senses as part of this.
What equipment would they like to take to help them record their findings? Binoculars, magnifying
glasses, field notebooks/paper and clipboards, devices to take photos/video.
Before they go on the walk, decide together what they need to find out to create new pages in the class
guidebook. Decide on the learning groups. Will each child create a detailed record of a plant and an
animal? Will they do this in pairs? Will half the class focus on plants and half on animals?
Return to the area where you observed the trees, the children will be able to explore and observe plants
and local wildlife including insects. They should record their observation keeping in mind the aims for the
guidebook page.
They should record any evidence of wild animals (as they may go into hiding when the class arrive), e.g.
examine leaves for holes – which animal could be eating this leaf? Look for insects under logs, on tree
bark, underneath leaves and soil. They could gently shape a tree branch holding their paper underneath
and see what falls out. Can you spot any spider’s webs? Can you hear any birds singing?
On returning from the walk the children can look at reference books to help them complete their
plant/animal diagram with correct labels. Use the photographs, videos and field notes to help you create a
new guidebook page for an animal or plant.
Mathematics links:
1.88 Be able to construct pictograms, tally charts, bar graphs and tables
1.94 Be able to use a given method to collect and record data
Explore data handling methods as a way of recording the information the children find on their nature
walk. Can they record the numbers of each type of tree or animal? Can they show this information in a
table or bar chart or pictograph?
Reflection
What evidence of animal life did the children find in their local habitat? Were their predictions correct,
i.e. did they find what they expected to find? If not, do they think this weather related or were their
predictions unreasonable?
We found these things out by visiting the place, how could you find out about different habitats that are
far away?
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Before going on the trip ask the children to create rules for the journey and for collecting data in the
field. From their contributions you wil be able to assess if they are able to use their senses safely.
Personal Goals
Collaborator - 1.05 contribute to group work and learning with various groups/teams
Ethical - 1.21 recognise that rules are there to help us
Thinker - 1.34 identify and consider issues in local and global contexts
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Science Task 4
Learning Goals
Research activity
Begin by identifying a contrasting area. If your host country is dry and arid, a rainforest or a mangrove
would be a good contrast. If your host country is in the tropics, a temperate forest or grassland would
make a good contrasting study.
Create a table like the one below for your locality and a contrasting location. Compare the climate and
weather, types of flora and fauna and location on Earth. Whether the location has seasonal change or not
making connections to times of year weather and climate and plant growth should be encouraged. All
places on earth are influenced by the orbit around the sun which takes one year.
Tropical Rainforest Taiga forest
Wet, warm and humid all year round Very cold winters with plenty of snow
No real seasonal change Big seasonal differences as summer is hot
and humid
Trees grow all year round and lose leaves
all year round Evergreens such as conifers dominate this
habitat
Located closer to the equator
Located close to polar regions
Discuss: What type of weather do you think the trees in the local and contrasting habitat like? Do the
trees like rain? Why do you think that? Do the trees like sun? Why do you think that? Can the trees cope
with snow and frost? Why do you think that?
If comparing to temperate forests, show the children the following time-lapse video which shows how a
tree in a northern European climate changes through the four seasons.
https://www.zeitraffer.tv/en/nature-time-lapse/seasons/fairytale-tree-4-seasons/
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MirAlf Media has this video of a deciduous tree as it changes through the seasons. Trees in regions of the
world that don't have four seasons, such as in a tropical rainforest grow new leaves and shed their old
leaves all year round.
Recording activity
Divide the class into two group. One group will create a local habitat collage in one part of the classroom
and the other group will create the contrasting habitat collage.
Revisit the animal classifications for the task 2. Each of the 5 vertebrate groups and insects must be
represented in the collage. Discuss this success criteria. The children should also write simple explanatory
captions that say why the animal/plant is suited to the habitat in which it lives. Why/How does the habitat
provide a good place for animals to live? Encourage the children to think about shelter, food and water.
Plan the contrasting collage by selecting a picture from a reference book to recreate. (Try to provide ones
with very few animals so they need to go further with their research to fulfill the success criteria.) Look
closely at the landscape picture: Are the leaves different in shape or size? Are there more
evergreen/deciduous trees than you found? Are the plants, trees and wildlife found in your local area the
same or different from the wildlife found in the _____________________?
The group doing the local collage can refer back to the data they collected, the guidebook they created
and the photos/videos they took. (You may wish to group the learners to provide challenge for those who
need it/are ready. The contrasting collage will require more research to support creation.)
You could try to link to another school via Pinboard and share sample guidebook pages to find out about
plants, trees and animals that live in a contrasting habitat.
Reflection
What is a scientist? Ask the children what they think a scientist is. How are they being scientists during
this unit? As a class, discuss some of the ways they have been scientists, e.g. asking questions, making
predictions, observing using the different senses, recording data. Record these as annotations around an
outline of a person or a picture of a person who represents a scientist. Try to stay away from the
stereotypical image of a ‘mad scientist’, in a lab coat, mixing chemicals. Why do they think scientists are
important? What contributions do scientists make to the world?
Personal Goals
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Science Task 5
Learning Goals
Research activity
Refer back to the Knowledge Harvest pictures they drew and the previous science task and the two
habitat collages. Ask the children: what habitats can be found on earth? Introduce the children to the
word biome which is a broader term for a habitat and usually refers to larger regions.
What do the children know about different biomes or habitats, including those found in other regions or
countries? Divide the class into groups and challenge each group to think of as many habitats as they can,
then collate these into a class list. The table below shows the correct terminology the children should be
introduced to and then use.
*On some maps, mountains are identified as a biome, however we are taking the approach that any biome
could have a mountain habitat within it.
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Assign each group one of the land biomes/habitats. (But not one of the ones from the collage task.) Using
reference materials and any previous knowledge, ask them to individually draw a diagram of the
biome/habitat including animals and plants, with captions and labels. They can discuss what to include
and share plant and animal ideas.
The following websites are a useful starting point for further research:
https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/category/discover/animals/
National Geographic Kids website has a wealth of information and videos about animals.
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/
A-Z animals website has features and photographs of animals. (This site has adverts.)
Compare these pictures to the Knowledge Harvest pictures. They should be more detailed with an
increased range of flora and fauna.
Display the pictures to show where they are on earth – tundra in a layer near the top and bottom, tropical
rainforest in the middle layer. (The table above is arranged in an approximate order of biomes from poles
to equator.)
In pairs or small groups, give the children a list of various animals. Can they say which of the habitats they
think the animal lives in? How do they know? Can they say where in the habitat the animal might make
its home? Allow them time to discuss and justify their reasons explaining why an animal is suited to
where it lives. Consider the animals’ specific characteristics, for example in cold and icy habitats animals
need to have thick fur and/or layers of fat to keep them warm. Also think about the food sources, what
does the animal eat? Is it readily available?
Ask the children to identify, name, describe and compare the characteristics of a variety of common
animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
ICT link:
1.09 Be able to use a child-friendly search engine to find images or information
1.14 Understand that some images available on the internet are free from copyright
Introduce basic citations and/or image searching with the ‘labelled for reuse’ tool for the habitat images.
Recording activity
Invite the children to think about the idea of a ‘Habitat for Sale’. Ask the children to imagine that they are
estate agents. It is their job to sell all the benefits of a habitat to prospective animal customers! If
possible, look at some examples of property leaflets and websites. Talk about the features of a property
advert: often a main photograph with smaller photographs showing different views; measurements;
further details such as access to amenities and what is nearby.
The children will each select a habitat and analyse what this particular habitat can offer animals. They
should list the advantages and disadvantages of different habitats, as shown below for arctic tundra.
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From this list it is possible to deduce what type of animal should live there: Carnivore, fur/fat insulation
that keeps them warm, good swimmer, wants to avoid humans = polar bear!
They can then turn the advantages and disadvantages and focus customer information into a Habitat for
Sale property brochure. This could be illustrated with the children’s own drawings, pictures cut from
magazines or printed from websites (see ICT link). The brochure should not mention any actual animals
but be focused on the habitats.
The following is an example of the kinds of phrases that they could include in their property advert:
Calling all furry good swimmers who love fish! Fantastic chilly ice floe available. Come and make your
home near an abundant supply of fish and seals.
Once complete, the children can swap brochures and guess the animal most likely to ‘move in.’
Language learning link:
1.25 Be able to use writing to describe persons, places, objects and experiences
1.28 Be able to follow simple strategies to plan, revise and edit writing
Text Type Guide Non fiction: NF06 – Persuasion may be useful for this activity.
Reflection
Consider the ‘Habitat for Sale’ signs the children created. Ask them which habitat they think they would
most like to live in? In which do they think they would survive longest? Ask the children to consider how
different environments force them to adapt, e.g. how they may act or dress differently at home compared
to at school? Link to the ‘Adaptable’ Personal Learning Goal.
Personal Goals
Respectful - 1.30 accept that others have different opinions to me
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Science Task 6
Learning Goals
and plants
Research activity
Display the following two statements and ask the children to consider the ways that each of these might
be true.
Plants need animals
Animals need plants
We are going to find evidence that animals and plants depend on each other. Write each of the
statements from the chart below on separate pieces of card or paper. Muddle them up and ask each group
to sort them into whether the action helps the plant or the animal. (The statements are sorted below for
the teacher.)
Then give them this list that relates to the needs of living things and match the actions to the correct
words:
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Pollination leading to fertilisation
Seed dispersal
Shelter
Food
Air
Recording activity
The children could draw cartoons, create animations (Stop go, Common craft, Powtoon or similar) or
produce mini role-plays to show how animals and plants depend on each other for survival. They can
show the everyday interactions between animals and plants showing who benefits and how. You may
want to provide reference books to help the children develop their ideas.
Reflection
Reflect on this task, remember that humans are animals. How do humans rely on plants? Imagine what
Earth might be like if all plants suddenly disappeared, what would be the impact on human life?
Personal Goals
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Science Task 7
Learning Goals
and plants
Research activity
We are going to look at ecosystems in more detail, an ecosystem is the interactions between the living
things in a physical location. We already know that many animals eat plants (fruits, nuts, leaves, grass). A
few (very few) plants eat animals but as they are very rare, they will not be a focus going forward.
Remind the children that herbivores eat plants, carnivores eat meat (animals) and omnivores eat both. We
will connect plants and animals in a food chain to look at the flow of energy – the direction of the energy
is shown by the arrow.
A basic food chain:
Play a game with the children that involves swapping parts of the food chain. Begin with the example
above. Ask the children if they can suggest a change. e.g. swap grass for berries. Then ask for a different
child to suggest a change e.g. swap fox for owl, hare for mouse etc. Continue on in this was as long as you
can to reinforce the idea of food chains.
Please see the following website for more information about food chains:
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www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zbnnb9q
BBC Bitesize features a video explaining food chains, and how plants and animals get their energy. This
features food chain challenges for different environments/habitats.
https://www.dkfindout.com/uk/animals-and-nature/food-chains/
DK Find Out! features this in-depth interactive resource explaining how food chains work.
Recording activity
The children can create a food chain for any of the following habitats:
One of the four places they drew for the Knowledge Harvest
Either the local habitat or contrasting habitat collage
Their biome/habitat picture from task
They need to name the plant/animal and show the direction of the energy flow – which is always FROM
the sun. There must be a minimum of four items including the sun.
You could offer challenge and choice by asking children to draw another food chain from a habitat they
have studied in this unit where HUMAN can go in the 5th (tertiary consumer) stage.
Reflection
Reflect on the questions posed during the Knowledge Harvest. What progress is being made on finding
answers? What new questions do they have?
Personal Goals
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Science Task 8
Learning Goals
Research activity
In the previous tasks, the children have looked at habitats covering relatively large areas which we called
biomes. They also visited a local habitat which may have been large or small. In this next task, the
children move onto learning about micro- habitat such as a small space under a rock, a fallen branch or a
small leaf that provides a home for a caterpillar.
Ask the children: what is a micro-habitat? Write the word on the board and underline ‘micro’ – what does
this part of the word mean? Invite suggestions from the class. Consider other words that have ‘micro’ in
the stem, e.g. microscope, microwave. ‘Micro’ means very small or microscopic. A micro-habitat, therefore,
is a very small habitat. Can the children think of any examples? They might say: underneath a stone,
inside a crevice in a rock, under a log, etc. Recall your previous fieldwork investigation – did you spot any
micro-habitats in the local area?
In this next task, a handful of leaf litter and some soil provides a good practical investigation of a micro-
habitat.
The teacher should prepare trays for the investigation using a trowel to scoop up the (mainly natural)
litter and soil and placing a small amount in each tray. (1 tray per table group.) In the classroom the
children should use hand magnifiers to examine the contents of the tray and make observations. Ask the
children to sort out what they have found into three groups moving them to corners of the tray. If there
are living things in the leaf litter they should take care not to harm these.
Dead things in one corner
Alive/living things in a second corner
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Never been alive in a third corner
Ask questions to stretch the children’s scientific thinking. Is there anything they cannot classify? Where
does soil go? (It is a mix of rocks and organic, decomposed material.) If they could have a fourth group,
what would it be? Ask the groups to report back on what they have put in each corner. Do the other
groups agree?
If they didn’t find them, discuss: In which group do seeds go? Where do pupa/chrysalis go?
Safety note: be aware of hand hygiene issues when exploring leaf litter. Ask the children to wear
protective plastic gloves or tools to move things and to wash their hands thoroughly after this activity.
Recording activity
Sort through the soil and litter again and tally the findings. Show the children how to make a recording
chart and how a tally works if they do not already know. Decide on what you will count/measure based on
what was found in the soil and litter.
Compare the results from different tables. Make statements using more than or less than to describe the
differences in what was found.
Mathematics link:
1.54 Be able to identify and extend simple sequences of numbers (counting in 5s)
1.88 Be able to construct pictograms, tally charts, bar graphs and tables
1.94 Be able to use a given method to collect and record data
Reflection
We can’t prove that there are living things in the school environment unless we see them. However, we
can find evidence that living things have been there. Why do we say find evidence of, rather than prove?

Can the children explain why they need to wear gloves and what they should do after the experiment?
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Personal Goals
Collaborator - 1.07 fulfil the role of leader or group member as and when directed
Respectful - 1.29 treat others as I would like to be treated
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Science Task 9
Learning Goals
and plants
Research activity
Look back at the charts with the results from science task 8. Explain that we will now be looking more
closely at soil. Ask the children if they know what is in soil and what it does for plants and animals.
If possible, take the children outside with small trowels to collect a soil sample. Put soil samples in a tray
to examine with a hand lens. Prompt the children to respond to the following questions. What can they
see? Does all the soil look the same? Are there different colours? Would they expect the soil to feel
warm or cold? Dry or wet?
Now, they can rub the soil between their fingers. Can they identify any differences? Are there hard bits
and softer bits they can squash between their fingers? Are there bits that don’t seem to be part of the
soil? (Leaves, rocks, stones, petals etc.)
Introduce the terms organic (alive or was once living) and inorganic (never been alive).
Introduce the children to the idea of decomposition. This is the name for the process of breaking down of
organic waste. This naturally occurring organic waste (fallen leaves, fruit or petals, dead animals and
plants, excrement, discarded peel or shells) turns into compost by the natural process of decay. Compost
is rich in nutrients, which can help plants to grow and soil to stay healthy.
Do the children think the stones and rocks (inorganic material) will change over time? Explain that
weathering (wind, rain, heat) and the roots from the plants can break down rocks into small pieces.
Recording activity
Choose one of the following statements and illustrate it showing the path of the nutrients and how they
help plants grow.
Organic material falls from trees/plants and decomposes through weathering; the nutrients become
part of the soil.
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Animals eat organic material and excrete it where the remaining nutrients become part of the soil.
Inorganic materials are broken down through weathering which releases mineral nutrients into the
soil.
Inorganic materials are broken down by plant roots which releases mineral nutrients into the soil.
For challenge and choice, provide the first part of what happens and let the children complete the
process.
Animals crack open shells to eat nuts, the shells drop to the ground and…
Animals eat fruit and leave the peel behind, this...
The illustrations that the children create show the basics of the nutrient cycle. They should start to see
the interdependence between living and no longer living items.
Reflection
Consider the purpose of learning about The Earth: Our Home; why do the children think it’s important to
learn about the natural world, plants, animals and the places they live?
Some children may make the connection between nutrients going into the soil and then travelling
through the food chain to humans and animals. This connection shows understanding of
interdependence.
Personal Goals
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Science Task 10
Learning Goals
Research activity
Are there any micro-habitats in our school grounds? Tell the children they will be groups of scientists
who need to collect data. They could choose to look between walls in the under stones or rocks,
underneath bushes, in plant pots or borders, between tree roots, under logs, in mulch – set the
boundaries based on your context. Talk about how they should behave when they go out on their search.
(Quiet, gentle, areas they should not go to etc.)
Create a chart together in the classroom to help them record and then compare their findings.
Examples are shown below.
On returning to the classroom, ask the children to add another row for the question: How might the
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micro-habitat change?
This could be for different weather, times of the day/night or seasonal change or how humans may
impact the area. e.g. the garden sweeps up the leaves. They should discuss this in their groups and add
ideas to the chart.
Recording activity
Using the information they have discovered about micro-habitats in the school environment, each group
will create a wildlife documentary to share what learned and how they found out about the place they
studied. Assign one location to each group. Their documentary should explain:
Where the micro habitat was, what it was like, what was living there, how it might change over time and
any other interesting facts.
Show them an example documentary as an inspiration. See links below.
http://www.bbc.com/earth/columns/video
BBC Earth’s online collection of videos.
https://swinemoorprimary.org.uk/science-biology-animals-habitats/
This school example shows children talking about animals and their homes, scroll to the bottom of the
page and click Year 1.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp3u2wsP4A
Children talking about pets, this approach could be adapted to wildlife.
(To restrict inappropriate content that may be on YouTube, follow these instructions: 1. Go to the account icon. 2. Click 'Restricted Mode'. 3.
In the dialog box that appears, toggle 'restricted mode' to 'on' or 'off'.)
The children could present their documentary and findings to the parents at the Exit Point.
ICT link:
1.11 Be able to use images, text and audio to communicate information
1.12 Be able to use a given tool to collect and record information
Use the documentary activity to develop video editing skills, using appropriate hardware such as digital
cameras and green screens, as well as software such as iMovie (Apple) and Magisto (charges may apply).
Reflection
What have I learned so far, and what should I learn next?
Discuss with the children what they learned from being scientists over the last few weeks. Use the
display materials or evidence from learning journals/exercise books as prompts. Organize their thoughts
into three categories: ‘Now I know…’; ‘Now I can…’; and ‘Now I understand…’.
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Explain that you will now be moving on to become geographers, but before you do, you want them to
consider their next steps as scientists. What do they want to continue learning about as a scientist? What
skills do they want to improve on?

The children should explain what they did to learn about the place they investigated in their
documentary
Personal Goals
Ethical - 1.21 recognise that rules are there to help us
Thinker - 1.37 reflect on where I have been successful in my learning
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Science Extension Task
Learning Goals
Extension activity
You may choose to revisit the location where you looked at the trees, plants and animals to find out if it
changes in different weather or different seasons. Has anything else caused it to change? What impact do
these changes have on the things that live there? In autumn and winter, the leaves on deciduous trees
turn brown and fall, but evergreen trees stay green all year round. In spring, leaf buds blossom and bulbs
sprout and in summer, fruits and seeds form to continue the life cycle.
You could choose to repeat the micro habitat investigation in the school grounds in different weather or
in a different season. The children should record their findings and then compare them identifying what
is different and what has stayed the same. They can also compare their findings to the predictions they
made in the original chart.
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Geography Learning Goals
Children will:
digital maps
are unpredictable
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Geography Task 1
Learning Goals
are unpredictable
Research activity
You could show the children the video below, previously shown in Science Task 4. Can they remember
why they watched it? What does the video show?
https://www.zeitraffer.tv/en/nature-time-lapse/seasons/fairytale-tree-4-seasons/
MirAlf Media has this video of a deciduous tree as it changes through the seasons.
Organise the children into small groups and provide them with a piece of paper divided into sections.
Label each section with the name of a season and ask them to record what they saw in the video, adding
in their own knowledge and understanding of the seasons. They could do this by writing key words and
phrases, or by drawing. You can change your focus based on the area in which you live. For example, in
temperate climates such as northern Europe, parts of Asia and the U.S., you may choose to focus on four
seasons, whereas in other parts of the world, you may choose to look at a wet and dry season.
Ask groups to share some of their ideas. They may talk about the length of day, the weather, trees and
leaves, etc. Encourage them to explain how they know about the different seasons; is it through books,
observation, television programmes, etc? If they haven’t already, ask the children to talk about the
animals they might see in each season. Which ones might they see in winter, compared with summer?
Can they explain any of these observations?
You could read the children a story where hibernation or another seasonal animal behaviors, such as
migration, are the focus. (If there are no local hibernation/migration examples then read a story for
research purposes, most are available as readalouds online.)
Some examples include:
Animals in the Winter, by Henrietta Bancroft (1996)
Bear Has A Story To Tell, by Philip C. Stead (2012)
Sleep, Black Bear, Sleep, by Jane Yolen (2007)
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Going Home: The Mystery Of Animal Migration, by Marianne Berkes (2010)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FonCq9YJJxw
YouTube also hosts this video explaining hibernation.
Check the children understand the difference between the terms, ‘sleep’ and ‘hibernation’.
You could have the children revisit their seasons notes from the beginning of the task and add in
anything they have learned about animal changes over a year.
Highlight that the seasons, migrations and hibernations are all things that happen on a regular,
predictable basis – we know they’re going to happen. Now ask the children to imagine what animals do
when something unpredictable happens, like a storm.
You read or watch After The Storm, by Nick Butterworth (2003), a story about a park keeper who tries to
help some animals find homes after a storm destroys theirs. You could also look into recent events where
animal habitats have been impacted by other unpredictable changes, e.g. the Santander oil spill in
Colombia (2018) or the Australian bushfires (2019-20). Can the children think of any other occasions when
animals’ habitats may be affected by unpredictable changes?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsG_nLSURxM
YouTube hosts this video that explains the Australian bushfires in a simple way and talks about how some
people and animals have coped.
Teacher note: you may need to be aware of those children who could find the deaths/injuries of animals
upsetting. Consider how the information is presented and anticipate possible reactions, questions and
comments from the children.
Recording activity
Depending on how the children respond to the learning in the research task, you could choose to follow
up on unpredictable changes and explore ways the children could raise money to support organisations
caring for affected animals.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/51133157
This BBC Newsround article reports on a six-year-old who raised money for bushfire animals.
The children could create their own products to sell and raise money for a cause of their choice. This
could be done during the Exit Point or at another school event.
Alternatively, if this is not possible, the children could create pictures of natural landscapes, showing
examples of predictable changes, e.g. a hedgehog hibernating as well as unpredictable changes, e.g. a
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bushfire.
Reflection
How do we cope with predictable and unpredictable changes?
Ask the children to come up with some examples of predictable and unpredictable changes they have
been through. Discuss how they coped with those changes. What strategies did they use? Were there
other people who helped them? Which Personal Goals are most useful when faced with change?
Personal Goals
Empathetic - 1.20 demonstrate kindness to others
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Geography Task 2
Learning Goals
digital maps
Research activity
Provide the children with a selection of maps and photographs of the local area. Challenge them to locate
their school and their homes on the map. Allow time for them to explore the other features that might be
shown on the map, such as churches, hospitals, woods, parkland, roads, motorways and railway lines. What
symbols and/or colours have been used to show these on the map?
If possible, you could introduce the children to Google Earth (earth.google.com), a powerful 3D atlas that
is available for free. Begin by zooming into your school. Note the surrounding areas to help the children
familiarise themselves with the view. Then slowly explore the local area by moving the cursor to scroll
the map. Ask volunteers to see if they can guide you to their homes, using their local 2D maps to help
them – see the Assessment for Improving Learning opportunity below. Encourage the use of simple
compass points and directional language to help children read their maps and follow the routes. Move
around to look at other features of the local area.
While exploring, encourage the children to focus on the features that are human-made (houses, roads,
pathways, railways and so on) and those that are natural (woods, parkland, lakes, rivers and so on). What
might the area have looked like 50 years ago? 100 years ago? As an alternative, your local library may be
able to provide you with both contemporary and historical maps that you can use. You could also ask
parents and grandparents, who know the area well, to come in and talk about how the area has changed,
perhaps bringing past photos of the area if they have any.
Show the children the book ‘Window’, by Jeannie Baker (2002), a picture book that shows the change in a
boy’s local area from the view out of his bedroom window. Can the children see how the boy and the
view have both changed over time? This is a really good opportunity to link back to Geography Task 1,
exploring changes.
Finally, ask the children to imagine how the local area may change in the future. What would they see
when they look out of their window in 10, 50 or 100 years?
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Recording activity
Have the children plan and create their own collage scenes from through their bedroom windows. You
could ask families in advance to provide a photo which children could refer to as they create their
collages.
Alternatively, you could use photos of the local area to help the children create collages of the
surroundings at different points in history. You could even take their predictions about the local area in
the future to create some collages that reflect these ideas.
The final scenes could all be put together to form the children’s own version of ‘Window’.
Reflection
How can we help each other learn?
Discuss what positive and constructive feedback looks and sounds like. Focus on the importance of
judging against clear success criteria. Have each individual show their collage to a partner, then ask them
to feedback to the other. This could take the form of ‘three stars and a wish’ or another appropriate
format.
Teacher note: When developing feedback skills in children, it is important to consider their maturity and
self-confidence when selecting an appropriate strategy. Having children receive feedback in front of their
peers could be upsetting for some if not managed well.
Assessment for Improving learning

As the children are exploring historical photos of the local area, ask them to consider whether they would
want to live there during the time the photo was taken. Encourage them to justify their opinions, giving
clear reasons for why they would or wouldn’t.
OR
1.02 Be able to identify features of familiar places on a map and/or plan, including globes and digital
maps
Observe the children as they explore the maps and photographs. What features can they pick out? You
could give a checklist of features for them to find and mark on the maps. Can they make connections
between what they see on the map and familiar places? For example, can they show their route from
school to home on a map, pointing out the key features they pass on the way?
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Personal Goals
Adaptable - 1.02 try different ways of doing things
Collaborator - 1.06 appreciate how everyone's activities combine to achieve a goal
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Design, Technology and Innovation Learning Goals
Children will:
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Design, Technology and Innovation Task
Learning Goals
Research activity
Recall the interdependence between plants and animals from science task 6. For plants to grow they
need insects to pollinate them. Bees are the most important insect for pollinating plants that feed
humans. Growing flowering plants with bright colours will attract bees but we can also help them by
providing a place for them to live and lay their eggs.
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-would-happen-if-bees-went-extinct-2019-11?r=US&IR=T
A video article on the impact of the extinction of bees - you will need to pause and explain some of the
ideas.
Talk about what a home for a bee might look like. The children might know about natural or man-made
hives, this is where Honeybees live together with thousands of other bees.
Most other species of bees prefer to live alone, they are solitary animals. What kinds of homes (nests)
might solitary bees like to live in? They like small round holes (or tube shapes) found in fences, walls,
empty snail shells, plant stems or keyholes. They can rest there or lay eggs.
Once the female has laid an egg in the hole, she leaves pollen and nectar for the (grubs) larvae to eat and
then seals the hole. The larvae pupate and when they are adult bees they fly out of the hole and pollinate
our plants.
Show the children what each stage of the bee lifecycle looks like:
https://climatekids.nasa.gov/bees/
This website has lots of bee facts and drawings to show the bee life cycle. Although this is mainly about
honeybees the lifecycle is the same.
Ask the children: how could we make a home for a bee?
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Look at commercial and home-made designs for ideas. Do an internet search for ‘bee hotel’, ‘make a bee
home’ or ‘homemade bee home.’ For ideas to discuss, prompt them with the following questions.
What do you like or dislike about these designs?
What do you think they are made of?
How do you think they were made?
How big are the nests?
What features does a bee home need?
Together with the children, make a list of all the possible materials or recycled items you could use to
make a home for a bee, e.g. bamboo stems of different widths; paper straws, rolled up strips of recycled
paper or thin card; empty snail shells; the top of an empty pen, etc. If you have time you could ask the
children to look around their home for any junk materials they could reuse. Alternatively, think about how
you could make holes in a solid material that would be a good nest size.
Note: the size of the hole is important – if it is too big the bee will not use it. The hole needs only to be
between 4 to 11 mm in diameter. You can link to work in measuring in your mathematics lesson.
Think about your local context, are there any weather challenges to the design or type of materials that
could be used? Does your bees’ home need a roof? What could you use for this?
Recording activity
Ask the children, working in small groups, to draw their designs on paper first. They should annotate their
drawings with labels to explain what their bees’ home (or other alternative product) will be made of.
What materials will they use and why?
Invite the children to share their designs with other groups in the class and comment constructively on
each other’s designs. Can any improvements be made to their designs? Once the children are happy with
their designs, you will need to provide them with the tools and materials they need to turn their sketches
into actual products. Remind the children that the size of the bee hole is very important – they will need
to think of a way to get this between 4-11mm.
Encourage groups of children to make different designs because you don’t know which homes the bees
will like best. You will need to experiment to find out! Try out your bee boxes in the school grounds, in a
nearby locality, or in the garden at home. Ideally you should position your bee boxes near to bee-friendly
plants. If you can set up a webcam to view what happens then the children will be able to evaluate the
success of their designs by observing the bees’ behaviour. You will be able to see if the holes have been
sealed which is evidence there are eggs inside. You may find that your box attracts other insects – not
just bees.
Language Arts link:
Consider linking this task to instructional writing. Have the children write instructions or record an
instructional video so that others can make bee nests. The children could lead a makers’ workshop with
parents during the Exit Point.
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Language Arts Learning Goals:
1.27 Be able to use writing to convey simple ideas
1.29 Be able to follow strategies to organise writing
Reflection
How does being resilient make me a better learner?
Ask the children to consider what parts of making the bee nests they found most challenging. What did
they do when this happened? Discuss what we mean by the word ‘resilience’. How does being resilient,
help us become better learners?
As a class, produce a list of strategies everyone can use to be resilient when they find their learning
difficult.

During the making observe the children and prompt them to consider improvements.
Do they try different materials?
Do they try different techniques?
Do they remake any parts that are not good quality?
Can they explain their construction decisions?
Learners can be assessed using the rubrics based on observations and considering the above questions.
Personal Goals
Resilient - 1.25 have more than one go at something
Resilient - 1.28 realise that learning takes effort
Thinker - 1.38 imagine solutions to problems
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International Learning Goals
Children will:
countries
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International Task 1
Learning Goals
countries
Research activity
In Geography task 2, we looked at how our local area has changed, we will now look at some other areas
that have changed over time and think about the animals that live in these places.
Watch one of the urban growth time lapses created from satellite images. (We recommend slowing the
time lapse to 0.25 to make the changes more visible.)
https://earthengine.google.com/timelapse/
There are three urban growth time lapses to choose from Naypyitaw, Myanmar, Las Vegas, Nevada or
Dalian, China.
Alternatively do an image search for urban growth or urban expansion before and after. You should find
some side by side images showing how places have changed.
Discuss the shapes and colours and how they change as the cities expand. Ask the children where they
think the animals would prefer to live? What happens to the plants and animals that used to live in the
green spaces now occupied by humans?
Are there any wild habitats in your local area, your host or home country that are disappearing? This can
sometimes be a small space, where a particular species lives or a big area with a complex ecosystem.
Check local and global news for recent issues around habitats that are disappearing or have been
negatively impacted. Together make a list of the threats to wild habitats. Perhaps the use of the land has
changed and food will be grown where there used to be a forest, or a pond is being filled in so houses
can be built.
Some other examples you may find in the news: pollution – (suncream, factory by product, oil spill)
logging, wildfires, litter or illegal dumping, too many tourists and hotels, energy production (windfarms,
hydropower), rerouting rivers, building canals, land reclamation.
Please note they do not need to understand all of these, talk about those that are locally relevant or
recently in the news. (keep the list of threats for the Exit Point.) Check out the IPC pinboard and look for
schools who are working on the habitats units – you may be able to swap information with them and
share your learning about challenges to your local habitats.
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Recording activity
The children will each make a habitat diorama. They can choose the any habitat to represent in 3D form.
Each child will need a shoe box (or similar). If the lid is attached they can fold this out to be the front part,
otherwise they will need to attach the lid.
The children can paint and add embellishments to create the habitat.
The children will use their dioramas as part of an interactive display during the Exit Point.
Reflection
What are the important ideas I have learned?
Display the following sentence stem, ‘During this task, I learned…’ (or something similar). As the children
feedback, write their responses on a board or large sheet of paper. Now tell the children to imagine that
when they go home, they are only allowed to share one of those things with their families and friends.
Which one would they share and why? Do they think that some ideas are more important to learn than
others?

countries
Think about children who live in urban or rural environments. Lists some of the benefits and challenges
to each type of lifestyle.
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This activity will allow the children to transfer learning about animals that are threatened in some
environments to thinking about humans.
Personal Goals
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International Task 2
Learning Goals
Research activity
There are a number of children’s stories that address the issues of habitat destruction. Read one of these
to revisit some of the issues form the previous lesson. The focus during the task will move to the impact
on animals in the food chain and how changes to this may have consequences for humans’ food supply.
Keep this in mind when discussing the stories with the children.
Suggested stories:
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry (2000)
A story of the rainforest animals who try to persuade a man not to chop down a kapok tree by explaining
its importance in their lives.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (1971)
The narrator of this Dr. Seuss classic, recalls his destruction of the ‘Truffala Trees’ and how the Lorax
eventually taught him an important lesson about protecting nature.
Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa by Jeanette Winter (2018)
Based on the true story of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman who, after
witnessing the deforestation of her home town, inspired women all over Africa to plant millions more
trees.
If a habitat is destroyed then an animal’s food source may no longer be available and they will go hungry.
Even if an animal is relocated, as sometimes happens with larger animal species, not all parts of the
ecosystem go with them so again food may be in short supply. Plants and animals die as a result and the
links in the local food chain are broken. Recap on the Science task 7. If there is a break in the food chain,
what happens?
Think about both the increase and decrease in the different species. Can the children make the
connections to the humans in the food chain? Why might we not be able to find all the food we need?
Recording activity
Add a food chain to your diorama. Try to make the plants and animals removable. For challenge and
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choice, the children could build a food web in their habitat.
Language Arts link:
Children could create their own story about a fantasy environment, it’s destruction and salvation.
Language Arts Goals:
1.23 Be able to write in both narrative and non-narrative form
1.25 Be able to use writing to describe persons, places, objects and experiences
Text Type Guide Fiction - F09: Fantasy might be useful for this activity.
Reflection
Who should be responsible for looking after wild habitats?
Are there any everyday activities that humans do that may impact on habitats a long way from where
they live?

Make a list of actions they know are encouraged because they help improve the lives of other living
things. Sort them into things they already do (with their family), things they could do, and things they
think are too difficult. Ask them how they will explain the could do action to their family and persuade
them to take this action.
Personal Goals
Empathetic - 1.18 recognise that my words and actions have consequences
Ethical - 1.24 make positive choices when given the opportunity
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International Extension Task
Learning Goals
Extension activity
Start by considering the enormous variety of wildlife in the world. Show a video clip to illustrate this
wonderful mix (or biodiversity) of animal and plant species. For example:
youtube.com/watch?v=v0gDbbHXZKg
YouTube hosts this video: 'Biodiversity is us – We are all connected'. It explains how biodiversity plays an
essential role in our lives.
What animals did the children identify from the video? Name as many as you can remember then ask the
children: would it matter if we lost some animal or plant species? Recall the previous task. In small
groups, ask the children to respond to this question then invite them to share their views with the rest of
the class.
The children might mention the interdependence of species (recall the food chains in International Task
2) and how the loss of one species will impact on others. Discuss also the unknown consequences of
species extinction which may only become apparent to future generations. The loss of animal and plant
species might ultimately threaten human survival.
Scientists are now agreed that we need to preserve all species great and small, regardless of their
usefulness to humans (for example, for food) because we cannot accurately predict the consequences of
species loss. Teachers can refer to the following link for their research:
https://iucnsos.org/
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is a global partnership that serves to protect
threatened species.
Can our class or school play a part in the conservation of species? Think about the wildlife in your local
area (or internationally) and list any threatened species. Find out if a local zoo or wildlife park has a
conservation programme that you could take part in.
You might consider the following:
Amphibians, especially frogs, are under threat throughout the world due to disease
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Bee populations are declining due to many factors including the use of pesticides in farming
Large mammals such as rhinoceroses and elephants are threatened due to poaching for their horns
and tusks
Some species of sharks and whales are hunted to the point of extinction for their meat
Fish stocks are low in many of the world’s oceans due to over-fishing and water pollution
Big cats and birds of prey are threatened due to illegal hunting for sport
You could choose one species to focus on and think about how you could improve its chances of survival.
Remind the children that even by saving tiny insects or small plants in their locality they could make a big
difference in the world because of the way food chains work.
Through this activity, the children will become more aware of the wider world and their responsibilities
as global citizens to protect all living things.
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Art Learning Goals
Children will:
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Art Task 1
Learning Goals
Research activity
Look at a range of paintings/designs that capture the mood of different environments and habitats around
the world. Try to use ones that show both flora and fauna rather than those with humans which will be
used in the next task. Local artists may provide an insight into local habitats that could be used for this
task.
Using clues from the paintings such as the plant life, natural physical features and animals depicted, can
they suggest which environments and habitats these paintings are portraying? Compare and contrast the
different environments and artistic techniques.
Examples to look at could include:
Surprised! Tiger in a Tropical Storm, (1891); and Two Monkeys in the Jungle (1909), both by Henri
Rousseau
Fukagawa Susaki and Jumantsubo, No. 107 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1857 by Utagawa
Hiroshige
Japonaiserie: Plum Tree in Bloom, (1887);
Strawberry Thief, (1883) by William Morris
Recording activity
Ask the children to choose their favourite and create their own piece of art (or design) in a similar style.
Discuss: How will this art piece be different to the drawings from the Knowledge Harvest and the
diagrams they drew in Science task 5?
ICT link: 1.21 Be able to use given software for a particular purpose
Create digital versions of the children’s favourite paintings using simple painting software such as:
youidraw.com/apps/painter - A free, online digital art application.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/brushes/id1168117279 - If iPads are available in school, the children
could try using Brushes, the app that David Hockney uses as a sketchpad.
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youtube.com/watch?v=-uqFZ9bGbpQ
A YouTube video about David Hockney’s art exhibition created using the iPad.
ICT Learning Goal:

1.21 Be able to use given software for a particular purpose
Reflection
What choices can I make in my learning?
Look back at the choices the children made as inspiration for their own artwork. Why did they choose that
piece? Was it related to what they thought they could achieve, or was it related to a genuine appreciation
for the artwork? Is it better to choose easy activities or more challenging activities?
Personal Goals
Respectful - 1.30 accept that others have different opinions to me
Thinker - 1.39 use others' ideas as inspiration
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Art Task 2
Learning Goals
Research activity
Camouflage is a way for animals to hide or disguise themselves in their habitats. Some animals do this so
that predators cannot find them, others so they can sneak up on their prey. Successful camouflage could
be the shape of an animal or the colour of its fur, skin or scales. Some very special animals, such as the
chameleon, can even change the colour of their skin covering to blend in with different surroundings.
Look at the pictures of different animals in their natural habits on the Project Learning Tree website.
Discuss whether it is shape, colour, pattern or a combination that makes the camouflage successful:
https://www.plt.org/educator-tips/camouflage-nature-examples
There are 32 animals on the web page. An image search on the internet for ‘animal camouflage nature’
will result in many more examples.
Recording activity
Tell the children they will be creating a layered piece of art that shows how well an animal can
camouflage itself. They will be working with a partner to complete the two different stages of the art
piece.
Firstly, each child needs to select an animal to draw a picture of. They should fill as much of their paper
(A5 size is suitable) with the outline of the body and select the best media to add details e.g. eyes and
the skin covering. Once complete they can cut their animal out.
The children will now swap animals with someone else in the class and create a habitat for the other
person’s animal. They should try different techniques to try to create the surroundings for the animal’s
home and then create the habitat for the animal to hide in on a piece of A4 paper.
Some suggested approaches are below:
If an animal disguises itself in patterned background e.g. undergrowth, in the sand at the bottom of
the sea, against the bark of a tree or on a leaf then the whole paper should be covered to make a
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background for the animal. The animal will then be stuck onto the background, for challenge and
choice the children can try and create a 3D effect, with the animal raised up from the setting.
If the animal hides in grass then the children will need to use longer strokes of colour to create the
effect of grass. For challenge and choice, they may want to create a second layer of shorter, finer
grass pattern which could be cut into spikes. The animal would then be mounted on to the grassy
scene and the short pieces of grass stuck on top of the animal.
If the animal disguises itself by taking on the shape or colours of nearby leaves or flowers, then the
background should include more of those elements so that the animal matches. The same colours and
media that were used for the animal would be most effective for this type of habitat. The animal can
then be stuck onto the background, for challenge and choice the children can try and create a 3d
effect, with the animal raised up from the setting.
Reflection
When might humans need to camouflage themselves?
Can you think of some of the patterns they might use in different environments?

With your partner, assess the shared creations using the children's rubric. They should talk about their
choices of media and colouring technique for their animal.
Which strengths did either, both of you show in your media/materials choices?
Which techniques were effective?
Discuss the learning advice and use this to goal set for future improvement.
Personal Goals
Collaborator - 1.06 appreciate how everyone's activities combine to achieve a goal
Empathetic - 1.18 recognise that my words and actions have consequences
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Art Task 3
Learning Goals
Research activity
Think back to the learning about change in Geography Task 2 and International Task 1. In this task, the
children will be using art to explore threats to habitats and changes to rural environments.
Have a look at the images below. Ask the children to think about what the artist was trying to express in
each picture.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/17/opinion/endangered-species-act-trump.html
The New York Times features this artwork by Enzo Pérès-Labourdette.
https://e360.yale.edu/features/habitat-on-the-edges-making-room-for-wildlife-in-an-urbanized-world
Yale Environment 360 features this artwork by Luisa Rivera.
https://normsonline.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/tuscany-wtr.jpg
The Daily Norm features this painting entitled 'Tuscany Wharf (15km to San Gimignano)' by Nicholas de
Lacy-Brown.
As these works show, art can be used to raise awareness of local and global issues. Do the children think
art is effective for this?
Recording activity
Look at some of the landscapes below, and feel free to add local art that features a landscape with
limited human elements. Ask the children to describe what they can see in the pictures. Then, ask them
to imagine that this was the past. What do they think might have changed? How might it look now?
Weymouth Bay, (1816) by John Constable
The Poppy Field, near Argenteuil, (1873); Tulips in Holland, (1886), both by Claude Monet
Harvest Landscape, (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh
Garrowby Hill, (1998) by David Hockney
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Have some printed copies of the pictures, with each one cut in half. Each child will select the half of a
picture they find inspiring. They will tell the story of change by drawing the second half of the picture as
it morphs from rural to urban. They should decide on their perspective before beginning to draw as this
will influence their creation. Do they think change from rural to urban landscapes is positive? Or do they
think urban spread is negative?
They should keep their perspective a secret from others.
Reflection
Set up a gallery walk so that the children can view each other’s creations. Afterwards, discuss who they
thought supported urban development and who didn’t. What clues were there? How did they get a sense
of positivity or negativity from the artwork?

As the children are creating their art, ask them about their choices of materials and technique. How does
it match or contrast with the inspiration piece to create the change effect?
Personal Goals
Thinker - 1.39 use others' ideas as inspiration
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The Exit Point
The children could start with a presentation about biodiversity and some aspects of the interdependence
of plants, animals and humans. They can tell the parents that about the animals we may not know are
sharing out environments through showing their documentaries about the micro habitats in school/the
local area.
The children can share their habitat and food chain dioramas from the International tasks in an interactive
gallery. The children will choose 3 threats to their habitat that they are able to talk about and have these
available at their display. The parents/visitors can choose one of the threats and ask 'What happens if...?'
The child should be able to explain the threat, possible impact and how it could be solved. They will need
to practice this with peers before the Exit Point.
Also using the dioramas, the visitor can ask about a species disappearing. Each child should be able to
explain which animals will go hungry and the numbers decrease due to lack of food and/or which species
may increase as they are no longer being eaten.
You could also have a bee hotel making workshop, children can share their written instructions or
instructional videos and support parents in making their own bee hotel.
End of unit reflection:

At the end of the unit, use this opportunity to reflect on the learning across subjects.
Using displays and the work they have produced, recall the activities the children have completed during
the unit, being careful to link the learning with particular subjects, e.g. “Here are the bee boxes we
constructed during our Technology-focused lessons.”
Organise the children into small groups and allocate each group one of the subjects they have explored
during this unit: Science, Geography, Technology, International, and Art. Ask each group to discuss and
recall some of the knowledge, skills and understanding they learned in each subject.
Have each group feedback and record their responses on a board or large sheet of paper. Can the class
make any links between the subjects?
If possible, you should also give the children a chance to look back once again to the questions they
generated during the Knowledge Harvest. What answers do they now have? Are there any questions that
haven’t been addressed?
The IPC community would love to see examples of your learning, in any subject, at any stage of the
learning process. If you have any pictures or stories you would like to share please do so on the
Curriculum Portal Pinboard, tweet @The_IPC, post on our Facebook page at
facebook.com/InternationalPrimaryCurriculum.
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Resources
For this unit, you will need some, but not necessarily all, of the following:
Equipment
Photographs of rainforest plants and animals
Small toys/models of animals for the classroom habitat
Animal flash cards
Variety of realistic animal models
Potted ‘rainforest’ plants, e.g. palms and bromeliads
For the local fieldtrip: cameras, binoculars, hand magnifiers, sketchbooks, variety of
containers for collecting samples, buckets, insect nets, small trowels, plastic gloves,
aprons and other suitable clothing
Simple map of the school grounds
Identification charts and guides to local wildlife
String/hoops and small world toys/apparatus
Old magazines and newspaper and other recycled items such as cardboard packaging
A variety of art materials in order to mimic different styles, e.g. pastels, watercolours,
pencils etc.
Video camera/Digital camera or recording device
Books
Reference books about plants and animals
Local wildlife guidebooks
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry (2000)
A story of the rainforest animals who try to persuade a man not to chop down a kapok tree
by explaining its importance in their lives.
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss (1971)
The narrator of this Dr. Seuss classic, recalls his destruction of the ‘Truffala Trees’ and how
the Lorax eventually taught him an important lesson about protecting nature.
Wangari’s Trees of Peace: A True Story From Africa by Jeanette Winter (2018)
Based on the true story of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan woman
who, after witnessing the deforestation of her home town, inspired women all over Africa to
plant millions more trees.
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After the Storm by Nick Butterworth (HarperCollins, 1993).
The story of Percy the Park Keeper who, after a storm, helps the, now homeless, animals find
a new home.
National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia by National Geographic Kids Magazine (2012)
A general reference book for all things animal related.
Knowledge Encyclopedia Animal!: The Animal Kingdom As You've Never Seen It Before by DK
(2016)
Another general reference book with information about the animal kingdom.
Fundamental Science Key Stage 1: Habitats and Food Chains by Ruth Owen (2016)
A book focusing on some of the basic concepts addressed in the unit. Based on the English
National Curriculum.
Wilderness: Earth’s Amazing Habitats by Mia Cassany (2019)
A book with detailed illustrations depicting some specific habitats and the animals found
there.
Animal Atlas by Lonely Planet Kids (2019)
A reference book focusing on different habitats, with unfolding maps to show where
different species live.
Follow the Food Chain series of books by Sarah Ridley (2020)
A series of books that, starting with the sun, explore the food chains in specific habitats
including, desert, rainforest, ocean, and pond.
National Geographic Kids Readers: Seed to Plant (National Geographic Kids Readers: Level 1)
by Kristin Baird Rattini (2014)
A book for beginning readers that tracks a plant’s growth from seed to flower.
Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring The Earth To Life by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm
(2009)
This brightly illustrated book explains how the sun’s energy is used to give life to plants and
consequently every other living thing.
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Glossary
Vocabulary to meet the success criteria of using technical, subject language and correct terminology to
support learning.
Art
Sculpture (noun): A 3-dimensional (3D) work of art like a statue or clay model.
Materials (noun): In Art, the item(s) from which something is made e.g. paint, clay, stone, pencil etc.
Design, Technology and Innovation

Design (noun): A plan or sketch of what you are going to make.
Shelter (noun): Any type of building or natural habitat that protects plants and animals from things like
bad weather or other animals that may eat them.
Geography
Map (noun): A diagram of an area that uses symbols and a key to represent different places, and where
they are in relation to each other.
Symbol (noun): A very simple picture, used to represent a place or feature.
Key (noun): Otherwise known as a ‘map legend’. This is a list of all the symbols and descriptions of
symbols used on a map.
International
Deforestation (noun): The clearing of trees and forests, by cutting them down, to make way for another
activity.
Conservation (noun): The protection of something so it doesn’t run out or become extinct.
Science
Adaptation (noun): The way an animal or plant changes to suit its habitat or environment.
Climate (noun): The general air conditions over several years, i.e. how hot or cold, dry or wet a place is.
Not to be confused with weather.
Food chain (noun): Shows the order that living things eat each other, from a plant all the way to the
largest predator, e.g. acorn -> squirrel -> fox.
Habitat (noun): The place in which an animal normally lives and grows. It can be a small micro-habitat like
a leaf, or large like an ocean.
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Hypothesis (noun): Hypothesis (noun) - an idea or explanation for something that is based on known facts
and has not yet been disproved.
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The Big Picture
The Earth is full of life. Over 2 million species of living things inhabit our mountains, deserts, forests,
caves, lakes, rivers and oceans.
Adaptation
Every species is uniquely adapted to its own special way of life.
Plants and animals can adapt to living almost anywhere on Earth. In the hot, dry desert a prickly pear
cactus can survive on the small amount of water stored in its stems; scorpions can bury themselves in the
ground during the day and come out only at night to feed. In polar regions, adapting to the cold presents
different challenges. Plants stay small and close to the ground to avoid the cold, harsh wind; and animals
grow thick layers of fat or fur as protection from freezing temperatures.
Developing the concept of a ‘habitat’
The children will need time to explore the links between animals and the places where they can find
them. They will need to consider what is special about a particular place – is it dry or damp, light or dark,
warm or cool? They will need to listen, touch, smell, observe and use their senses. The children could
draw graphs to show where they found different animals.
Making comparisons is useful, e.g. compare what is found at ground level to what is found in long grass.
Find out if animals live together or alone - are there lots or only a few? Try to estimate the number of
creatures found in a particular place – discuss the various ways you can do this and the accuracy of
different methods.
Will the children notice the same things at different times of the day, at different seasons or in different
weather? It might be the case that they find more creatures on rainy days than on sunny or windy days,
e.g. flies and butterflies can’t fly in strong winds.
Planning a minibeast investigation
If you are going to set up a practical investigation of minibeasts (invertebrates) in your local environment
you will need to plan this carefully beforehand. You will need a variety of transparent containers, nets,
hand magnifiers, trowels, etc.
Where can you find minibeasts? Everywhere – on plants, in hedges, on waste ground, in fields, in cracks
in walls, underneath windowsills, in the corner of the classroom, etc.
When should you look? Conditions will vary from place to place, season to season – but most places are
worth visiting at any time
Shall we collect them? Discourage indiscriminate collecting – collect only a few and try not to disturb
the surrounding area, e.g. put back any stones you move
Observing minibeasts
Sweeping and shaking:
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Sweeping – take a large net and move it quickly through plants or long grass.
Shaking – put a flat surface such as a piece of card or paper underneath a plant, tree, hedge or shrub and
shake.
Leaf litter:
Scoop up a handful of leaf litter. Back in the classroom, spread this out on a large tray lined with
newspaper and sort out the contents. Look for eggs and larvae.
If you are going to put minibeasts in containers for classroom observation, include a handful of any
vegetation or soil in which they are found. Treat all creatures with care and sensitivity (no matter how
small); ensure they are unharmed and are always returned to the place where you found them as soon as
possible.
What is a plant?
A plant is “A living thing that usually produces seeds and typically has a stem, leaves, roots, and
sometimes flowers.” They “…have many cells, are unable to control their own movement, and get their
energy from the light of the sun.” - Cambridge Dictionary.
Plants are essential to all life on Earth. If plants died out, so would we, along with many other living
things that depend on plants for their food. Link to the Milepost 1 unit Flowers and Insects, which
explores plants in detail.
Photosynthesis
Plants are able to produce their own food. They do this by spreading out their leaves to the Sun to catch
energy. They then use the Sun’s energy to create nutrients and glucose (sugar) to help them grow. This
process is called photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis requires water that the plants take in through their roots – and air. Plants absorb air
(including carbon dioxide) through microscopic pores in their leaves and they expel oxygen as waste.
Some plants can store energy they don’t use by converting glucose into starch. They can store starch in
their roots, stems or seeds. Potatoes, wheat and corn are plants that have high stores of starch so when
we eat them we are consuming the energy that plants have made.
Leaves
Plants have adopted different leaf designs to suit different environments. Large round leaves are perfect
for soaking up the sunlight while small leaves are stronger in windswept habitats. There is a huge variety
in leaf shape, size and surface texture but most leaves are green and thin. They are thin to allow carbon
dioxide to seep in and oxygen to seep out, and are green because they contain a substance called
chlorophyll. The veins in a leaf can be parallel to each other (as in grasses) or like a complex network or
mesh. However, not all plants have leaves – cacti have spines instead of leaves to help reduce water loss
from transpiration (see below).
Deciduous trees lose all their leaves in autumn whereas evergreen trees lose their leaves throughout the
year. Dead leaves are food for bacteria, fungi and other decomposers such as worms – they fertilise the
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soil and complete the cycle by helping the next generation of plants and leaves to grow.
Stems
The stem carries water, nutrients and sugars up and down the plant through tubes. Xylem tubes carry
water and nutrients upwards to the leaves and into the leaf veins and phloem tubes carry sugars upwards
and downwards. Much of the water reaching the leaf evaporates through the leaf pores – this is called
transpiration – so more water is sucked up to replace it. In hot, windy or dry places transpiration is sped
up.
Cacti can survive on very little water because they keep a store in their thick stems, but bigger plants and
trees drink up large amounts of water – a mature oak tree can drink up to 500 litres per day.
Flowers
Flowers grow in every habitat on Earth, even at the bottom of the ocean. Some plants have masses of tiny
flowers, others have a large single bloom. All flowers have the same job: to attract pollinators and to
make seeds.
The male parts of flowers are called stamens; they produce pollen. The female parts are called the stigma
and the ovary; they are usually positioned at the centre of the flower and are designed to collect pollen.
The ovary then uses the pollen to make seeds. This process is called pollination.
Brightly coloured flowers attract pollinators such as birds, bees, butterflies and other insects by offering
food in the form of pollen and sometimes sugary nectar as well. When a bee feeds on a flower, the
flower’s pollen is rubbed off onto its body and is then transported to other flowers the bee visits.
However, each plant has its own distinctive type of pollen so it can only be fertilised by another plant of
the same type.
Not all flowers are pollinated by animals. Some, such as grasses, are wind pollinated.
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Seeds
Seeds are tough. They can live for years until the conditions for germination are right. If deep-frozen,
they can survive for around a hundred years or more. Conservationists use freezing as a method of
conserving the world’s most endangered plants. Seeds contain a single embryo plant and a supply of food
that the embryo will need until it germinates. When a seed absorbs warmth and water, the embryo inside
starts to grow and it splits open the seed case, sending a root downwards and a shoot upwards. As the
shoot grows taller it breaks through the soil towards the light and the first leaves appear. These leaves
can now produce food for the seedling.
Few seeds survive despite many plants producing them by the thousand. This is because seeds are eaten
by birds and rodents, or they become diseased or attacked by mould.
Fruits
Some plants produce fruits to protect their seeds. Fruits can be hard and dry or soft and juicy. The fruit of
the avocado and apricot contains a single large seed, while the tomato and kiwi fruit have many small
seeds. A pea pod case is a fruit, as are the hard shells surrounding walnuts and peanuts.
Seed dispersal
Plants can’t get up and move around so they have evolved various ways of dispersing their seeds to avoid
overcrowding in one place.
Some seeds are dispersed by animals, e.g. mice eat blackberries and the seeds pass through their bodies
and are planted wherever they leave their droppings. Seeds with sticky casings (burrs) stick to an animal's
fur and are carried away. Sycamore or ash seeds grow ‘wings’ and are spread by the wind. Dandelion
seeds have feathery parachutes that can float through the air. Pea pods pop open and poppies have seed
shakers to scatter their seeds.
Tropical rainforest
The tropical rainforest is the most biodiverse habitat in the world, with over 50% of all plant and animal
species living here. It is also one of the world’s most fragile habitats. Remote parts of the forest have
developed over thousands of years, undisturbed by human activity. Three layers of forest have developed:
the lower layer, where it is dark and warm, has a dense covering of tree trunks, mosses and ferns; the
canopy layer where trees compete for light and tree-dwelling animals live, rarely visiting the forest floor;
and the emergent layer where we find birds and insects in the sunlight and rain.
In the rainforest, plants grow all through the year, with the tallest trees growing up to 45 metres high.
Although mainly deciduous, the rainforest looks evergreen because individual species lose their leaves at
different times. There are hundreds of species of tree in the rainforest including teak, mahogany,
rosewood, rubber and brazil nut.
Fungi grow on trees and other plants on the forest floor. Their role in decomposing dead organisms is an
important one.
Deforestation
The destruction of the rainforest is a major environmental issue. Some scientists claim that half of the
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world’s rainforests have already been cleared. According to the World Wildlife Fund, an area the size of
27 football pitches is cleared every minute. That’s the equivalent of 18.7 million acres per year, destroyed
to provide timber for furniture, land for growing crops and for beef farming, mining and road building.
The main problem is that most countries with large areas of rainforest are still developing their
economies.
The clearing of large areas of trees impacts on the rainforest food chains and some species such as tigers
and orangutans are now in danger in extinction.
More of the Big Picture: Scientific Inquiry
Scientific inquiry is a research process or method that includes questioning, investigating, interpreting
results, drawing conclusions, communicating findings and reflecting on what we have discovered. Science
is one way we make sense of the world around us. Scientific inquiry is ‘doing’ science. We have
summarised the Scientific Inquiry strand of the Science Learning Goals as a cycle which includes options
for continuing or starting from new observations and subsequent wonderings. While there is a sense of
alignment to the Research, Record, Reflect mini cycle, the arrangement in the diagram is intended to be
suggestive rather than definitive, some actions could fit in both Research and Record.
The Scientific Inquiry strand is made up of 13 Science Learning Goals which are the Knowledge, Skills
and Understanding that contribute to learners becoming successful, confident, active scientists. The Key
Skills for Science focus on being able to plan, (safely) conduct and interpret results of science
investigations and research.
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Further information related to these goals is detailed below, Key Skills are in bold.
Wonderings and Asking questions
Learner agency and challenge and choice can be promoted through scientific inquiry; children should be
actively involved in decision-making. In a scientific context, this means having opportunities to influence
or decide what they investigate and how they investigate, for example writing their own investigation
questions.
2.01 Be able to suggest ways 3.01 Be able to choose an

1.01 Be able to identify ways of collecting evidence in appropriate way (research
of finding out about scientific response to a scientific review, simulation or
questions in familiar contexts question experimentation) to investigate
a scientific issue
1.04 Be able to follow guided 2.04 Be able to ask scientific 3.04 Be able to suggest
experiments to try to answer questions testable questions
scientific questions
Generating Hypotheses and Making Predictions
During scientific inquiry children should be encouraged to make connections to other learning and
observations of the world around them. They should start to identify patterns that suggest there may be
rules or principles by which the world and everything in it functions, these can help learners to generate
a hypothesis.
Hypothesis: a proposed theory made on the basis of current evidence; a hypothesis must be testable.
Prediction: a statement about what you think will happen in the test or experiment.
1.05 Be able to connect 2.05 Be able to connect 3.05 Be able to generate a
scientific investigations to scientific investigations to real hypothesis
familiar contexts life
More on hypothesis, predictions and variables can be found in these webpages and videos. They both give
examples of practical science investigations to explain the concepts.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsg6m39/articles/zwj3ydm
A BBC Bitesize webpage and video on the difference between a hypothesis and prediction.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaewZmc4TYQ
A short explanation of variables from HighSchoolScience 101 on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCeE99gb2z8
Hypothesizes and predictions are explained in the first 3 minutes of this video from Brandon Nelson.
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Predictions relate to what the children expect the results of the test to be. Learners should be
encouraged to consider what they already know about the world and any previous Science learning when
making predictions. Children need to understand that their predictions may not be correct and how
revising and refining predictions is part of learning. They should be reassured that they are not being
judged on whether the prediction turns out to be correct, but whether it is appropriate to what is being
tested and is based on knowledge they already have.
2.07 Be able to make informed 3.07 Be able to make predictions

1.07 Be able to make predictions predictions related to the independent
variable
2.11 Be able to compare results 3.11 Be able to draw conclusions

1.11 Be able to compare results to predictions and draw based on results and compare to
with predictions conclusions original hypotheses and the real
world
Comparing results to predictions is the first step to drawing a conclusion. The results show what
happened, these need analysing to lead to the conclusion which should aim to explain why. The
conclusion may also include any revision to the hypothesis and why their thinking has changed.
Planning and conducting investigations
In the IPC children will engage with investigations and fair tests, both have a valid role in Science
learning. Learners should develop an understanding of the limitations of Science in a classroom situation
and the world. While fair testing dominates Science investigations, before asking learners to plan and
carry out a fair test, consider if the investigation can be a reliable fair test in a classroom situation and
also if a fair test is needed to answer the investigation question.
1.06 Be able to suggest 2.06 Be able to plan an 3.06 Be able to plan a fair
independent variables to test investigation changing only (test) investigation
in a guided investigation one independent variable
1.08 Be able to use the senses 2.08 Be able to identify 3.08 Be able to conduct
safely to make observations potential risks in a planned science investigations safely
investigation
We have created two planning boards to support the design of investigations, these can be found on the
My Fieldwork Curriculum Portal.
Fair test planning guide (MyFieldwork -> Resources->Documents-> Teaching and learning resources->
science.)
Investigation planning guide (MyFieldwork -> Resources->Documents-> Teaching and learning resources-
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> science.)
The planning guides can be displayed, or copies given to groups or individuals to make notes on. You
may wish to print larger versions that can be used with sticky notes to collate class planning ideas.
Investigation tasks in the units state which planning board to use. It is generally not reasonable to expect
learners to design a fair test if this is not actually possible in the classroom, in these instances the
investigation planning guide can be used.
2.03 Understand the
1.03 Understand that science importance of collecting 3.03 Understand the limitations
provides evidence, not proof scientific evidence through of scientific investigation
observation and testing
1.13 Be able to suggest 2.13 Be able to compare 3.13 Be able to evaluate

improvements to investigations and results investigations for fairness and
investigations identifying possible anomalies suggest improvements
Discuss the challenges to fair testing with learners and the limitations of their experiment and results.
Consider what learning the children will gain if a planned fair test ends up not being fair. Recognising
when our control of a fair test is lost, is valid learning and can lead to identifying ways of improving
future tests.
Consider the purpose of the investigation. If the aim is to gather information to inform design, then a fair
test may not be needed. An investigation with multiple materials being treated in suitable ways may be
the best method to support finding the best design solution.
The planning guides are not designed for writing up an experiment after it has been carried out as that
would also require a result and conclusion section. The planning guides should help learners think about
what they are going to test and why, what will change and what will stay the same and what they will
measure or observe in their test. The planning notes may serve as reminders if writing up the experiment
later.
Collecting results
The children will need to be taught appropriate ways to measure and make observations, these should be
recorded in a way that allows for comparison of results. The type of data being collected must match the
investigation question being asked. Observations should become increasingly detailed, learners may need
to harness technology to record observations, again to allow for comparison of results. When carrying out
experiments, collecting results and recording data, connections to Mathematics learning can be made,
such as using standard units and various tools for measuring. Children can also present their results using
suitable graphs they have learned about and know how to use.
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3.09 Be able to take systematic
1.09 Be able to make 2.09 Be able to make and and accurate measurements or
observations and take informal record observations and take observations using the most
measurements formal measurements appropriate tools and
conventions
2.10 Be able to describe 3.10 Be able to analyse

1.10 Be able to compare observations and results observations and results
results identifying possible patterns identifying those that are more
or less significant
Opportunities to compare results across groups should be facilitated as this can further support
conclusions and may generate new questions or hypothesis. If different groups record different patterns
of results this may indicate that how the test was carried out has influenced the results. Methods could be
compared, and the groups can evaluate who they think has the most valid results from the more reliable
test.
Recording investigations
If you are in a through school the format and structure for writing up Science experiments may be
influenced by expectations beyond the primary school. Using similar titles and layout will help learners
become familiar with the expectations for writing up experiments in the secondary phase. If you are not
in a through school, there are many templates of Science experiment write-ups available on the internet
that you could adopt or adapt. It is recommended that a whole school approach, whether just the primary
phase or beyond, is implemented. Common terminology, section titles and expectations should be
established with complexity increasing through the mileposts.
2.12 Be able to record and 3.12 Be able to record the

1.12 Be able to describe the describe the method and method and results including
method and results results in a variety of ways. tables, graphs, diagrams and/or
models
In some tasks children should record the whole method in order to meet the Learning Goal. Success or
otherwise with this skill can be assessed and may lead to a focus on specific sections in following tasks to
improve learning.
Some further points on planning and carrying out fair tests/investigations
A hypothesis is an idea or theory about the world that can be tested or investigated.
A hypothesis must be disprovable, while we usually think it is correct based on what we already
know, it must be possible, in theory, to refute it.
A prediction is specific to an investigation, if a hypothesis is made this should inform the prediction.
The results of a test can provide evidence that supports the hypothesis or disprove the hypothesis.
(Avoid saying that a hypothesis has been ‘proved’ as it is not possible to guarantee the same results
100% of the time, learners can say that in this instance, their hypothesis was true.)
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Independent variables are what is changed, usually what is being tested.
Dependent variables are the results, what is measured or observed – they depend on what happens
in the investigation.
Controlled variables are all the things that must stay the same to keep the test as fair as possible.
Recognising variables that cannot be controlled in the classroom can form part of evaluating fair
tests.
This should not be confused with using ‘a control’. This is needed where situations are being
compared to find out if there are better or different results with different variables. The control will
usually conform to the norm. For example, when testing what seeds need to germinate and grow, the
control plant would have water, soil, light, warmth and air. The other plants could each have one of
these missing.
Other types of scientific research
Learners are encouraged to reflect on the different types of scientific research, why the method was
used and how successful the approach was for improving learning. Other ways to engage in scientific
inquiry include the following:
Play: Science begins from observation of the world around us. Play allows children to repeat actions
making adjustments to what they use and how they use it which can lead to discovering patterns.
Providing opportunities for children to play within a theme can lead to them making their own
discoveries which may later inform hypothesis and initiate more formal investigations. One example
where play could be the chosen research method is using playground equipment to experience forces.
Play rather than formal investigation can result in creative explorations that otherwise may not have
taken place.
Modelling and simulations: Making real world observations of scientific phenomena are not always
possible, in these instances simulations can be useful. One theme where models could support research is
exploring the relationship between the Sun, Moon and Earth. Models and simulations can also be
virtual/digital, this may provide the ability to manipulate variables that could not be possible in real life.
Predicting the likelihood of future changes can also be modelled based on past data, for example sea
level rises due to global warming.
Identifying and classifying: Sorting items (objects, events, organisms etc.) into groups or categories is
particularly helpful when learning about the natural world. Categories should increase with complexity
throughout the mileposts which could result from:
A greater number of narrower categories
Categories with features in common so that items fit in more than one place
A combination of shared and unique criteria (such as in a Carroll diagram)
Children may begin with creating their own groups based on observations and then learn about formal
classification systems including using key or tree diagrams. Classifying can also be the result of scientific
inquiry such as when learners sort materials by their suitability for particular purposes based on the
results collected in their investigation. Ranking activities and using graphic organisers such as Venn and
Carroll diagrams can also be part of classifying.
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Analysing: Looking at others’ data provides the opportunity to engage with science far beyond the
classroom. Analysing the data for patterns and drawing conclusions to compare with scientists can help
learners further understand the scientific process. Research using texts (written, visual or multimedia)
provides information on science (and technology) applications in the real world as well as the motivations
for scientific experiments and develops now and in the distant past.
Disclaimer
The IPC is not responsible for the content of websites or videos listed in this unit. We cannot guarantee
nor accept any liability for the content or links of any websites or videos featured in this unit. For
safeguarding purposes, all websites and videos must be checked before classroom use. Many of the links
will feature advertising, some of which may not be age-appropriate, and steps should be taken when
planning tasks to reduce the risk of exposure to unsuitable images or text.
The websites and videos listed in this unit are not under the control of the IPC. We have no control over
the nature, content and availability of those websites and videos. The inclusion of links to any websites or
videos does not imply a recommendation of, or endorse the views expressed within those websites and
videos.
The IPC takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, any website or video becoming unavailable
anywhere in the world.
If you find a link that does not function or no longer links to the intended resource need, please email
support@internationalcurriculum.com stating the unit title, subject, task and link or use the unit feedback
form on the International Curriculum Portal.
Due to the increase in advertising in online sources, you may wish to explore a viewing platform to
reduce the risk of inappropriate content. Two such platforms are Videolink and Pure.
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Are your children busy, or are they busy learning? This is the question that we need to be able to answer
throughout each IPC unit — what improvements are being made to children’s learning as a result of
studying this theme? Assessment provides the answer.
Assessing Knowledge
The IPC does not provide examples of Knowledge assessments as the Knowledge content of the
curriculum can be adapted to any national curricula requirements. Knowledge assessments should be
designed to promote recall, repeated recall will help secure Knowledge in the long-term memory. These
recall tasks can be formal or informal, oral or written and include examples such as quizzes, tests,
matching activities and other strategies that may be listed in the school’s classroom approaches. Teachers
should plan for a variety of opportunities to assess Knowledge, these will become more extensive as the
unit progresses and more Knowledge is gained.
Assessing Skills
Assessment for Improving Learning opportunities are highlighted in the thematic unit to offer guidance
on how to assess children’s skills progress throughout the unit. The Learning Goals indicated by this
symbol and bold text are the Key Skills for which we have provided teachers’ and children’s rubrics as
well as Learning Advice in the IPC Assessment for Improving Learning Toolkit.
We recommend that only 1 skill is assessed within any task*. Although Key Skills of other subjects may be
linked to the tasks, only the Key Skill of the subject being learnt should be assessed. Assessment of Key
Skills is multifaceted and may include assessment of both the product and/or performance of the skill.
When assessing the product, teachers ask: What evidence does this product provide of the child’s
application of the Key Skill?
When assessing the performance teachers ask: What evidence can I observe of the Key Skill in
action?
* The exception to this is the two Science Learning Goals on prediction and comparing predictions to results, these may be assessed
together once children have experience of both skills.
Teachers should review the units in their milepost to establish when each Key Skill is taught. It is not
expected that all the Key Skills within each unit will be assessed at every opportunity. Consideration
should be given to both practice and assessment during medium term planning and focus Key Skills to be
assessed during each unit should be identified. Prior to each unit we recommend you download the
rubrics you need and make agreements on how these will be used consistently across the milepost. Some
schools provide copies of the children’s rubrics for them to highlight during the unit as they make
progress, other schools make display versions to discuss with the class during learning.
The rubrics provided for the Key Skills support teachers and learners with a comprehensive skills
assessment tool. For teachers, the detailed rubrics provide consistent level descriptors of Key Skills which
can be applied and moderated across multiple groups of learners within a milepost. For children, using
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the rubrics enables them to identify where they are now and where they need to be, which can be
expressed as a learning goal or next step for improvement.
The Assessment for Improving Learning Toolkit can be used in different ways and at different times e.g.
before, during or after a task. The rubric should be available and discussed with learners when practicing
the Key Skills as well as prior to any assessment.
The following are all encouraged:
Self-assessment against the children’s rubrics, goal setting driven by the Learning Advice.
Peer-assessment using the rubrics and generating feedback based on the Learning Advice.
Teacher assessment against the teacher rubrics, feedback guided by the Learning Advice.
The Key Skills should be developed across a range of tasks and care should be taken to not confuse the
Learning Goal with the task outcome. Success criteria for the task can be co-created and used alongside
the rubrics to guide learners in their efforts.
We recommend that you collect data on learner’s progress with the Key Skills within and across the units;
your school may decide to use an a online tracking tool for this.
Assessing Understanding
Assessing understanding involves any or all of the following at different times as appropriate:
A collection of evidence over time
Teacher judgment
Open ended task construction
Application of thinking skills
A certain breadth of knowledge so that connections can be made
Multiple opportunities that are designed in different ways.
It is important to note that there are degrees of understanding, that can be indicated by breadth or depth
and are influenced by personal experience and perspective, including empathy for others’ perspectives.
Due to its complexity, teachers are encouraged to discuss when planning a unit what evidence of
Understanding they anticipate and later to share learning that they consider provides evidence of
Understanding.
For further information please see the Curriculum Guide and the Implementation Guide sections on
Foundation 7: Assessment for Improving Learning.
86
PO Box 76081, London, EC4P 4JY
+44 (0) 20 7531 9696
support@internationalcurriculum.com
internationalcurriculum.com/ipc
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2020-2026

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Design, Technology and Innovation Learning Goals

International Learning Goals

Art Learning Goals

Reviewing the Knowledge Harvest - Hints for teachers

Assessment for Improving Learning

Assessment for Improving Learning

Assessment for Improving Learning

Assessment for Improving learning

Assessment for Improving Learning

Assessment for Improving Learning

Assessment for Improving Learning

ICT Learning Goal:

Assessment for Improving Learning

Assessment for Improving Learning

End of unit reflection:

Design, Technology and Innovation

2.01 Be able to suggest ways 3.01 Be able to choose an

2.07 Be able to make informed 3.07 Be able to make predictions

2.11 Be able to compare results 3.11 Be able to draw conclusions

1.13 Be able to suggest 2.13 Be able to compare 3.13 Be able to evaluate

2.10 Be able to describe 3.10 Be able to analyse

2.12 Be able to record and 3.12 Be able to record the

The International Curriculum Association (ICA) is part of Fieldwork Education.

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