Year 2 Science Living things and their habitats – Block 2LvH – Animal habitats

Session 1:Dead or alive!
Science curriculum area(2LvH): / Living things and their habitats (2LvH)
i) explore/compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
ii) identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other
Working Scientifically (KS1 WS)- Skills developed with guidance / Working Scientifically (KS1 WS)
i) asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
ii) observing closely, using simple equipment
iv) identifying and classifying
v) using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions
Teaching Objectives /
  • Explore outside, and through observation, the differences between things that are living, dead, and have never been alive
  • Discuss the features of those things that are living, dead and have never been alive
  • Find, classify and label specimens into categories
  • Engage in further discussion and thought around these questions: A robot can move, so why is it not alive? If a robot magically came to life, how could we test to make sure this were true?

Key Vocabularyliving, dead, never been alive, categories, classification, needs air, feeds, grows, reproduces, gets rid of waste
Resources
Looking for living and dead things resource, fairy lights, clear plastic lidded container boxes, overhead projector, dead spiders, toy spiders, magnifying glasses, cameras, microscopes, torches, sketch books and pencils, paint brushes, freezer bags and collecting pots / Weblinks
- BBC Bitesize Dead or Alive: Is it Alive?; - Minuscule. Vol 4, episode 1.
Before the session:Prepare light boxes by putting fairy lights into clear plastic lidded container boxes. Alternatively, use an old overhead projector. Look up 'DIY light box' on 'Pinterest' for more ideas or have torches available. Find living spiders, dead spiders and collect some toy spiders (alternatively you may prefer to collect dead and living woodlice, or another easily available mini-beast).
Whole Class:Invite the class to sit around the light boxes and place the dead and toy mini-beasts on the boxes. Reassure the chn that they are dead and very tiny, so nobody should be afraid. Tell them not to touch (so the min-beasts don't get damaged) but to look carefully at them. The light from the boxes should accentuate their features. Ask the chn to look at the creatures with the magnifying glasses (and/or microscopes if you have them). Give them time to look, discuss what they see with each other, and photograph or draw any interesting features. Ask them:Whatdifferences can you see between the dead and toy creatures? ...and the dead ones and those that are still living? Write their thoughts on the board. Say:Trees are living things. Dogs, cats, fish, snakes, bees and people are also living things. Dry leaves on the ground are dead, but they were once part of a living tree. Bones were once part of a living animal that now is dead. Anything metal, plastic or stone has never been alive. Then play this 'Is it Alive?' clip on the BBC Bitesize website ( The clip ends with the question: "Take a look around you. How many living and non-living things can you see?" Ask the chn to consider this question, and explain that they will work with their partners outside to compile a list of living and non-living (dead) things.
Activities: Give the chntheLooking for living and dead things resource, which also contains an extension sheet with three categories. Spend some time outside looking carefully at living and dead things (and things that have never been alive). Ask the chn if it is always easy to tell which category things fit into. Ask:How can we work out what's alive and not alive? Is it sometimes difficult to tell? Remind the chn that living things need air; they feed, they grow, they reproduce and they get rid of waste. Give the chn freezer bags, paint brushes and collecting pots. Explain that they are going to collect samples of things from the different categories and take them into the classroom. They should put 'dead' and 'never been alive' items in the freezer bags. Explain that living things, like mini-beasts, are delicate and tiny and could be harmed if the chn pick them up with their fingers. Ask them to use the paintbrushes to carefully brush the creatures into the collecting pots. Take all the samples back to the classroom. Ask the pairs of chn to join another pair and work as a group to sort the specimens into the categories. Encourage the more able pairs to label the groups of specimens with the features of each classification.
Plenary / Ask the chn to consider this question: A robot can move, so why is it not alive? (Does it need… air, feed,etc?) If a robot magically came to life, how could we test to make sure this were true?Then play: Vol 4, episode 1).
Outcomes / Children will
  • Understand the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
  • Understand the key features of things that are living, as opposed to dead
  • Be able to categorise specimens according to their features

© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.

We refer you to our warning, at the foot of the block overview, about links to other websites.