2012 Alston Publishing House Pte Ltd Sciencesmart Teacher S Guide Grade 4Chapter 2 Lesson

Lesson Plans

Chapter 2: Introducing Habitats

Total number of periods: 14 periods

Overview of Lesson Plans

What Is a Habitat? (2 periods)

Lesson / Specific Instructional Objectives / Cambridge Primary Scientific Enquiry Skills / Process Skills / 21st Century Skills / Number of Periods
2.1 / Pupils should:
-understand what a habitat is and how it relates to organisms
-know some types of habitats / Collect evidence in a variety of contexts. (Ep1) / Observing
Comparing
Contrasting / Use systems thinking
Apply technology effectively / 2

What Are the Environmental Factors of a Habitat? (6 periods)

Lesson / Specific Instructional Objectives / Cambridge Primary Scientific Enquiry Skills / Process Skills / 21st Century Skills / Number of Periods
2.2 / Pupils should:
-know that environmental factors include living and non-living factors
-be able to describe how the factors affect the survival of organisms in a habitat / Collect evidence in a variety of contexts. (Ep1)
Make relevant observations and comparisons in a variety of contexts. (Eo1) / Analysing
Inferring
Communicating / Environmental literacy
Use systems thinking
Be self-directed learners
Communicate clearly
Apply technology effectively
Reason effectively / 6

What Are Some Common Habitats? (4 periods)

Lesson / Specific Instructional Objectives / Cambridge Primary Scientific Enquiry Skills / Process Skills / 21st Century Skills / Number of Periods
2.3 / Pupils should:
-understand the features of some common habitats and what organisms live in there / Collect evidence in a variety of contexts. (Ep1)
Make relevant observations and comparisons in a variety of contexts. (Eo1) / Observing
Classifying
Analysing
Inferring / Be self-directed learners
Global awareness
Environmental literacy
Apply technology effectively / 4

What Is an Identification Key? (2 periods)

Lesson / Specific Instructional Objectives / Cambridge Primary Scientific Enquiry Skills / Process Skills / 21st Century Skills / Number of Periods
2.4 / Pupils should:
-be able to identify organisms by using the identification key / Make relevant observations and comparisons in a variety of contexts. (Eo1) / Organising
Analysing
Observing
Classifying / Use systems thinking
Solve problems
Make judgements and decisions Apply technology effectively
Be self-directed learners / 2

Main Lesson Plans

Lesson 2.1

BSCS 5E / Lesson Notes / Resources
Engage:
Pupils are shown videos of different habitats
Engage:
New problems are introduced for pupils to focus on new topic
Explore:
New concepts are identified through inquires
Explain:
Direct explanation is given to clarify pupils’ understanding
Evaluate:
Pupils assess new concept by doing an activity
Elaborate:
Pupils experience real life situation to extend the concepts / Background: This chapter is intended to help pupils understand more about the habitats. All living things need a habitat to live in. There are many kinds of habitats in the world. Habitats have many factors that affect the organisms. These factors include living factors, such as availability of food, and non-living factors such as temperature and water. Pupils will study some of the common habitats. The topic of identification keys is also covered in this chapter.
Chapter opener
Activity: Go through the cartoon in the chapter opener with pupils. Show pupils the video of polar bears in their natural habitat and the safari park in Kenya. Then ask pupils to compare the polar bear’s natural habitat and the safari park that the SMART characters are in.
Process Skills: Observing, Comparing, Contrasting, Analysing
21st Century Skills: Apply technology effectively; Environmental literacy
Ask pupils the questions at the bottom of the page:
•Where does the polar bear live? (Answer: The polar bear lives around the Arctic Ocean, which is characterised by extremely cold weather.)
•Why can’t a polar bear survive in a hot place? (Answer: The polar bear’s body has a thick layer of fur and fat that can cause the polar bear to overheat when it is in a hot place.)
•What conditions of a place or habitat can affect the animals that live there? (Answer: The temperature, amount of water, light, the air, the soil, amount of food, other animals living in the same place.)
•How do these conditions affect the animals that live there? (Answer: These conditions affect the survival and health of the animals (and other organisms) living there.)
Explain that:
•Different habitats have different environmental features to support different organisms.
•The study of habitats allows us to understand the interaction of organisms and their environment.
The questions will be re-visited later in the chapter.
What’s In This Chapter?, What Will I Learn?
Emphasise to pupils what their learning journey will be like for this chapter.
•A habitat is a place where different groups of organisms live, interact and reproduce.
•All habitats have factors which are different in different habitats.
•These factors determine the types of organisms that live there.
Teaching Tip: Trace the path of the mind map by reading out loud.
What Is a Habitat?
Go through the text and the picture in the Textbook to get pupils to understand the relationship between organism, population, community and habitat.
Ask pupils:
•What organisms are there in the picture? (Answer: There are trees, giraffes and elephants in the picture.)
•Where do the organisms in the picture live? (Answer: They live in a grassland. The grassland is their habitat.)
•How is a population formed? (Answer: A population is formed when a group of organisms from the same species live together at one place.)
•How do populations interact to form a community? (Answer: For example, trees provide food for giraffes and elephants to survive. Then the giraffes and elephants can become food for other animals (e.g. lions or tigers) in the community. Their dead bodies are decomposed into nutrients in the soil for supporting plant growth.)
Explain that:
•A habitat is where organisms live.
•In a habitat, populations of organisms interact with one another and their environment in order to survive and to keep the ecosystem functioning.
Common Misconception: Get pupils to distinguish between ‘home’ and ‘habitat’. ‘Habitat’ is used to describe an environment that provides organisms with all the resources that they need for survival. A ‘home’ is just a place within the habitat that gives shelter to organisms. For example, the nest is the bird’s home, not its habitat.
Process Skills: Comparing, Contrasting
Details of the types of habitats listed will be introduced in the following section. You may have a brief introduction to these habitats and explain that:
•There are many different types of habitats in the world.
•A habitat can be suitable for many kinds of organisms.
•Certain kinds of organisms can only be found in a particular habitat.
Teaching Tip: This website gives an introduction to some habitats in the world and can be used as a resource.
21st Century Skill: Apply technology effectively
Field Trip Idea: Visit a zoo or an aquarium to observe the needs of different animals in their habitat and how these animals interact with other organisms and their environment.
Process Skill: Observing
21st Century Skill: Use systems thinking / Textbook page 19
URLs 2.1, 2.2
Textbook page 20
Textbook page 21
Textbook page 22
URL 2.3
Workbook pages19—20 Activity 1: May I Visit Your Home?
Workbook page 30
Worksheet 1: Habitats of the World
Consolidation Worksheet 1

Internet links for Lesson 2.1

URL 2.1:Video of polar bears in their natural habitat

URL 2.2:Video of animals in safari park

URL 2.3:Habitats/Biomes

Lesson 2.2

BSCS 5E / Lesson Notes / Resources
Engage:
Pupils’ prior knowledge are connected with new concepts
Explore:
Pupils learn new concepts through inquiry
Explain:
Pupils are given reasoning behind important factors
Explore:
Pupils demonstrate their conceptual understanding through the experiment
Elaborate:
Pupils apply what they have learnt in the activity
Evaluate:
Pupils have to use what they have learnt to solve the situation / What Are the Environmental Factors of a Habitat?
Explain that the environmental factors include living factors and non-living factors (or physical factors).
Non-living factors
Explain to pupils that these factors that will be covered are the natural conditions in the environment.
Temperature
Background: Pupils have learnt that temperature affects growth of plants in Grade 3 Chapter 4: Introducing… Roots, Leaves, Stems and Flowers! In fact, all living things need warmth to survive. However, they cannot withstand extremely high or extremely low temperatures. Thus, some organisms have features that allow them to maintain their body temperature or adapt to changing temperatures, such as the feathers on a bird’s body and fur on a polar bear.
Re-visit the questions in the chapter opener. The polar bear survives best in cold places because of its layers of fat and fur on its body. It cannot survive in a hot place such as the safari park.
Remind pupils that the temperature in a habitat does not remain constant all the time. There is temperature change between day and night, and between seasons.
Ask pupils:
•How does high temperature affect organisms? (Answer: The body of organisms can only work properly at a certain temperature range. If their body temperature rises too high (or drops too low), it can be life threatening. Moreover, high temperature promotes sweating in animals and evaporation of water in plants, which may result in the loss of too much water for organisms to survive.)
•How does low temperature affect organisms? (Answer: Besides the effect on organisms’ body temperature, the water may become ice, which affects the water available to organisms.)
•How do organisms adapt to changes in temperature? (Answer: Some animals, including humans, reduce body heat through sweating. Some animals have feathers or fur to help keep them warm. Since animals have greater mobility, they can move to shelter to prevent excessive exposure to cold or heat. Some animals, such as migratory birds, may even migrate seasonally to other habitats to seek a place with a suitable temperature to live in. For plants, some have the ability to fold their leaves to reduce exposure to the Sun, which is the major source of heat. They may have specially adapted structures, such as thick stems and needle-shaped leaves in the cactus, to prevent excessive water loss.)
Explain that:
•Temperature may affect organisms’ bodily functions and water availability.
•Some organisms have adapted to extreme temperature so they can survive in very hot or very cold environments.
Project Idea: Global warming is the one of the biggest environmental problems facing the world today. The rise of global temperature greatly affects habitats and organisms. Ask pupils to read more news about this issue and express their views on it.
Process Skill: Analysing
21stCentury Skills: Environmental literacy; Use systems thinking
Water
Ask pupils:
•Why is water important to organisms? (Answer: Water serves many purposes in organisms. In animals, it helps transport nutrients in the body, regulate body temperature and excrete waste products from the body. Some organisms such as fish can only live in water because they cannot breathe out of water. In plants, water is essential for photosynthesis to make their own food. All organisms will die without water.)
•What are the common sources of water? (Answer: Water in a habitat can come from rain, snow, lakes, rivers or seas.)
Explain that:
•Water is important for organisms to carry out life process. Therefore, availability of water in a habitat is important for survival.
Tell pupils to recall what they have learnt about amphibians in Grade 3 Chapter 2:Sorting Living Things. Amphibians have to keep their skin moist or they will die.
Light
Ask pupils:
•Why is light important to plants? (Answer: Plants need light to carry out photosynthesis for making food.)
•How does light affect the animals? (Answer: Some animals need light to move around and find food. Plants cannot survive without light, and hence light indirectly affects the food sources of animals. Sunlight is also the source of heat, so the temperature of a habitat is greatly influenced by the light. Some animals can even live in total darkness.)
Explain that:
•Light affects the food production of plants and behaviour of animals.
Activity: Carry out the investigative task in Experiment Time! to investigate how the cleanliness of water affects the light passing through it. You can dim the classroom lights so the results can be observed.
Process Skills: Analysing, Inferring
21stCentury Skill: Use systems thinking
Air
Ask pupils:
•What does air consist of? (Answer: Air is mixture of various gases. It contains mainly nitrogen and oxygen. There are also trace amounts of other gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapour.)
•Why do organisms need air to survive? (Answer: Not all components of the air are needed. The most important gases we need are oxygen and carbon dioxide. Organisms need oxygen for respiration to provide energy for life processes. Carbon dioxide is needed for plants to carry out photosynthesis.)
•What factors affect the density of air? (Answer: The major reason for change in air density is altitude. As the altitude increases, the air density decreases and there is less air for organisms to take in.)
Common Misconception: Is there air in water? The answer is “yes”. Pupils may think that there is no oxygen in water because they cannot breathe underwater. In fact, air is soluble in water. Organisms that live underwater can take their oxygen from the water. Humans cannot breathe underwater like fish do because humans do not have gills.
Explain that:
•Habitats at high altitude (e.g. a mountain or plateau) have less air available.
•There is air in water as well for aquatic organisms to survive.
Activity: Get pupils to do an Internet search on bacteria that can live in places with little or no oxygen. They can include the types of bacteria, the particular habitats with little or no oxygen, and what these bacteria need to live.
21stCentury Skill: Apply technology effectively
Soil
Ask pupils:
•How do soil conditions influence the organisms in a habitat? (Answer: Soil conditions can be determined by water and air in the soil, soil texture, soil temperature and nutrients content. Each habitat has different soil conditions, and each plant and organism has different growth needs. The soil condition determines the types of organisms that can live in it.)
•What are some different types of soil? (Answer: Common types of soil include sandy soil, clayey soil and silty soil.
-Sandy soil can be found in the desert. It has large spaces between soil particles, allowing easy loss of water and nutrients.
-Clayey soil has small particles and little air space between them. It can hold a lot of water.
-Silty soil is usually found in river delta areas, where the river meets the sea or the lake. The soil composition is similar to sandy soil, with good aeration and drainage, and the river flow brings minerals and nutrients to the soil. Therefore, silty soil is considered to be the most fertile soil.)
Explain that:
•The type of soil determines the type of organisms that can live in it.
Living factors
Explain to pupils that these factors that will be covered are the other living things in the environment.
Availability of food
Background: All living things need food for nutrition. Plants can make their own food by photosynthesis. Animals obtain food by eating other organisms.
Ask pupils:
•How can the availability of food for plants be affected? (Answer: All factors that affect photosynthesis can affect the availability of food for plants. These factors include the amount of water, amount of light, and availability of carbon dioxide. Plants also need to compete with other plants for these raw materials and nutrients. Some plants even eat insects as a source of nutrition so they depend on the number of insects in the habitat for food.)
•How can the availability of food for animals be affected? (Answer: It depends on what food the animals eat. Animals can be divided into three groups according to their diet. They are herbivores (animals that eat only plants), carnivores (animals that eat other animals), and omnivores (animals that eat both plants and other animals). They have to compete with one another for food.)
Other organisms
Tell pupils to recall that organisms do not exist alone, so every organism mustinteract with others. Give some examples of their interactions to explain how theyaffect the survival of other organisms:
•Plants provide food and shelter for other organisms.
•Organisms may compete for food, water and space to live.
•Bees and butterflies assist in reproduction of flowering plants.
Activity: You may get pupils to give more examples and get them to share their ideas with the class.
21stCentury Skill: Be self-directed learners
Tell pupils that they will learn in more detail about the feeding relationships of organisms in a habitat in Grade 6 Chapter 3: Food Chains.
Other organisms also include humans in the habitat. Tell pupils that human activities also affect the environment. They will learn more about this in Grade 6 Chapter 5: Our Environment and Us.
Project Idea: Ask pupils to choose a habitat and then describe each factor (living or non-living) that they have just learnt in that habitat to their classmate. Pupils may still not know much about the characteristics of a habitat (as they are going to be taught in the following section). You may suggest to pupils to choose some places that they know well to describe, e.g. the school garden or the lake near their house.
Process Skills: Analysing, Communicating
21stCentury Skill: Communicate clearly
Project Idea: Get pupils to describe what would happen if organisms were in the wrong habitat. Discuss how the survival of the organisms is affected and why the environment does not suit the organisms.
Process Skills: Analysing, Inferring
21stCentury Skills: Reason effectively; Use systems thinking / Textbook pages 23—27
Textbook page 23
Textbook page 24
Textbook page 24
Textbook page 25
Textbook page 26
Textbook page 26
Textbook page 26
Textbook page 27
Textbook page 27
Workbook pages 21—22
Activity 2: Places to Live
Workbook pages 23—24
Activity 3: Exploring an Environment
Workbook pages 31—32
Worksheet 2: The Right Temperature
Consolidation Worksheet 2

Lesson 2.3