Teacher sheet · Ages 10–11 · about 45–50 minutes
Measuring biodiversity
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/biodiversity/ages-10-11/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/biodiversity/ages-10-11/print/
Learning aims
- Define biodiversity and species richness.
- Know that about 1.7 million species are described, mostly insects, with many more undescribed.
- Explain why people depend on biodiversity and name threats to it.
- Carry out a fair comparison of species richness in two areas.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: is a football pitch or a hedge better for wildlife? Why? |
| 10 min | Read the text; discuss the Red List and the Living Planet Report. |
| 20 min | Species richness survey in two areas. |
| 5 min | Calculate averages and compare. |
| 5 min | Help or harm? game or quiz. |
Materials for the experiment
- A hoop or a square frame about 50 cm across (a quadrat)
- A simple plant identification sheet or app
- Recording sheet and pencil
- Gloves
Safety: Teacher checks the area for broken glass, dog mess and other hazards. Wear gloves and long sleeves near brambles and nettles, do not pick or taste anything, and wash your hands afterwards.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| A 73% fall means 73% of all animals have died. | It is the average fall in the size of monitored populations, not a count of animals lost. |
| All species are already known. | Many more species are thought to exist than the 1.7 million described. |
| You need to know every plant's name to measure richness. | You only need to tell the species apart: plant A, plant B… |
Worksheet answers
- Accept the class data; usually the wild corner has the higher species richness.
- Any two: same frame size, same number of frames, same way of choosing places, same time of day, same people counting.
- Any two: food, clean air, drinking water, medicines, clothing, paper; living things depend on each other.
- More (a quarter of 172,620 is about 43,155).
Quiz answers
- What is species richness? The number of different species in an area. It is a simple measure of biodiversity.[1]
- About how many species have scientists described? About 1.7 million. And millions more are thought to exist.[1]
- Which group makes up most of the described species? Insects. Most described species are insects.[1]
- Which is a threat to biodiversity? Invasive species. Invasive species can cause extinctions.[2]
- In October 2025, about how many species on the IUCN Red List were threatened with extinction? 48,646. 172,620 is the total number assessed on the list.[4]
- What fell by 73% between 1970 and 2020, according to the Living Planet Report? The average size of monitored wildlife populations. It measures the average change in monitored populations.[5]
Going further
Repeat the survey in another season, or count minibeasts instead of plants. Does the wild corner still win?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] What is biodiversity and why does it matter to us? (Natural History Museum, London): reliability High
- [2] Biodiversity (OLogy card) (American Museum of Natural History): reliability High
- [4] Arctic seals threatened by climate change, birds decline globally – IUCN Red List (International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)): reliability High
- [5] Catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of global wildlife populations in just 50 years (WWF (Living Planet Report 2024)): reliability Medium-high
- [6] Diversity: terrestrial method (Field Studies Council): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/biodiversity/sources/
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