Teacher sheet · Ages 6–7 · about 45–50 minutes
So many kinds of life!
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/biodiversity/ages-6-7/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/biodiversity/ages-6-7/print/
Learning aims
- Biodiversity means the variety of all living things.
- There are a great many kinds of living things, most of them insects, and many not yet found.
- People need biodiversity for food, air, water and materials.
- We can compare how many kinds live in different places.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: how many different animals can the class name in one minute? |
| 10 min | Read the text together. |
| 20 min | Leaf collecting and sorting. |
| 5 min | Play What does nature give us? or do the quiz. |
| 5 min | Share: which place had more kinds? |
Materials for the experiment
- Two paper bags
- Gloves
- A large sheet of paper for each group
- Pencil
Safety: An adult checks the area first. Wear gloves, only pick up fallen leaves, do not pick berries, mushrooms or nettles, never put anything in your mouth, and wash your hands afterwards.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Biodiversity means only animals. | It includes plants, fungi and all other living things. |
| All living things have already been discovered. | Scientists think there are millions more species to find. |
| Mown grass is the same as a wild corner. | A wild corner or hedge usually has more different kinds of plants; count and see. |
Worksheet answers
- Any three different living things drawn.
- Usually the hedge or wild corner (accept the class result).
- Any one of: food, clean air, drinking water, medicines, clothes, paper.
Quiz answers
- What does biodiversity mean? All the different kinds of living things. Biodiversity is the variety of all life.[1]
- Which group has the most named kinds? Insects. Most named species are insects.[1]
- Have scientists found every kind of living thing? No, there are many more to find. Millions more are thought to exist.[1]
- Which of these do living things give us? Food and clean air. We depend on living things.[2]
- How can we help biodiversity? Look after the places where plants and animals live. Living things need their homes.[2]
Going further
Make a class 'biodiversity wall': each pupil adds a drawing of a different living thing found near the school. How many kinds can the class find in a week?
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
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/biodiversity/sources/
Privacy: the lesson pages have no ads, no tracking and no cookies. Quiz answers and game scores stay in the pupil's browser. A short video for each age is coming.