Teacher sheet · Ages 10–11 · about 45–50 minutes
Habitats and adaptations
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/habitats/ages-10-11/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/habitats/ages-10-11/print/
Learning aims
- Describe what a habitat provides: shelter, water, food and space.
- Explain adaptations of animals to cold and desert habitats.
- Plan and carry out a fair test with living things, treating them with care.
- Describe how habitat loss affects animals.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: could a polar bear live in the desert? Why not? |
| 10 min | Read the text; list adaptations in a table. |
| 20 min | Woodlice choice test, recording every 2 minutes. |
| 5 min | Calculate percentages and return the woodlice. |
| 5 min | Quiz or the Cold or desert adaptation? game. |
Materials for the experiment
- A shallow tray or large dish with a lid or cover (at least 20 cm across)
- Paper towels and a little water
- Dry paper towel
- 5 to 10 woodlice, collected gently from under a log
- A soft paintbrush or a spoon for moving them
- A timer
Safety: Handle woodlice gently with a soft brush or spoon, keep them out of sunlight and only for the lesson, then return them where they were found. Use a few animals, not a crowded tray. Wash hands afterwards. Check with the teacher's risk assessment.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Animals choose to adapt during their lifetime. | Adaptations are features a species already has that help it survive in its habitat. |
| Camels store water in their humps. | The hump is fat; camels can lose up to 30% of their body weight in water. |
| One woodlouse on the dry side means the result is wrong. | Living things vary; look at the pattern across all the animals and repeats. |
Worksheet answers
- Changed: damp or dry paper. Kept the same: light (both covered), temperature, tray, type of paper, number of woodlice, time.
- 80%.
- Any correct example, e.g. camel in the desert: wide feet for sand, long eyelashes against dust; polar bear on sea ice: thick fat, water-repellent fur.
- Birds lose the trees where they nest and monkeys lose their source of food; animals also lose space.
Quiz answers
- What are the four main parts of a habitat? Shelter, water, food and space. Every habitat must provide these four things.[2]
- Why does an Arctic fox have very short ears? So it loses less body heat. Small ears lose less heat in the cold.[1]
- What does a camel's hump store? Fat, used for energy. Camels do not store water in their humps.[3]
- How do camels avoid sinking into sand? Wide feet with two toes spread their weight. Wide feet work a bit like snowshoes.[3]
- In a damp/dry choice chamber, where do most woodlice end up? On the damp side. Woodlice gather in damp areas.[5]
- Why do woodlice prefer damp places? They lose water quickly in dry air. Drying out is dangerous for woodlice.[5]
Going further
Repeat the test with light versus dark (both sides damp). Which matters more to woodlice: damp or dark? Compare your answer with the class.
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] Habitat (OLogy card) (American Museum of Natural History): reliability High
- [2] Habitat (National Geographic Education): reliability Medium-high
- [3] How do camels survive in deserts? (Natural History Museum, London): reliability High
- [5] Woodlice habitats (Nuffield Foundation (Practical Biology)): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/habitats/sources/
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