New
New
Year 2

Plants and animals in microhabitats

I can identify and name plants and animals found in microhabitats.

New
New
Year 2

Plants and animals in microhabitats

I can identify and name plants and animals found in microhabitats.

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A habitat is where a group of plants and animals live.
  2. A habitat provides the things that an animal or plant needs to survive.
  3. A microhabitat is a smaller area where a plant or animal lives.
  4. Examples of microhabitats can be rock pools or a log.
  5. Smaller plants and animals can be found living in microhabitats.

Common misconception

All habitats are microhabitats. All minibeasts are insects.

Clear explanation and definition of what a microhabitat is and how it differs from other habitats, e.g. ocean, forest, Arctic, desert etc. Examples of a variety of minibeasts including insects and non-insects.

Keywords

  • Plant - A plant is a living thing that often has roots, stem and leaves.

  • Animal - An animal is a living thing which moves and eats other animals or plants.

  • habitat - The place where a plant or animal lives is called its habitat.

  • Microhabitat - A microhabitat is a very small habitat. It might be just under one tree or log or a single rock pool.

  • Minibeast - You can call very small creatures, such as insects or spiders, minibeasts.

Find local microhabitats or look online for videos or live streams of microhabitats, e.g. rock pools. Using hand lenses may help pupils to observe accurately. Remind pupils to return any minibeasts they find to where they found them.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Hand lenses if available, pencils, paper.

Content guidance

  • Exploration of objects

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

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6 Questions

Q1.
Living things live in different ...
An image in a quiz
homes.
houses.
Correct answer: habitats.
hibernations.
Q2.
Which of these habitats provides the things that a water lily needs to survive?
An image in a quiz
a desert
the Arctic
Correct answer: a river
Q3.
True or false? Living things cannot be suited to the habitat in which they live.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer: false
Q4.
Which of these plants is suited to an Arctic habitat?
a prickly pear cactus
a palm tree
Correct answer: spruce tree
Q5.
Different plants live in different habitats depending on their basic needs. What are the basic needs of a plant?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: water, light and warmth
water, food and air
water, light and air
Q6.
Match these plants to the correct habitat.
An image in a quiz
Correct Answer:a fern,woodland

woodland

Correct Answer:a prickly pear cactus,desert

desert

Correct Answer:seaweed,ocean

ocean

Correct Answer:a pine tree,the Arctic

the Arctic

6 Questions

Q1.
A woodland is a place where many different plants and animals live. This is called ...
An image in a quiz
a minibeast.
Correct answer: a habitat.
a living thing.
Q2.
A habitat provides the things that a plant or animal needs to survive. What does survive mean?
An image in a quiz
Correct answer: to stay alive
to stay still
to stay awake
to grow quickly
Q3.
A rock pool, under a log and on a leaf are all ...
An image in a quiz
minibeasts.
living things.
Correct answer: microhabitats.
Q4.
Which of these is a microhabitat?
the Arctic
Correct answer: a pond
a rainforest
Q5.
Which of these is not a microhabitat?
a rock pool
a log
Correct answer: a desert
Q6.
Which of these animals and plants can be found in a microhabitat?
Correct answer: a worm
a crocodile
an oak tree
Correct answer: grass
Q5 image 3 Dmitry Rukhlenko, Shutterstock.com