Biology • Topic
1
Living things in their environment
1.1 What is an environment? Student’s Book pages 2–3
Scientific enquiry skills
Biology learning objective
• Ideas and evidence: Use first-hand experience; use simple information sources.
• Identify similarities and differences between local environments and know about some of the ways in which these affect the animals and plants that are found there.
Key words • environment • local
• natural • built
Resources • Workbook pages 1 and 2 • PCM B1: Different environments
Classroom equipment • drawing and colouring equipment
If you take the students on a walk around the school, make sure they stay together in groups. They should not pick plants, disturb habitats or harm any animals they find on their walk.
• pictures of different environments
Scientific background In Biology we use the term environment to talk about the living (biotic) and non-living (abiotic) components of our surroundings. An environment can refer to the natural features of an area, in which case we talk about the natural environment. However, the environments in which the students find themselves will also contain built elements such as buildings, roads and infrastructure. The school is an environment, as is the home and the larger area in which we live. Living things (plants and animals) are found in all environments. The place in which a plant or animal lives is called its habitat (home). An environment can contain a range of different habitats. For example, you may find spiders and mice living in the buildings around you, birds nesting in trees, insects living on plants, etc. Living things have specific needs and they are generally found in environments (and particular habitats) where these needs can be met. This idea will be explored further in the next few units.
Introduction â—? Ask the students to look around them and to describe their surroundings. Explain that everything around you in the classroom is part of your classroom environment. Display the word environment and point out how it is spelled and pronounced. Explain that in science we use the word environment to talk about our surroundings.
� Look at the photograph on Student’s Book page 1. Ask: What is this elephant’s environment like? Let the students describe the conditions in the environment and then point out that the things in the elephant’s environment occur naturally. In other words, they were not put there or made by people. Stress that this is called a natural environment. � Turn to Student’s Book page 2. Look at the environment in the picture. Ask the students to describe the things they can see in this environment. Once they have done this, ask them to say which things in the environment were made or built by people. Stress that these elements are called the built environment. � Get the students to work in pairs to complete Workbook page 1. Check their answers as a class. � Tell that class that some parts of all environments are natural. For example, you may have an open area of land near the school that is covered in natural vegetation. Point out that the air, soil and fresh water sources in our environment are natural.
Teaching and learning activities â—? If possible, take the class outside and let students walk around the school environment observing the plants and any animals there. Tell them that this is the school environment. Our local environment is the area close to us.
2
Biology • Topic
� When you return to the classroom, discuss the questions on Student’s Book page 3 with the class. It may be useful to make a class list to consolidate the answers to the questions. � Use the class lists of things in the environment, where you would find natural environments and plants and animals found locally. Point to a feature of the environment. Ask the students to say where it would be found.
Graded activities 1 Make sure the students have colouring equipment and a sheet of paper to draw a picture of their environment. Before they start, explain that in science the diagrams need to be labelled neatly, with lines joining the words (labels) to the actual item being labelled. Refer them to Workbook page 2 to show them how label lines and labels are used. Once they have completed the activity, let the students work in groups to share their pictures. Allow them to add labels to any elements of the environment they have left out.
2 Encourage the students to record their lists of plants and animals in two columns. Explain that a table is an efficient method of recording information such as this. Allow students to use local names of plants and animals but teach them the English names if you know them. Discuss why most of the animals found in the built environment are likely to be small (insects, spiders, birds, bats, rodents and others).
3 This activity encourages the students to begin thinking about the conditions in the environment and how these affect the plants and animals found there. They can draw or photograph the plant and animal they have chosen, but encourage them to describe it in detail. It may be useful to write some general characteristics on the board to help them, for example colour, size, shape and body parts.
1
Living things in their environment 1.1
Consolidate and review â—? Use Workbook page 2 to consolidate the teaching and to check that students can name living elements of the environment as well as identify features of the built environment. â—? If you wish, give the students a copy of PCM B1 and have them complete it. â—? Play a game in which you say (or display) a feature of the local environment. The students should say whether it forms part of the natural or built environment.
Differentiation All of the students should be able to draw a picture of their local environment. Some will be able to draw better than others, but you can use the labels to check that they recognise and can name parts of the environment even if they cannot represent these accurately in drawing. More able students may draw map-like views from above. Most of the students should be able to name at least a few plants and animals. Some students will be more systematic and will organise their lists into tables. This is to be encouraged as it is an effective method of recording and displaying data. Some of the students will find it easy to link the conditions in the environment to the plants and animals found there. Encourage them to provide at least two reasons why the plant or animal is found in a particular place. For example: I found a spider under the roof outside the classroom. It likes to live there because there is space for it to build a web and it can easily escape and hide under the roof if it is threatened.
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