New
New
Year 2

Arctic wildlife

I can identify some of the wildlife found in the Arctic and explain how it is affected by seasonal change.

New
New
Year 2

Arctic wildlife

I can identify some of the wildlife found in the Arctic and explain how it is affected by seasonal change.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Animals like polar bears live within the Arctic Circle and have special features to live in this environment.
  2. Polar bears hibernate during the harsh Arctic winter and emerge during the summer months to hunt seals from the ice.
  3. Changing ice cover due to climate change means that some polar bear habitats are under threat.
  4. The Arctic ice is usually greatest in March after winter and least in September after the summer.

Keywords

  • Polar bear - A polar bear is a large, white bear found in the Arctic and nearby areas.

  • Reindeer - A reindeer is a type of deer that lives in the northern parts of Europe, Asia and North America.

  • Walrus - A walrus is a large marine mammal that lives in Arctic seas.

  • Arctic fox - The Arctic fox is a small white fox that lives in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

  • Climate change - Climate change is a large-scale and long-term change in the planet’s climate, including weather patterns and average temperatures.

Common misconception

Polar bears hunt penguins to eat.

Penguins live in Antarctica, where there are no polar bears, not in the Arctic.

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).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
Where is the Arctic Circle?
Correct answer: Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
At the Equator
Q2.
What is the Arctic?
Correct answer: An ocean surrounded by land
Land surrounded by ocean
An island
Q3.
Why can you walk on the Arctic Ocean?
Because there is a bridge going across it.
Correct answer: Because the ocean is frozen.
Because there are no roads.
Q4.
When is the Arctic summer?
November - March
Correct answer: May - September
Never
Q5.
What happens to the frozen sea ice in summer?
more freezes
it disappears
Correct answer: some of it melts
it changes colour
Q6.
What is an ice cap?
A sheet of ice floating on the sea.
An icy mountain
Correct answer: A permanent cover of ice.

6 Questions

Q1.
Which of these would you not find in the Arctic?
Polar bears
Correct answer: Penguins
Seals
Q2.
Which of these does not help animals survive in cold places?
Correct answer: Tough scaly skin
Thick fur
White fur
Fat
Hibernation
Q3.
Which of these is not a polar bear feature?
white fur
hibernation
big paws
thick fur
Correct answer: big ears
Q4.
How do polar bears use the sea ice?
to sunbathe
Correct answer: to help them hunt
to eat from
Q5.
Why are polar bears under threat?
Correct answer: climate change
more are hibernating
they are getting attacked by whales
Q6.
What is climate change?
day-to-day changes in the weather
Correct answer: long-term and large-scale change in the planet’s climate
a reduction in Earth's temperature