Protecting animals in decline (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability)
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can name some animals in decline in the UK and describe ways to protect them.
Key learning points
- Animals are often in decline due to changes in their environment, including habitat loss.
- The numbers of many types of animals living in the UK are in decline.
- Some animals in decline in the UK include, red squirrels, hedgehogs, natterjack toads and greater mouse-eared bats.
- There are ways to protect animals in decline, including providing sources of food and places for them to shelter.
Keywords
Habitat - The place where a plant or animal lives is called its habitat.
Decline - When something is in decline it gradually becomes less, worse, or lower.
Wildlife - Animals and plants that grow independently of people, usually in natural conditions, are called wildlife.
Protect - To protect something is to keep it safe from harm.
Common misconception
Children often believe that animals in decline are only found in faraway places like rain forests. They might not realise that the UK has its own species in decline, such as the red squirrel.
Through the use of the slides and doing further secondary research about their own local environment, children will become aware that there are animals in the UK that are in decline too.
Teacher tip
After Task B discussion, encourage children to pursue their chosen action in class or as a home learning activity. Or investigate your local area to see if there are any initiatives like citizen science projects you can get involved with to support local animals in danger.
Equipment
Worksheet
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these animals live in the wild in the UK?
Q2.The place where a plant or animal lives is its ...
Q3.Which of these things does an animal need to grow and survive?
Q4.How can environments change when the population of humans increases?
Q5.Deforestation is the removal of from land which is then used for a non-forest purpose.
Q6.Which of these things could a researcher use to help find how many animals are living in a habitat?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Animals are often due to changes in the environment, including habitat loss.
Q2.The populations of many animals, like hedgehogs, are in the UK.
Q3.Which of these things are causing a decline in some animals in the UK?
Q4.Which of these UK animals are in decline or are endangered?
Q5.Hedgehog numbers are rapidly declining in the UK. Why?
Q6.Match the animal to a way we can help to protect it.
create holes in garden fences to increase their habitat access
humanely trap and then move grey squirrels
build more shallow ponds and keep them free of pollution
provide bat boxes for them to roost in
To help you plan your 4 science lesson on: Protecting animals in decline (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 science lesson on: Protecting animals in decline (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Living things and the environment unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.