Year 2 – Science

Year 2 – Living Things and Their Habitats

This half term, the children have been introduced to the idea that all living things have certain characteristics that are essential for keeping them alive and healthy. They started by identifying what a living thing is. Once they knew this, the children learned about habitats and microhabitats and discussed where living things can be found in the local area as well as further afield. They thought about how animals have adapted to their environment and how food chains dictate where their habitats are. In a workshop, as part of science week, they sorted animals based on whether they have a back bone as well as the structure and position of their skeletons.

The children worked scientifically by sorting and classifying things according to whether they are living, dead or were never alive, questioning their own and others ideas and they also recording their findings using tally charts. 

What The Student Says

"I liked learning this topic because I now know where lots of animals live. Like the rainforest and the desert" "I liked learning about the habitats because jaguars sneak up on zebras and eat them!" "It was fun because we learned about new animals all together and if they were carnivores, herbivores or both." "I know lots about animals. Blubber can keep seals and elephant seals warm inside. Also jaguar and leopards backbones move so that they can turn if they smell their prey."

What skills were developed?

  • explored and compared the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive
  • identified that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other
  • identified and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats
  • described how animals obtain their food from plants and other animals, using the idea of a simple food chain, and identify and name different sources of food

What the Teacher says

"This has been one of my favourite science topics to teach as it is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn about different living things too. The children shared lots of knowledge about different animals and plants they learned about in year 1 and from books. They have enjoyed building on this knowledge by learning about how living things adapt to their environment and what they need to survive. I particularly enjoyed seeing the children create plasticine animals to put into their habitat. The conversations between the children about which animals they needed to make was wonderful. It was also lovely to see the children exploring our outdoor area to find microhabitats and the living things which exist there." - Mrs Jones, Class Teachers.

Privacy Policy

We regard your privacy as important and any personal information you give to us will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act and the General Data Protection Regulations.

We do not store personal information about individuals who visit this site except where they provide contact information via our contact us page and contact forms available on various pages throughout the website.

Any information you provide will only be used for the reasons specified and it will not be shared with any third party without your consent, unless required by law.

Your contact details are kept securely and are only accessed by authorised members of staff as part of the provision of school services. If you do not wish us to keep this contact information please tell us.

This website uses Google Analytics which provides statistical data about the usage of the site. This information is not used to identify individuals, but is collected to provide us with an understanding of the areas of interest on our site and how our site is being used.

If you are connected to the internet you will have an IP Address. This may take the form of a figure, such as 333.333.22.1. The address will be automatically collected and logged as part of the connection of your computer to our web server and may be used to determine the total number of visits to each part of the site. This data is not collected and used for other purposes.

This website contains links to other websites. The School is not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites or organisations and recommends you consult the privacy information on those sites.

This policy will be reviewed and updated versions will be posted on the website.

If you have any questions about the use of your personal information, the Information Commissioner is the independent regulator for both Data Protection and Freedom of Information.