Living Things and Their Habitats
KS1SC-KS1-D006
Understanding of the characteristics of living things, how living things are suited to their habitats, and how organisms interact through simple food chains.
National Curriculum context
The Living Things and Their Habitats domain, taught in Year 2, introduces fundamental ecological and biological concepts by asking children to explore what makes something alive, where different organisms live, and how they depend on one another. Pupils learn to distinguish between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive, and explore a range of habitats from woodland to seashore to micro-habitats such as under a log. They identify how different habitats provide for the basic needs of the organisms that live there, and how plants and animals in a habitat depend on each other. The introduction of simple food chains connects diet classification (learned in Year 1) to the concept of energy flow through ecosystems. This domain establishes the ecological thinking that is progressively deepened through KS2 work on classification systems, life cycles, and adaptation.
7
Concepts
3
Clusters
5
Prerequisites
7
With difficulty levels
Lesson Clusters
Classify things as living, dead, or never alive
introduction CuratedThe living/dead/never-alive classification and the life processes that define living things are the conceptual foundation of all biology; they must come first in this domain.
Describe habitats and explain how they suit the animals that live there
practice CuratedHabitat concept, micro-habitats, and habitat suitability/adaptation form a coherent ecological sequence: what a habitat is, the fine-grained variety within it, and why organisms are suited to their specific habitat.
Understand how plants and animals in a habitat depend on each other
practice CuratedInterdependence and simple food chains together explain the feeding relationships that sustain a habitat. Food chains are the concrete representation of interdependence and are best taught together.
Teaching Suggestions (2)
Study units and activities that deliver concepts in this domain.
Habitat Explorer
Science Enquiry Identifying and ClassifyingPedagogical rationale
Exploring real habitats outdoors is far more powerful than studying habitats from photographs alone. The surprise of lifting a log and finding woodlice, worms, and beetles creates genuine curiosity and engagement. Classifying what they find into living, dead, and never-alive develops a foundational biological concept, while considering why organisms live where they do introduces the idea of adaptation at an accessible level.
Who Eats What? Simple Food Chains
Science Enquiry Research EnquiryPedagogical rationale
Research enquiry is the appropriate type here because food chains in wild habitats cannot be directly observed in a single lesson. Using picture cards to physically build food chains makes the abstract relationship (energy flows from plant to herbivore to predator) concrete and manipulable. Starting from the habitat explored in SE-KS1-008 connects the food chain concept to real organisms the children have already encountered.
Prerequisites
Concepts from other domains that pupils should know before this domain.
Concepts (7)
Living, Dead and Never Alive
knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C032
The ability to classify things into three categories: living (currently alive), dead (was once alive but is no longer), and never alive (was never a living thing). This requires understanding what it means to be alive - that living things show life processes such as growth, movement, nutrition and reproduction. Common tricky cases include fire (never alive), a piece of wood (dead - was once part of a living tree), and a dried leaf (dead).
Teaching guidance
Use a variety of real objects for sorting: a live plant, a pressed flower, a stone, a piece of wood, a plastic toy, a dried seed, a feather, a seashell. Discuss reasoning for each classification. Ask 'Was this ever alive? Is it still alive? How do you know?'. Introduce the idea that living things show certain signs of life.
Common misconceptions
Children commonly think fire is alive (it moves, grows, and 'breathes' oxygen). They may also think clouds or rivers are alive. A very common error is classifying wood as 'never alive' rather than 'dead' (was part of a living tree). Seeds are often wrongly classified as 'never alive' or 'dead'.
Difficulty levels
Sorting familiar items into 'alive' and 'not alive' with teacher support, using simple everyday reasoning.
Example task
Sort these items: a cat, a stone, a daisy, a toy car. Which are alive and which are not?
Model response: Alive: cat, daisy. Not alive: stone, toy car.
Using the three categories — living, dead and never alive — and giving a reason for each classification.
Example task
Sort these into living, dead and never alive: a growing tree, a fallen leaf, a pebble, a worm, a wooden chair, a plastic bottle.
Model response: Living: growing tree (it is still growing), worm (it moves and eats). Dead: fallen leaf (it was part of a living tree but is no longer alive), wooden chair (the wood came from a tree that was alive). Never alive: pebble (rock was never living), plastic bottle (plastic was never alive).
Accurately classifying a range of items including tricky examples (fire, seeds, shells, dried flowers) and justifying each choice by referring to life processes.
Example task
Classify these as living, dead or never alive: a dry seed, a fire, a seashell, a spider, a piece of coal. Explain the tricky ones.
Model response: Living: spider (it moves, eats, grows, reproduces), dry seed (it is alive but dormant — if you add water it will germinate). Dead: seashell (the shell was made by a living creature that has died), coal (formed from dead plants millions of years ago). Never alive: fire (it is not a living thing even though it seems to move and grow — it does not eat, reproduce, or have cells). The seed is tricky because it looks dead but is actually alive and resting.
Explaining why the living/dead/never alive classification is useful in science, and handling ambiguous cases by reasoning about life processes.
Example task
A robot can move, respond to sounds and follow instructions. Is it alive? A Venus flytrap can close its leaves when a fly lands on them. Is it alive? Explain how you decide.
Model response: The robot is never alive — even though it moves and responds, it was built by people from metal and plastic (never alive materials). It does not grow, eat, breathe or reproduce on its own. It only does what it was programmed to do. The Venus flytrap is alive — it is a plant that grows, makes its own food from sunlight, and reproduces by making seeds. It moves to catch insects, which gives it extra nutrients. We decide if something is living by checking for life processes like growth, nutrition and reproduction, not just movement.
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.
Life Processes
knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C033
The characteristics that define living things: movement, respiration, sensitivity (response to stimuli), growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition (often remembered by the mnemonic MRSGREN). At KS1, pupils do not need to know all seven formally, but should understand that living things share certain essential characteristics including growth, movement (even plants move slowly), feeding, and producing offspring.
Teaching guidance
Introduce informally at KS1 by asking 'How do we know this is alive?' and building a class list of properties of living things. Use plants as well as animals to challenge the assumption that only things that move visibly can be alive. Formally introduce the life processes mnemonic at KS2.
Common misconceptions
Children often think that movement is the key indicator of life, which leads them to classify fire or rivers as alive, and plants as non-living (because plants move too slowly to see without time-lapse). Many children do not realise that plants are alive.
Difficulty levels
Naming one or two things that living things do, such as grow and eat, when prompted.
Example task
What can a living thing do that a stone cannot?
Model response: A living thing can grow. A stone does not grow.
Naming several characteristics of living things: they grow, eat (feed), move and produce young (reproduce).
Example task
How do we know a cat is alive? Name four things living things can do.
Model response: A cat is alive because it grows from a kitten, it eats food, it moves around, and it can have kittens of its own. Living things grow, eat, move and reproduce.
Describing several life processes (growth, feeding, movement, reproduction, sensitivity) and using them to explain why something is or is not alive.
Example task
A child says 'My plant is not alive because it does not move.' Is the child correct? Use what you know about life processes to explain.
Model response: The child is not correct. Plants are alive even though they do not move from place to place. Plants show other life processes: they grow, they feed (make their own food using light), they reproduce by making seeds, and they respond to their environment (growing towards light). Movement is only one life process — we need to check for several to decide if something is alive.
Applying life process criteria to challenging examples and explaining why all the criteria matter, not just one.
Example task
A crystal in a cave gets bigger over many years. Is it alive? It seems to 'grow'. Explain your reasoning.
Model response: The crystal is not alive, even though it gets bigger. Getting bigger through adding minerals from water is not the same as biological growth. Living things grow by making new cells from food they have eaten or made. The crystal does not eat, breathe, move, reproduce or respond to stimuli — it only gets bigger through a physical process. We cannot just check one life process — we need to check several to be sure something is alive.
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.
Habitat Concept
Keystone knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C034
Understanding that a habitat is a natural environment where a community of plants and animals live. Different habitats - woodland, seashore, ocean, grassland, rainforest, desert, freshwater pond - have different physical characteristics (temperature, moisture, light levels, food availability) that determine which organisms can live there. A habitat provides an organism with everything it needs to survive.
Teaching guidance
Explore local habitats directly: the school garden, a nearby pond or park, a hedgerow. Use photographs and secondary sources for habitats pupils cannot visit. Build a habitat map of the local area. Create simple model habitats to understand what each provides for its inhabitants.
Common misconceptions
Children often think of habitats only as exotic places (jungle, Arctic) rather than recognising habitats in their immediate environment such as a garden, hedgerow, or under a stone. Some children think an animal's habitat is simply wherever it happens to be rather than where it is adapted to live.
Difficulty levels
Knowing that different animals and plants live in different places, and naming one familiar habitat.
Example task
Where do fish live? Where do squirrels live?
Model response: Fish live in water — rivers, ponds or the sea. Squirrels live in trees in woods and parks.
Using the word 'habitat' to describe where an animal or plant lives, and naming several different types of habitat.
Example task
What is a habitat? Name three different habitats and an animal that lives in each.
Model response: A habitat is the place where an animal or plant lives. Woodland — deer. Pond — frog. Seashore — crab.
Describing what a habitat provides for the animals and plants living there (food, water, shelter) and explaining why certain organisms live in certain habitats.
Example task
Describe a pond habitat. What does it provide for the animals and plants that live there?
Model response: A pond is a freshwater habitat. It provides water for drinking and living in. Plants like pondweed grow in the water and provide food for herbivores. The water has insects and larvae that frogs and fish eat. Reeds around the edge provide shelter and nesting places. A frog lives there because it needs water for its tadpoles, it can find food (insects), and there are places to hide from predators.
Comparing two different habitats and explaining why an animal suited to one would struggle in another.
Example task
A polar bear lives in the Arctic and a camel lives in the desert. Why would a polar bear struggle to survive in a desert?
Model response: A polar bear has thick fur and a layer of fat to keep it warm in the freezing Arctic — in the hot desert, it would overheat. Its white fur camouflages it in snow but would make it very visible in a sandy desert. It eats seals and fish from icy water, and there are no seals in a desert. The desert habitat does not provide the food, temperature or conditions the polar bear needs. Each animal is suited to its own habitat — what helps it survive in one place would be a problem in a different place.
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.
Micro-habitats
knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C035
Understanding that within a larger habitat, there are micro-habitats - very small, localised environments with specific conditions that suit particular small organisms. Examples include: under stones (dark, damp, sheltered - suits woodlice, centipedes), in leaf litter (moist, decaying material - suits worms, millipedes), on tree bark (rough surface, variable moisture - suits lichens, insects), and in a puddle (temporary water habitat).
Teaching guidance
Survey different micro-habitats in the school grounds systematically - use a quadrat and identification guides. Compare which organisms are found in different micro-habitats and why conditions differ. Handle invertebrates carefully and return them after observation.
Common misconceptions
Children may not realise that the specific conditions in a micro-habitat (dampness, darkness, temperature) are what make it suitable for certain organisms - they may think animals choose locations randomly.
Difficulty levels
Knowing that small creatures can be found in specific small places, such as under a stone or log.
Example task
We are going to look for minibeasts. Where should we look?
Model response: Under stones. Under logs. In the long grass.
Using the term 'micro-habitat' and naming examples, describing the conditions found in each.
Example task
What is a micro-habitat? Name two and describe what they are like.
Model response: A micro-habitat is a very small habitat within a bigger one. Under a stone it is dark, damp and cool — that is where woodlice live. In leaf litter on the ground it is damp and rotting — worms and millipedes live there.
Comparing conditions in different micro-habitats (light, moisture, temperature) and linking these conditions to the organisms found there.
Example task
We surveyed two micro-habitats: under a log and on top of a sunny wall. Compare the conditions and the organisms we found.
Model response: Under the log it was dark, damp and cool — we found woodlice, slugs, worms and centipedes. These animals need dampness because they can dry out easily. On the sunny wall it was bright, dry and warm — we found spiders, ants and a ladybird. These animals can cope with drier conditions. The different conditions mean different organisms are found in each micro-habitat.
Predicting which organisms might be found in a micro-habitat they have not yet surveyed, based on its conditions, and explaining their reasoning.
Example task
We have not surveyed the school compost bin yet. Predict what conditions it will have and which organisms we might find. Explain your reasoning.
Model response: The compost bin will be warm (rotting material generates heat), moist and dark inside. There will be lots of decaying plant matter. I predict we will find worms because they like damp, dark places with rotting material to eat. We might find woodlice and millipedes for the same reason. We might also find tiny flies and their larvae because they are attracted to rotting food. I would not expect to find spiders or ants because they prefer drier conditions.
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.
Habitat Suitability and Adaptation
knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C036
The understanding that living things are suited to the habitats in which they live - they possess features and behaviours that allow them to survive in that habitat's specific conditions. For example, polar bears are suited to cold Arctic habitats (thick fur, fat layer); camels are suited to hot deserts (hump for fat storage, wide feet for sand). At KS1 this is introduced as a descriptive observation; causal explanation through natural selection is not expected until Year 6.
Teaching guidance
Use photographs of animals in their natural habitats and discuss how the animal is suited to its environment. Focus on observable features (thick fur in cold animals, streamlined shape in swimming animals). Avoid asserting that animals 'chose' their features or that adaptations were deliberately acquired.
Common misconceptions
Children often think animals actively chose or developed their adaptations (intentional fallacy). Some think all animals could survive in all habitats if they wanted to. Children may think adaptation happens within a single animal's lifetime rather than over many generations.
Difficulty levels
Noticing that animals have features that help them in their environment, with teacher prompting and a familiar example.
Example task
Look at this picture of a duck. What part of its body helps it swim?
Model response: Its webbed feet help it paddle through the water.
Identifying one or two features of a familiar animal that help it survive in its habitat, using descriptive language.
Example task
How is a rabbit suited to living in a meadow? Name two features that help it survive.
Model response: A rabbit has long ears to listen for predators like foxes. It has strong back legs for running away quickly. Its brown fur helps it blend in with the grass and soil.
Describing how specific features of an animal or plant make it well-suited to its habitat, linking the feature to the habitat conditions.
Example task
A cactus lives in a hot, dry desert. Describe two features that help it survive there and explain how each one helps.
Model response: A cactus has thick, waxy stems that store water inside so it can survive long periods without rain. Instead of big leaves, it has spines which lose much less water to evaporation and protect it from animals trying to eat it for the water inside. Both features help the cactus cope with the desert's extreme heat and lack of water.
Comparing how two different organisms in the same habitat are suited to it in different ways, or how similar features appear in organisms in similar habitats around the world.
Example task
A seal and a penguin both live in cold seas. How is each one suited to the cold water? What is similar about their adaptations?
Model response: A seal has thick blubber (fat) under its skin to keep warm, smooth fur that is waterproof, and flippers for swimming fast. A penguin has a thick layer of overlapping feathers that trap air for insulation, a layer of fat, and flipper-like wings for swimming. Both have a layer of insulation (blubber/feathers) to survive the cold, and both have streamlined bodies for swimming. Even though one is a mammal and one is a bird, they have similar solutions to the same problem — staying warm and catching fish in freezing water.
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.
Interdependence in Habitats
knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C037
The understanding that plants and animals in a habitat depend on each other for survival. Plants produce food and oxygen that animals need; animals may pollinate plants or disperse seeds; predators control prey populations; decomposers recycle nutrients. At KS1 this is introduced simply: pupils recognise that if a key organism is removed, others are affected. This concept develops into understanding of food webs and ecosystems in KS2.
Teaching guidance
Use local habitat examples to explore who depends on whom. Play 'food web games' where pupils hold strings connecting different organisms - pull one string and see how all others are affected. Discuss what would happen if all the plants disappeared, or all the bees.
Common misconceptions
Children often think of habitats as collections of independent organisms rather than an interconnected community. They may not appreciate that plants depend on animals (for pollination) as well as animals depending on plants.
Difficulty levels
Knowing that animals eat plants or other animals to survive, showing a simple understanding that living things depend on each other.
Example task
A caterpillar eats a leaf. A bird eats the caterpillar. What would happen to the bird if there were no caterpillars?
Model response: The bird would have nothing to eat. It might be hungry.
Describing a simple example of how two organisms depend on each other, using the idea that one provides food or shelter for the other.
Example task
How do bees and flowers depend on each other?
Model response: Bees visit flowers to collect nectar, which they use to make honey. When the bee visits, pollen sticks to its body and gets carried to the next flower. This helps the flower make seeds. So the flower gives the bee food and the bee helps the flower reproduce.
Explaining that organisms in a habitat depend on each other in multiple ways and that removing one organism affects others.
Example task
In a garden habitat: caterpillars eat leaves, birds eat caterpillars, and dead leaves feed worms that improve the soil for plants. What might happen if all the birds disappeared?
Model response: If the birds disappeared, the caterpillars would have no predators and their numbers would increase. More caterpillars would eat more leaves, which could damage or kill the plants. With fewer plants, there would be less food for other herbivores too. The whole habitat would be affected because the organisms are all connected — each one depends on others.
Describing multiple interdependent relationships in a habitat and explaining why biodiversity (many different species) makes a habitat healthier.
Example task
In a pond habitat, there are plants, snails, tadpoles, dragonfly larvae, fish and herons. Describe how these are connected. Why is it important to have lots of different species?
Model response: Plants produce oxygen and food for snails and tadpoles. Dragonfly larvae eat tadpoles. Fish eat dragonfly larvae and snails. Herons eat fish. Dead organisms are broken down and feed the plants. If there were only one type of food, and it disappeared, everything above it would be affected. Having lots of different species means if one type becomes scarce, animals can eat something else. A pond with many species is more stable because the connections overlap — it is like a web rather than a single chain.
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.
Simple Food Chains
knowledge AI DirectSC-KS1-C038
A food chain is a sequence showing who eats whom, starting always with a producer (a green plant that makes its own food through photosynthesis) and showing the flow of energy through herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. At KS1 pupils construct and read simple linear food chains (3-4 organisms) from their local habitat. The concept of energy transfer from food is not formally introduced until KS2.
Teaching guidance
Build food chains using cards or pictures from local habitats (nettle → caterpillar → blue tit → sparrowhawk). Emphasise that food chains always start with a green plant. Use arrows correctly - the arrow represents 'is eaten by' or 'energy goes to', pointing from prey to predator. Discuss what happens if one organism is removed.
Common misconceptions
Children often draw arrows pointing in the wrong direction (from predator to prey). Many do not realise that food chains must always start with a plant. Some children think food chains exist only in exotic environments, not recognising chains in the school garden.
Difficulty levels
Knowing that some animals eat plants and some eat other animals, and sequencing a simple three-step food chain with support.
Example task
Put these in order to make a food chain: caterpillar, lettuce, bird.
Model response: Lettuce → caterpillar → bird.
Constructing a simple food chain from a given habitat, starting with a plant and using arrows correctly to show 'is eaten by'.
Example task
Make a food chain from a garden using these organisms: slug, frog, dandelion, bird. Draw arrows to show who eats whom.
Model response: Dandelion → slug → frog → bird. The arrows show the direction of energy: the dandelion is eaten by the slug, the slug is eaten by the frog, the frog is eaten by the bird.
Constructing food chains from a local habitat, explaining that they always start with a green plant (producer) and using the terms producer, prey and predator.
Example task
Create a food chain from a woodland habitat. Label the producer, prey and predator. Why must it start with a plant?
Model response: Oak tree (producer) → caterpillar (prey) → blue tit (predator and prey) → sparrowhawk (top predator). It must start with a plant because only plants can make their own food using sunlight. All the energy in the food chain starts with the plant. Without plants, no other organisms in the chain would have food.
Predicting what would happen if one organism in a food chain were removed, explaining the effect on organisms above and below it in the chain.
Example task
In this food chain — grass → rabbit → fox — what would happen if a disease killed all the rabbits? Think about what happens to the grass and the foxes.
Model response: If all the rabbits died, the foxes would lose their main food source and might starve or have to find other prey like mice. The grass would grow more than before because nothing is eating it — it would spread. This shows that each organism in a food chain affects the others. Removing one link changes the whole chain — there is too much food at the bottom (grass) and not enough at the top (for foxes).
Delivery rationale
Science knowledge concept — factual content deliverable with visual representations and adaptive quizzing.