Welcome to the first lesson of this science course. Over the course you will work the way scientists do: ask a question about the living world, predict what you expect, gather real evidence outside and in the lab, and then explain what the evidence shows.
Today you start in the school grounds. Look at these two places in a school garden: the dark space under a log, and the sunny face of a stone wall. Do you think the same living things would live in both? Hands up if you think they would be different, and be ready to say why.
Under a log is cool, damp and dark; a sunny wall is dry and bright.
Microhabitat means a small place like that, with its own conditions.
Adaptation means a body feature or behaviour that helps a creature survive there.
Suited means the creature’s features match the conditions of the place.
If a creature needs to stay damp and hidden, which microhabitat would suit it better: under a log, or on a sunny wall?
We are going to hunt in three microhabitats: under a log or stone, in grass, and on a wall. In your group, predict which creatures you think you will find in each place, and one reason why. Then write one prediction on the first lines of your Investigation Journal page. We will test those ideas with real evidence outside.
In your group, visit each of the three microhabitats. Lift logs and stones gently from the edge, and put them back the way you found them.
To look closely at a minibeast, brush it gently into a pot with the soft brush and put the lid on. Look at it through the side of the pot with your magnifier, and use the ID sheet to name it. Then let it go where you found it.
On your Investigation Journal page, write one row for each kind of living thing you find: the place, its name, and one feature you noticed that might help it live there. Found nothing in a place? Write the place and “nothing found”. That is a result too.
Back inside, we share finds as a class first. Then, in your group, draft two matches on your Investigation Journal page. Each draft needs three parts: the living thing, one adaptation, and one evidence phrase from the hunt about the place (for example damp, dark or hidden). Aim for a clear draft, not perfect wording, because we tighten it next.
Take a few minutes to check your Investigation Journal page against three things, and fix only what fails. First, any place where you found nothing should say “nothing found”, because an empty place is useful evidence too. Then, look for the words “because it likes it” and replace them, since that tells us nothing about the place. Finally, make sure you have two matches that use evidence words such as damp or dry, dark or light, and shelter.
Three more creatures, placed from their adaptations alone, so put your ID sheets away for this one.
- Centipede: flattened body, no waterproof coating, hunts at night.
- Springtail: tiny, needs constant damp, springs away from light.
- Pill woodlouse: rolls into a ball, has a thicker shell than the woodlice we found, copes with drier air.
If the class splits, argue it out. Your hunt evidence is allowed as a reason, but only if you can say why it carries across.
Where would these three live?
Our class tally shows one clear pattern from the hunt: a habitat, the creature we found there, and the condition that suits it. That is what suited means: living things match the microhabitats where we find them because conditions such as damp, light and shelter are not the same in every small place. Scientists sample real places, record carefully, and link features to conditions before they act.
Discuss: which adaptation and microhabitat match was strongest in our evidence, and what would you check on a second hunt?
That was a sample lesson from STE for 6th Class
Every lesson in the course is ready to teach like this one. See what else comes with it, and how to order it.
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