Year 2 Science Block 1

Download free year 2 Autumn term overview

Year 2
Topic – Living Things and their Habitats

In this block of learning, you will cover the following lessons:

🌡️ Week 1: What is the Difference Between Living and Non-living?
🌡️ Week 2: What is a Habitat?
🌡️ Week 3: Is This Habitat Suitable?
🌡️ Week 4: What is a Microhabitat?
🌡️ Week 5: Can we Make a Microhabitat?
🌡️ Week 6: What is a Food Chain?

Unit Outcomes (secure)

Living things and their habitats
✅ Explore and compare the differences between things that
are living, dead, and things that have never been alive.
✅ Identify 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.
✅ Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their
habitats, including microhabitats.
✅ Describe 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

Working scientifically
✅ Asking simple questions and recognising that they can be
answered in different ways.
✅ Observing closely, using simple equipment.
✅ Identifying and classifying.
✅ Using their observations and ideas to suggest answers to
question.

 

Year 2 Science: Living Things and Their Habitats

Explore the fascinating world of living things and their habitats with this structured Year 2 science unit. Designed to align with the KS1 science curriculum, this scheme introduces pupils to the relationships between animals, plants, and their environments. Through engaging lessons and hands-on investigations, children will develop key scientific enquiry skills while exploring their local surroundings and beyond.

What’s Included?

Our KS1 science resources provide teachers with everything needed for effective and engaging lessons, including:

  • Interactive animated slides for whole-class teaching
  • Differentiated worksheets to support all learners
  • Knowledge organisers covering key vocabulary and concepts
  • Hands-on investigations and classification activities
  • Age-appropriate assessments to track pupil progress

Developing Scientific Enquiry

This unit encourages pupils to think scientifically about habitats, microhabitats, and food chains. Through structured enquiry and experimentation, children will:

  • Explore the differences between living, dead, and non-living things
  • Identify a range of habitats and microhabitats
  • Investigate what makes a habitat suitable for different animals and plants
  • Construct simple food chains and understand how animals depend on plants for survival
  • Use observations and ideas to answer scientific questions

Key Learning Outcomes

By the end of this unit, pupils will be able to:

  • Recognise and describe the key differences between living, dead, and non-living things
  • Identify and describe how different habitats support a variety of living things
  • Classify and name a range of animals and plants found in different environments
  • Understand and construct simple food chains, identifying sources of food

Lesson Structure

Each lesson follows a structured approach to support learning and engagement:

  • Whole-class teaching: Interactive slides introduce key concepts
  • Guided activities: Hands-on experiments and classification tasks
  • Independent work: Differentiated tasks for varied learning needs
  • Discussion and reflection: Opportunities for pupils to share findings

Investigating Habitats and Microhabitats

Pupils will explore their local environment, identifying different types of habitats and microhabitats. Activities include:

  • Observing and comparing woodlands, ponds, gardens, and urban habitats
  • Creating a microhabitat using a shoebox or plastic container
  • Investigating why some animals thrive in specific environments
  • Exploring the impact of seasonal changes on habitats

Building Scientific Vocabulary

This unit also focuses on developing scientific language, helping pupils confidently describe habitats, food chains, and living things. Key vocabulary includes:

  • Habitat, microhabitat, environment, ecosystem
  • Food chain, predator, prey, producer, consumer
  • Living, dead, never alive

Flexible Teaching Approach

This unit is recommended as the first science topic in Year 2 to provide foundational knowledge for later units, such as Animals Including Humans. However, lessons can be adapted to suit different teaching sequences.

Differentiation and Assessment

This unit provides a differentiated approach to support all learners. Independent tasks follow a star system:

  • ⭐ One star – for children working below the expected level
  • ⭐⭐ Two stars – for children meeting the expected level
  • ⭐⭐⭐ Three stars – for children exceeding the expected level

Assessment opportunities include teacher observations, questioning, and simple tests to check understanding. Pupils will also demonstrate their learning by creating a microhabitat and constructing a food chain.

Why Choose Our Year 2 Science Scheme?

Our Year 2 science resources make science engaging, accessible, and easy to teach. This scheme provides:

  • Structured lesson plans with step-by-step guidance
  • Hands-on activities that promote scientific enquiry
  • Opportunities to develop and reinforce scientific vocabulary
  • Interactive teaching slides to support whole-class learning
  • Built-in differentiation to support all pupils

Perfect for teachers looking for high-quality KS1 science lesson plans, this unit ensures pupils develop essential working scientifically skills while exploring living things, habitats, and food chains.