Forest Habitats Discovery

Overview

This 30-minute lesson is the third in a five-lesson unit on "Exploring Animal Habitats" tailored for Year 1 pupils. The lesson focuses on forest habitats. Students will utilise ICT to investigate animals living in forests and create a simple digital poster to display their findings. This plan aligns with the National Curriculum for England (Science and Computing) and integrates cross-curricular objectives.

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National Curriculum Links

Science (Key Stage 1 - Year 1)

• Animals, including humans:
  • Recognise and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
  • Identify and name a variety of animals in their habitats, including microhabitats
• Working scientifically (Years 1 & 2):
  • Asking simple questions and recognising that they can be answered in different ways
  • Using simple secondary sources to find answers

Computing (Key Stage 1)

• Use technology purposefully to create, organise, store, manipulate and retrieve digital content
• Recognise common uses of information technology beyond school

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, pupils will be able to:

1. Identify at least three animals that live in forest habitats.
2. Use a simple ICT tool to locate images and facts about forest animals.
3. Create a basic digital poster combining images and text to present knowledge about their chosen animal.
4. Develop confidence in using technology as a research and presentation tool.

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Resources

• Classroom computer or tablets (at least 5 devices so students can work in pairs)
• Age-appropriate, pre-selected offline or online digital resources / encyclopedias about forest animals (e.g., simple educational software, or teacher curated PDFs)
• Presentation software with a simple interface (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Slides or an offline equivalent) pre-loaded and configured for each device
• Projector or interactive whiteboard to model tasks
• Printed vocabulary cards: forest animals names and simple facts
• Worksheet with prompts for poster creation (e.g., animal name, habitat, interesting fact box)

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Lesson Structure (30 minutes)

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

• Recap previous lessons: remind pupils about different animal habitats they have explored so far.
• Introduce the focus: forest habitats. Briefly describe a forest environment (trees, shade, damp floor) and explain how many animals live there.
• Show images or short video clip (1-2 mins) of a forest and some forest animals (e.g., squirrels, owls, deer, insects).

2. Guided ICT Exploration (10 minutes)

• Model on the projector/whiteboard how to open the presentation tool and the basic steps to insert an image and text.
• Demonstrate how to use digital resources to find:
  • An image of a forest animal
  • One simple fact about the animal
• Pupils then work in pairs: select a forest animal to research from pre-approved digital resources.
• Teacher and support staff circulate to assist with navigation, reading, and typing.
• Pupils collect information and save images and facts in their presentation slide.

3. Creating the Digital Poster (10 minutes)

• Pupils use the presentation tool to prepare one slide that includes:
  • The animal’s name (typed or written and scanned/photo inserted)
  • An image/picture of the animal
  • One simple fact about the animal (typed or inserted as text box)
• Encourage creativity: pupils can change colours or add borders to their slide.

4. Sharing and Reflecting (5 minutes)

• Select 2-3 pairs to briefly present their digital posters to the class using the projector or small group viewing on tablets.
• Ask reflective questions:
  • “What animal did you learn about?”
  • “What is one interesting fact you found?”
• Praise the use of technology and research skills.
• Explain that next lesson will explore another habitat.

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Assessment & Differentiation

• Formative Assessment:
  • Observation of pupils using ICT tools, ability to find images and facts
  • Check completeness of digital poster (animal name, image, fact)
• Differentiation:
  • Support for lower ability pupils: pairing with peer helper, pre-selected facts/vocabulary cards
  • Extension for higher ability: encourage adding a second fact or a drawing of the animal alongside the digital image
• Recording:
  • Save digital posters to a class folder for review and display

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Cross-Curricular Opportunities

• Literacy: Writing simple sentences/facts
• Art: Designing and decorating digital posters
• Computing: Using ICT tools for research and presentation

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Teacher Tips to Wow Students

• Use a “digital explorer” theme: call pupils “explorers” on a mission to discover forest creatures.
• Utilize sound effects (forest sounds or animal noises) quietly in the background during the creation phase to enhance atmosphere.
• Encourage pupils to use their own words rather than copying text to boost communication skills.
• Celebrate all efforts with digital stickers or badges on their slides to build motivation.

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This lesson plan meets the National Curriculum expectations for Year 1 Science and Computing, promoting enquiry, ICT skills, and understanding of animal habitats in an engaging, hands-on way.