Chapter 4 of 8

All 8 chapters
  1. 1Living and non-living, readunderstood
  2. 2Grouping animals, readunderstood
  3. 3Habitats, readunderstood
  4. 4Exploring a small habitat, readunderstood
  5. 5Fit for the habitat, readunderstood
  6. 6Plant eaters, meat eaters and both, readunderstood
  7. 7Food chains, readunderstood
  8. 8Changes to habitats, readunderstood

S2.2.4 Chapter 4

Exploring a small habitat

What lives under a stone?

Your guess

Pick one before you read on. It is fine to be wrong.

Your guess

  • You picked A. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked B. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

  • You picked C. Read on. At the end, the chapter comes back to your guess.

By the end you can

  • Record the living things under a stone or log, using a stick
  • Draw a map of a small habitat near your home

A stone sits on the ground. Under it the ground is dark and damp. Small animals like that. They hide from the heat, the wind and hungry birds.

You may find woodlice, ants, worms, beetles, centipedes and snails. Let us look and count them.

Try it

Look under a stone or a log

You need: a long stick, paper and a pencil, a small stone or a rotting log, water and soap, to wash your hands after.

Be safe: Never put your hand under a stone or a log. Do not lift a heavy stone. Wash your hands after.

  1. Choose a stone or log you can move with a stick. If it is heavy, leave it.
  2. Write the names of animals on your paper. Leave a space after each.
  3. Stand back. Slide the stick under the far side. Lift that side up.
  4. Look for one minute. Make one tally mark for each animal. Do not touch.
  5. Put the stone back gently, just as it was. Wash your hands.

What you will see: You see small animals that like dark, damp places. You may see ants, woodlice, worms, beetles, snails and centipedes. Some run away fast. Some may bite, so never touch them.

If you cannot try it, this is what happens.
A cut through the ground under a stone. A hatched slab of stone at the top is labelled stone. Below it, in damp ground, are three small animals drawn from above. They are labelled ant, woodlouse and worm.stoneantwoodlouseworm

Now you must keep count. A tally is a mark you make each time you see something. Make four marks down. Cross them with the fifth. Then you can count in fives.

See it three ways

As a picture

A tally chart with four rows. ants has seven marks: one group of five and two more. woodlice has five marks in one group. worms has two marks. snails has one mark. Labels: ants, woodlice, worms, snails.antswoodlicewormssnails

In words

Make one mark for each animal. Cross every fifth mark over the four. Then count the groups of five.

In symbols

7 ants, 5 woodlice, 2 worms and 1 snail. In all that is 15 animals.

Six small animals, each with its name and its legs. Ant: 6 legs. Beetle: 6 legs. Woodlouse: 14 legs. Centipede: many legs. Snail: no legs. Worm: no legs.ant6 legsbeetle6 legswoodlouse14 legscentipedemany legssnailno legswormno legs
Count legs to tell small animals apart.
A table with two columns, Animal and Total. ants: 7. woodlice: 5. worms: 2. snails: 1. Labels: Animal, Total, ants, woodlice, worms, snails, 7, 5, 2, 1.AnimalTotalants7woodlice5worms2snails1
After you count, write the totals in a table.

A table is quick to read later. You can see which animal is most common. Do it again on another day. Do the counts match?

A map is a drawing from above. It shows where things are. Imagine you are a bird looking down on your habitat.

The same place drawn two ways. On the left, from the side: a tree, a hatched pond and a stone stand on a ground line, labelled tree, pond and stone. On the right, from above: a circle, a hatched box and a small box sit in a frame, named tree, pond and stone. The words are from the side and from above.from the sidefrom abovetreepondstonetreepondstone
A map is a drawing from above.

A map uses signs. A circle can be a tree. A small box can be a stone. A key says what each sign means.

Draw it first

Draw a map of a small habitat

  1. A map of a small habitat seen from above, with a key beside it. The map has a dashed path, a hatched pond, two circles for trees and two small boxes for stones. The key is labelled Key, and shows a circle for tree, a box for stone, a dashed line for path and a hatched box for water. Labels: Key, tree, stone, path, water.

    1 Draw a box for the edge of your habitat.

  2. A map of a small habitat seen from above, with a key beside it. The map has a dashed path, a hatched pond, two circles for trees and two small boxes for stones. The key is labelled Key, and shows a circle for tree, a box for stone, a dashed line for path and a hatched box for water. Labels: Key, tree, stone, path, water.

    2 Draw the path as a dashed line. Draw a pond and shade it with lines.

  3. A map of a small habitat seen from above, with a key beside it. The map has a dashed path, a hatched pond, two circles for trees and two small boxes for stones. The key is labelled Key, and shows a circle for tree, a box for stone, a dashed line for path and a hatched box for water. Labels: Key, tree, stone, path, water.

    3 Draw circles for trees. Draw small boxes for stones.

  4. A map of a small habitat seen from above, with a key beside it. The map has a dashed path, a hatched pond, two circles for trees and two small boxes for stones. The key is labelled Key, and shows a circle for tree, a box for stone, a dashed line for path and a hatched box for water. Labels: Key, tree, stone, path, water.Keytreestonepathwater

    4 Make a key. Draw each sign and write its word beside it.

A wrong idea many people have

A habitat has to be big, like a forest.

Why it feels right: We hear about forests and seas. They are the habitats we see in pictures.

The test that breaks it: Look under a stone or a log. Count the animals in one minute. They find food, damp and shelter there. A habitat gives all that.

What is true: A habitat can be as small as a stone. A woodlouse finds food, damp and shelter under it. That is its habitat.

Key words

tally
a mark you make each time you see something.
map
a drawing from above that shows where things are.
key
the part of a map that says what each sign means.

Back to your guess

The answer is C: Many small animals can live there.

Many small animals live under stones and logs. It is dark and damp. It is safe from wind and sun.

Check yourself

Try each one before you look. A wrong answer tells you where to go next.

  1. How should you lift a stone to look under it?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. Snakes, scorpions and biting animals may hide there. Never put your hand under a stone. Try another.

    2. Not this one. A stick is safer. Your foot can squash animals or slip. Tip the stone with a stick. Try another.

    3. Not this one. That opens the gap toward you. An animal could run at you. Lift the far side. Try another.

    4. Yes, that is right. A stick keeps your hand out of the way. Lift the far side. The stone stays between you and any animal.

    See the answer

    With a stick, lifting the side away from you

    A stick keeps your hand out of the way. Lift the far side. The stone stays between you and any animal.

    • If you chose A: Snakes, scorpions and biting animals may hide there. Never put your hand under a stone.
    • If you chose B: A stick is safer. Your foot can squash animals or slip. Tip the stone with a stick.
    • If you chose C: That opens the gap toward you. An animal could run at you. Lift the far side.

  2. Look at the tally marks. How many ants did Tariq count?

    Tally marks for ants. There is one group of five, with a fifth mark across four, and then three more marks. The label is ants.ants
    See the answer

    8

    One group of five makes 5. Three more marks make 8.

  3. Ana counts 6 ants, 4 woodlice and 2 worms. How many animals is that in all?

    See the answer

    12

    Add 6 and 4 to make 10. Add 2 more to make 12.

  4. What does the key on a map tell you?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. A key says what each sign means. A circle may mean a tree.

    2. Not this one. The key explains the signs. It does not give the size. Try another.

    3. Not this one. The key explains the signs, not who drew the map. Try another.

    See the answer

    What each sign on the map means

    A key says what each sign means. A circle may mean a tree.

    • If you chose B: The key explains the signs. It does not give the size.
    • If you chose C: The key explains the signs, not who drew the map.

  5. From an earlier chapter

    Kofi sees a small animal under a log. It has 8 legs and 2 body parts. What is it?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. An insect has 6 legs and 3 body parts. Count again. Go to S2.2.2. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. A spider has 8 legs and 2 body parts.

    3. Not this one. A mammal has hair or fur and feeds its young milk. A tiny animal with 8 legs is not one. Go to S2.2.2. Try another.

    See the answer

    A spider

    A spider has 8 legs and 2 body parts.

    • If you chose A: An insect has 6 legs and 3 body parts. Count again. Go to S2.2.2.
    • If you chose C: A mammal has hair or fur and feeds its young milk. A tiny animal with 8 legs is not one. Go to S2.2.2.

  6. Draw a map of a small habitat near your home. Add a key.

    See the answer

    A box with signs inside. Circles are trees and boxes are stones. A key beside it names each sign.

    A map is drawn from above. The key tells the reader what each sign means.

  7. Look at the table. How many more ants than snails are in it?

    A table with two columns, Animal and Total. ants: 7. woodlice: 5. worms: 2. snails: 1. Labels: Animal, Total, ants, woodlice, worms, snails, 7, 5, 2, 1.AnimalTotalants7woodlice5worms2snails1
    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. 8 is ants and snails added together. To find how many more, take the snails away. Try another.

    2. Not this one. 7 is the number of ants. Take away the 1 snail to find how many more. Try another.

    3. Yes, that is right. There are 7 ants and 1 snail. Take 1 from 7. That leaves 6.

    See the answer

    6

    There are 7 ants and 1 snail. Take 1 from 7. That leaves 6.

    • If you chose A: 8 is ants and snails added together. To find how many more, take the snails away.
    • If you chose B: 7 is the number of ants. Take away the 1 snail to find how many more.

  8. From where do you look when you draw a map?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Not this one. A drawing from the side shows heights. A map shows where things are, so it is drawn from above. Try another.

    2. Yes, that is right. A map is a drawing from above. It shows where things are.

    3. Not this one. A cut through the ground shows what lives under a stone. A map is drawn from above. Try another.

    See the answer

    From above, like a bird looking down.

    A map is a drawing from above. It shows where things are.

    • If you chose A: A drawing from the side shows heights. A map shows where things are, so it is drawn from above.
    • If you chose C: A cut through the ground shows what lives under a stone. A map is drawn from above.

  9. Why do woodlice live under stones?

    Tap your answer.

    1. Yes, that is right. A stone keeps out the sun and the wind. The ground under it stays damp.

    2. Not this one. Under a stone it is dark. Woodlice hide from the sun and the heat. Try another.

    3. Not this one. Under a stone it is damp and still. Wind is kept out. Try another.

    See the answer

    It is dark and damp, and safe from hungry birds.

    A stone keeps out the sun and the wind. The ground under it stays damp.

    • If you chose B: Under a stone it is dark. Woodlice hide from the sun and the heat.
    • If you chose C: Under a stone it is damp and still. Wind is kept out.

Keep it

Copy this into your exercise book.

Lift a stone with a stick. Never use your hand. Make a tally mark for each animal you see. Then write the totals in a table. Put the stone back as it was. Wash your hands.

Draw: Draw a map from above. Show a tree, a stone, a path and water. Add a key.

Reading with a child? A short page for the adult: what this chapter teaches and three questions to ask.

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