Year 4 - Science
Environmental changes in the news (non-stat Climate Change & Sustainability)
Living things and the environment
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
This unit focuses on grouping living things and using classification keys to identify and name them in various environments. It explores how environmental changes can pose dangers to organisms. Emphasis is on asking questions, collecting data, and using evidence to support conclusions.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to use sources of information to write a news report about environmental changes.
Key Notes
- News reports can take many different forms, and can be written or verbal.
- News reports provide information to a wide audience where scientists can share their findings.
- A news report has specific features, including a headline, factual information and quotes.
- News reports often include facts or statistics, and avoid using the reporter's own opinion.
- Having access to information in the news allows people to make informed choices about their own actions.
Vocabulary To Learn
- news report: A news report gives us information about current events.
- verbal: A verbal presentation is in the form of spoken words.
- quote: To quote someone is to repeat the words they have said or written.
- informed choice: An informed choice is a decision you make when you have all of the information about the decision topic.
- environment: An environment is the surroundings of a living thing, including other plants and animals and the conditions they live in.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Pupils may think that changes to the environment are negative.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.
News reports can take many different forms, and can be written or verbal. News reports provide information to a wide audience where scientists can share their findings.
2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'news report'
A news report gives us information about current events. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.
3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.
Mistake: Pupils may think that changes to the environment are negative. Correction: Examples of both positive and negative changes to the environment.
More Lessons In This Unit
- Animals in danger (Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Classification keys Study Guide
- Classification keys to identify animals Study Guide
- Classification keys to identify plants Study Guide
- Environments and seasonal changes (Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Extreme weather: flooding (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Extreme weather: heatwaves and wild fires (non-statutory CC & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Grouping animals Study Guide
- Grouping plants Study Guide
- How scientists communicate with the public (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Identifying living things (non-statutory) Study Guide
- Introducing observable characteristics Study Guide
- Land development and deforestation (Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Nature reserves (Climate change and sustainability) Study Guide
- Plants in danger (Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Protecting animals in decline (non-statutory Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Reforestation and recycling (Climate Change & Sustainability) Study Guide
- Waste creation and pollution (Climate change and sustainability) Study Guide
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