KS2 Survival in the Wild
CURRICULUM LINKS
SC2 Life Processes and Living Things
5a Living things and the environment need protection
5b Different plants and animals found in different habitats
Updated July 2015
Chester Zoo’s oldest
chimpanzee, Boris
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After attending this workshop, all pupils will be able to:
• List some of the reasons why animals need food
• Understand the terms: herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, scavenger
and decomposer
• Construct a simple food chain
Most students will be able to:
• Explain ways in which animals and plants are dependent on each other
• Discuss how animals are adapted for finding food and avoiding predators
Some students will be able to:
• Describe ways in which human actions might have a direct or indirect
impact on food chains
A Cheatah at Chester Zoo
LESSON PLAN
Using a variety of artefacts (some real), we will consider how animals survive –
from what to eat to how to avoid being eaten.
We will first establish why animals need to eat, and then discuss the terms
herbivore, carnivore, omnivore, scavenger and decomposer, giving examples of
each, before seeing how it all slots together and how they all need each other
(interdependence).
We will then discuss adaptations in several animals before looking at food chains
and the effects humans might have directly or indirectly on these.
IMPORTANT NOTE – ARTEFACT CONTACT
Some Discovery Workshops MAY include a selection of bio-artefacts. Please inform us in
advance of any allergies or phobias that may be affected by this. An antibacterial foam
handwash will be offered to all students at the end of the workshop. In order for this to be
effective, teachers are asked to ensure that all students have clean hands on arrival at the
Education Centre.
Critically Endangered Sumatran Tigers
at Chester Zoo
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TO LINK WITH YOUR WORKSHOP
BEFORE VISIT (recommended prior learning - useful but not essential)
• An understanding of different animal diets would be useful (the terms
carnivore, herbivore, omnivore etc.) as well as a familiarity with food chains.
PLANNING A ROUTE – ANIMALS DISCUSSED DURING WORKSHOP
• The following animals are discussed during the workshop and can be seen in
the Zoo: cheetahs, tigers, pythons, tapirs, macaws, zebras and elephants.
DID YOU KNOW?
There are a selection of curriculum- linked self-led Explorer trails available to download at
http://www.chesterzoo.org/WhatWeDo/Education/Explorer%20Programme.aspx ,
DURING VISIT
•
Focus on animals and plants from extreme habitats such as Bactrian Camel
and Ongar which live on the steppe (cold desert),
•
Food Chain Treasure Hunt. Start from the Grow Zone Greenhouses or
agarden area. What might eat grass? From the suggested animals pick oneto
visit for example zebra. What might eat zebra? Perhaps a lion? What might
eat a lion? Perhaps a scavenging bird like a vulture etc.
A Critically Endangered Bluethroated Macaw
SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES TO LINK WITH YOUR
WORKSHOP
DURING VISIT
• Go along to one of the Presenter talks. Times are available at All presenters are
happy to answer individual questions after their talk.
• Draw and photograph the animals perhaps focusing on camouflage and other
adaptations. Pictures could also be collected in order to build food chains back in
school.
AFTER VISIT
• Animal A-Z Games (on the coach?)
• Think of an animal beginning with each letter of the alphabet.
• Something beginning with for example ‘z a lion might eat’, or ‘a meat-eating
animal beginning with J’. An animal that flies/hops/swims beginning with …
• Letter Writing - Write and tell us about your day at the Zoo.
• Designer Animal - Invent an animal designed to live in a specific habitat.
• Draw it and annotate to indicate its adaptations.
• Food Chains - From photos taken in the Zoo build food chain wall displays.
• Make animal masks to make living food chains with pupils. From a long list of
species from a habitat make as many different food chains as possible (could
use species only once or multiple times).
One of Chester Zoo’s everpopular Meerkats!