Do It Yourself – Grasslands
Curriculum for Excellence Links
The study of a Grassland Environment will help deliver the four capacities of the Curriculum for Excellence by:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
recognising and naming some common plants and animals found in grasslands.
giving examples of how plants and animals are suited to their grassland environment.
giving examples of physical factors that affect the distribution of living things.
constructing and explaining food pyramids.
using simple equipment and techniques to make observations and measurements.
recording findings in a range of ways.
reporting and presenting the information collected.
interpreting and evaluating the results and processes.
taking responsibility for their own health and safety out of doors.
participating in the safe and responsible care of living things and the environment.
thinking through the various consequences for living things and for the environment of different choices decisions
and courses of action.
• understanding the importance of the interrelationships between living things and their environment.
Before You Go On Site
In order to prepare yourself and the children for a field studies visit it is important to outline the activities that the
children will participate in, the risks associated with working outdoors and the behaviour which is expected at all times.
The following activities could be used prior to going out on site:
Children
• RESEARCH and STUDY various aspects of grassland i.e. plants,
• animals, insects and the influence of people
• DRAW OR COMPOSE a grassland code in the form of a poster,
• play or poem
• DISCUSS/BRAINSTORM their feelings about visiting a grassland – what do they imagine it will be like?
What will they find?
• DISCUSS the classification of plants and animals using simple categories
• PRACTICE with the equipment that will be used during the field visit – include identification keys
• DISCUSS the worksheets which will be used during the visit
Teacher
• RESEARCH grasslands
• VISIT the grassland
• DISCUSS with the class the importance of safety out of doors
• PREPARE materials and equipment
section two - grasslands 1
Recommended Equipment
The following is a list of suggested equipment which would be useful on a visit to a grassland site. Items marked with
an * can be borrowed or obtained from Countryside Services.
Mobile phone
First Aid Kit
Camera
Wellies and warm clothing
Poly bags to sit upon
Bug Boxes *
Quadrats – or hoops *
String and bamboo poles for transects
Magnifying glasses *
Books to help with identification *
Clipboards, pencils and erasers *
Worksheets
Maps of the area
Fieldwork Summary
The following briefly describes the recommended activities for a visit to grassland within your local area:
• Complete observation sheet ‘Look carefully as you travel along’
• Listen carefully and complete the sheet ‘Things we hear on the Grasslands’
• Look carefully for birds and complete the sheet ‘Grassland Birds’
• Study the plants around you and complete the appropriate sheets:
‘Grassland plants’, ‘Plants of the Grasslands, ‘My favourite plant’,
‘Plants-Quadrats’ and ‘Plants-Transects’
• Observe Minibeasts and complete the sheet ‘Grassland minibeasts’
section two - grasslands 2
Sheet 1: Look Carefully as you Travel Along
Tick the things you see as you walk to site for your visit
Bird on the ground
Road sign which
includes the name of a flower
Someone using the outdoors
for leisure
Woodland or Forest
Wildflower
An area good for wildlife
Footpath to the site
Farm animals
Machinery at work
Litter
Buildings
People
section two - grasslands 3
Sheet 2: Things we Hear in the Grassland
Sit down, close your eyes and listen...................................
When you have heard something, describe the sound and which direction it came from. Then listen again!
section two - grasslands 4
Sheet 3: Plants of Grasslands
Can you find the following plants?
When you find them, colour them in using the living plant as your guide
Daisy
Buttercup
Heather
Cuckoo Flower
Meadow Saxifrage
Meadowsweet
Cow Parsley
Orchid
section two - grasslands 5
Sheet 4: Grassland Plants
Draw and describe any of the plants that are:
That are very tall
That are very small
That are very bright
That are very dull
Remember to draw any minibeasts that you find on your plants too.
section two - grasslands 6
Sheet 5: My Favourite Plant
Choose one of the many plants and take a closer look
My plant in the landscape
My plants and its neighbours
My plant close up
One leaf of my plant
section two - grasslands 7
Sheet 6: Grassland plants – Using a quadrat
Take the quadrat and simply find a dry place to place it down. Use a plant key to identify the plants in your quadrat.
Make some sketches of the plants. Don’t forget to include the minibeasts within your quadrat too.
Once you have done this move your quadrat to a wet place and start again. Repeat this several times.
Use the diagram to record your findings for four quadrats… are they different?
Yes
No
What is the main plant on your corner of the grasslands?
Do you think this would be the same for all grassland? Why?
section two - grasslands 8
Sheet 7: Grassland plants – using a transect
You will need 2 bamboo canes and a piece of string about 1m long. Find a bumpy bit of the site. Tie the string to the
top of the bamboo canes and put them as far apart in the ground as possible. Try to make the string touch the highest
plant that you can.
Make a drawing of your transect landscape as outlined below.
Bamboo stick
Bamboo stick
Write short descriptions and arrows
e.g. tall leafy plant, small yellow flower, tiny frog etc.
String: about 1 metre, touching tallest plant.
Draw grassland plants and minibeasts
What plant is the tallest?
Mark on all the different plants along your transect.
Repeat this activity for another piece of the site. Is it different?
Why?
section two - grasslands 9
Sheet 8: Grassland Minibeasts
Animals and insects can be found all around the grassland. Have a good look and record what you can see.
Drawing or description
of animal or minibeast
Whereabouts did you
find it?
What were they doing?
What do they eat?
Back at school identify your minibeasts and try to find out more about them. Compare your notes with the rest of the
class. Which minibeasts did most people find? Were there any unusual ones?
section two - grasslands 10
Sheet 9: Grassland Birds
Grasslands are very important places for birds. They can be difficult to see. Find a quiet spot and see if you are lucky
enough to spot or hear any.
Us e a bird identification book and see how much you can find out about each bird. If you see a bird close up make
a quick field sketch – note wing, body and head markings and type of beak. Also note where it was and what it was
doing. All these notes will help you identify it back at school.
In the classroom, use bird books to find out more about these birds. What do they feed on? What adaptations help
them to live on the grassland? Do they live there all year round? If not, where do they go?
Draw or describe the birds that you spot.
section two - grasslands 11
Sheet 10: Grassland Food Pyramids
This activity can be done either inside or outside, or both.
• Think about what YOU eat, where does it come from?
• Now think about where the plants and animals around you get THEIR food from
• What happens if there is a change to the food supply?
• Try this game and find out for yourself
• Divide the class into 4 groups of the following sizes – for example a class of 20:
• Half the class into one group(10) (plants)
• About a quarter into another group (6) (minibeasts)
• Half again into the third (3) (insect feeding birds or mammals)
• And just one person as the fourth group (1) (the highest predators – foxes, owls, hen harriers)
• Decide which creature each group is based on knowing who eats who
• The children arrange themselves in a pyramid
• Look at how important the largest group is (but often the smallest creatures)
• NOW introduce something that damages the biggest group (pollution, fire, human interference)
• What effect does this have on the rest of the pyramid?
section two - grasslands 12