GRADE 4
Name:
TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE
What is a habitat?
Name two types of habitats:
Why do plants and animals need a habitat?
A habitat is where an animal or plant lives. There are many different types of animals
and plants. Some live in hot, dry areas (like deserts), others live in very damp areas
(like wetlands or rain forests), and many live in water (rivers, dams or seas).
Different plants and animals prefer different habitats. It’s important to investigate
why certain animals are better suited to certain habitats and to establish what their
habitat provides them with, in order to make life possible.
ACTIVITY: FISH IN A POND
Imagine you are a fish living in a pond. Work with a friend or in a group and
discuss reasons why you like living in a pond. Explain why is it a good place for
you to live in.
© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
Grade 4 Term 1 Natural Science and Technology: Habitats of animals (Need for Habitat)
Need for habitat
GRADE 4
Animals and plants need to live in a place
that provides them with enough food and
water. Animals get their food from plants
or eating other animals (for example, a lion
eats a zebra). Plants make their own food,
but they still need nutrients from the soil
they live in.
Animals are able to move out of an area if
they are not getting enough food or water.
Plants cannot choose to move and will die
if their habitat is not sufficient. In a good habitat, a tree or plant will thrive and scatter
new seeds and bare fruit.
Shelter
Just as humans need a safe place to sleep at night,
animals and plants need a place where they can be
sheltered from danger and weather conditions like
excessive cold, heat, rain or wind.
Some animals build nests (birds, squirrels); others
dig burrows (moles). Some find shelter in bushes
and trees (small mammals, birds) others find shelter
in caves (bats) or in holes in the ground (spiders,
earthworms). The habitat the animal lives in must be
suitable for them to build a home in.
Plants find shelter too. Some plants grow among big rocks and boulders that shelter
them from the wind and weather. Others grow on or at the foot of trees, which
provide them with shelter. Some plants grow close to each other and form thick
bushes that also shelter parts of the plant.
Protection and safety
Animals and plants live in a habitat where
they can be protected from predators
(animals that will eat them). Their shelter
offers them protection from predators
by providing an area into which they can
escape, like a nest, burrow or bush where
the predator cannot reach them. Plants have adaptations (characteristics that have
developed over time) that protect them from being destroyed by predators. Some
have thorns, while others grow in thick bushes so that only the outer leaves are eaten
and the inner leaves are protected.
© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
Grade 4 Term 1 Natural Science and Technology: Habitats of animals (Need for Habitat)
Food and water
GRADE 4
Reproducing and raising young
Animals and plants must live in habitats where they can breed
offspring (babies) and raise them safely to adulthood. For
example, some fish in the ocean lay their eggs in sheltered reefs
away from the current and where predators can’t reach them.
Some small animals raise their young in burrows where they will
be safe until they are older. Some plants use animals and other ways
to disperse their seeds to new areas where they can grow into healthy strong plants.
ACTIVITY: South African animals and their habitats
Choose an animal found in South Africa to research and create a poster about it.
Include the information listed below, as well as appropriate pictures.
• Heading (the name of the animal)
• What type of habitat does it live in? (e.g. grassland, reef )
• What does the animal eat?
• Where does it find food and water?
• What does it use for shelter?
• How does it protect itself from danger?
• How does it protect its young from danger?
Note to teacher: It may be useful to minimise the animal selection
to three or four options, to make it easier for you to mark the
information. As an added learning opportunity, allow the learners to
present their posters and information as an oral.
© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
Grade 4 Term 1 Natural Science and Technology: Habitats of animals (Need for Habitat)
There are animals that use camouflage to protect
themselves and to help them catch their prey (animals
they will eat). To camouflage itself, an animal must do
something to blend in to its surroundings so that
other animals can’t see it. Some animals change their
colour to help them blend in (chameleon), others look
so similar to their habitat that they are difficult to spot
(like a stick insect). Animals like lions and giraffe, are similar in
colour to their habitat, which helps them blend in well.
GRADE 4
What is a habitat? A habitat is a place where an animal or plant lives
Name two types of habitats: Any two: grassland, wetland, savanna, desert, forest, river, dam, pond, ocean,
etc.
ACTIVITY: Fish in a pond
Imagine you are a fish living in a pond. Work with a friend or in a group and discuss
reasons why you like living in a pond. Explain why is it a good place for you to live in.
Learners should include answers such as: There is food, fresh water, shelter and protection from predators, all of which
provide a good place in which to reproduce and raise young.
ACTIVITY: South African animals and their habitat
Answers will vary– mark accordingly.
© e-classroom 2015 www.e-classroom.co.za
Grade 4 Term 1 Natural Science and Technology: Habitats of animals (Need for Habitat)
Answer sheet