A summary This session focuses on the study of freshwater organisms, and culminates in the production of a pond food chain based on animals seen during the session, going from (for example) green plant, through to water louse, through to dragonfly larvae, through to newt, culminating in the top predator, the grass snake.

What a typical session might look like

Curriculum components covered are in square brackets [ ] - see the bottom of this page for an explanation.

0 to 10 minutes – introduction [1a, 1c, 4a, 4b]*: introduction to ponds, and why ponds are so good for wildlife.

Introduce frogs / toads / newts – talk about how these animals move, what they feed on, and how they can escape being eaten by other animals (predators) in the pond. Introduce concept of multiple species in one habitat, all interacting in different ways.

10 to 35 minutes – pond-dipping [4a, 4b, 5a-5e]

Jules takes five pupils at a time to the front to do some pond-dipping with nets provided. Animals netted are carefully placed into special trays which Jules places nearby for closer inspection by each group of pupils. All pupils have a go. Pupils take time (with Jules’s help, and with resource sheet provided) to look at animals in the trays and try to identify which are predators / prey, and to look at how they move.

35 to 40 minutes – top predators in ponds! [1b, 1c, 5a-5e]

Jules leads discussion on animals seen during the session (using examples seen by the pupils on the day), then introduces the top pond predator – e.g. grass snake. Pupils work together to construct a pond food chain (or web).

40 to 45 minutes – Questions

Jules wraps up session and answers any questions from the pupils about the animals seen in the session (or about becoming a scientist).

"What KS2 curriculum components does this activity tackle?"

Life Processes [Sc2 Life Processes and Living Things]

1a. that the life processes common to humans and other animals include nutrition, movement, growth and reproduction;
1c. to make links between life processes in familiar animals and plants and the environments in which they are found.

4a. how locally occurring animals and plants can be identified and assigned to groups;
4b. that the variety of plants and animals makes it important to identify them and assign them to groups.

5a. about ways in which living things and the environment need protection
5b. about the different plants and animals found in different habitats
5c. to use food chains to show feeding relationships in a habitat
5e. about how nearly all food chains start with a green plant