Year 4 Living Things and Habitats Worksheet - Intermediate

Year 4 Living Things and Habitats worksheet for Year 4 (Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)). Intermediate level science practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

Science•Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)•Animalsintermediate

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Living Things and Habitats: Classify and Explore

Year 4 • Ages 8–9 • Intermediate

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Instructions: Explore how living things can be grouped and identified using classification keys. Then use the information in the activities to think about how changes in an environment can affect the living things there. Read each question carefully and write your answers in the boxes.

Group the Living Things

Use the clues in each question to decide which group the living thing belongs to. Choose from the groups given and write one group name in each box.

Groups to use: mammal, bird, fish, insect, flowering plant

1. A robin has feathers, a beak and lays eggs. Which group?

2. A trout has fins, scales and lives in water. Which group?

3. A bumblebee has six legs and three main body parts. Which group?

4. A fox has fur and feeds milk to its young. Which group?

5. A buttercup has roots, a stem, leaves and flowers. Which group?

Follow a Classification Key

Start at step 1 and follow the instruction that matches each animal. Continue until you reach a name. Use the key to identify all four animals.

Classification key

1. Does it have six legs? Yes → go to 2. No → go to 3.

2. Does it have wings? Yes → butterfly. No → ant.

3. Does it have feathers? Yes → robin. No → frog.

Animals to identify:

1. An animal with six legs and wings:

2. An animal with no feathers and fewer than six legs:

3. An animal with six legs and no wings:

4. An animal with feathers:

Build a Classification Key

Use the word bank to complete each statement. Each clue should separate the named living things into two groups. Write the missing word or phrase in each box.

Word bank: feathers, six, flowers, fur

1. To separate a robin from a frog, ask: “Does it have ___?”

2. To separate a bee from a spider, ask: “Does it have ___ legs?”

3. To separate a daisy from a fern, ask: “Does it have ___?”

4. To separate a dog from a pigeon, ask: “Does it have ___?”

5. A useful classification question has answers that divide the choices into ___ groups.

How Has the Habitat Changed?

Read the short report, then answer the questions using details from it. Think about which living things might benefit and which might find it harder to survive.

Pondside report: A shallow pond once had clear water, reeds and many insects. After a dry summer, the water level fell and part of the pond dried out. Later, fertiliser washed from a nearby field into the pond. Thick green algae grew across the surface, blocking some sunlight. Fewer water plants grew, and the number of insect larvae seen by the pond decreased. Frogs still visited, but there were fewer places for them to find food and shelter.

1. Name one change caused by the dry summer.

2. What happened to the pond water after fertiliser washed in?

3. How could thick algae affect plants under the water?

4. Give one reason why fewer insect larvae might affect frogs.

Environment Changes: Cause and Effect

Choose the best answer for each question. Think about how a change to a habitat can affect the living things that depend on it.

1. A hedge is removed. Which living thing may lose nesting places?

2. A stream becomes polluted. Which group is most directly affected by the water quality?

3. A field is planted with many different wildflowers. What may increase because there is more nectar?

4. A pond dries up. Which habitat feature is lost first?

Suggest a Helpful Change

Use what you have learnt about habitats to suggest practical ways people can help. Give one clear idea for each place and explain how it could help living things.

1. Suggest one change people could make to help wildlife in a school garden. Explain which living things it could help.

2. Suggest one change people could make to reduce harm to a local pond habitat. Explain how it could help.

3. A new path is planned beside a meadow. Suggest one way to reduce its effect on the meadow’s living things.

4. Name one way people can monitor whether a habitat is changing over time.

Answer Key

Activity 1: bird ; fish ; insect ; mammal ; flowering plant

Activity 2: butterfly ; frog ; ant ; robin

Activity 3: feathers ; six ; flowers ; fur ; two

Activity 4: 1. The water level fell and part of the pond dried out. 2. Thick green algae grew across the surface. 3. It blocked sunlight, so fewer water plants grew. 4. Frogs may have fewer insect larvae to eat.

Activity 5: 1. Robin ; 2. Fish ; 3. Bees and butterflies ; 4. Open water

Activity 6: Accept sensible suggestions with a relevant explanation. Examples: plant native flowers or provide a log pile to help insects and other wildlife; prevent fertiliser or litter entering the pond to protect water quality; keep a buffer of plants beside the path or route it away from sensitive areas; record sightings of species regularly or take repeat photographs from the same place.