Insects are found in virtually all habitats in terrestrial and freshwater environments, including those created by man. Insects are therefore very suitable animals for a study of habitats and the organisms that live in them. However, many insects are small, so keen eyes are needed to spot them and a hand-lens to study them properly.

The selection of available habitats for study will vary with location, but within the school grounds or in the immediate locality it will be possible to identify and describe several distinctive and contrasting habitats. In each habitat, children can then observe or collect insects, note the general types and numbers seen, and possibly recognize three or four of the ‘Insect Index’ species or their relatives. (If insects are collected for examination, encourage the children to handle them with care and return them to the place they were collected from.)

The children should be asked to suggest why the observed insects were found in each habitat. In particular, they should think about what the insects feed on and their position in a food chain. The species listed in the ‘Insect Index’ include plant-feeders, nectar-feeders (and therefore pollinators), predators, parasites and scavengers. Several of them are themselves food for other animals, notably birds and bats.

In the QCA Scheme, this topic is Unit 4B for Year 4. It builds on the Year 2 Unit on Plants and animals in the local environment, and is further developed by the Year 5 Unit on Life cycles and the Year 6 Unit on Interdependence and adaptation.