Science · Year 2

Active learning ideas

Seasonal Changes: Autumn and Winter

Active learning transforms abstract seasonal changes into tangible experiences. Students who witness falling leaves, measure shadows, and act out animal behaviors build lasting understanding beyond what pictures or descriptions can provide.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Science - Seasonal Changes

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 40 min · Small Groups

Nature Walk: Autumn Tree Hunt

Lead students on a 20-minute school grounds walk to find autumn leaves and bare winter branches. Provide clipboards for sketching changes and noting colors. Back in class, sort leaves by color and discuss tree patterns.

Compare how trees change in autumn and winter.

Facilitation Tip

During the Autumn Tree Hunt, provide color charts so students can match leaves to shades before sorting them by tree type and condition.

What to look for

Show students pictures of a tree in autumn and the same tree in winter. Ask: 'What is one difference you can see between these two pictures?' and 'Why do you think the tree looks like this in winter?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Pairs

Daylight Tracker: Shadow Sticks

Place sticks in the playground at 10am daily for two weeks. Students measure and record shadow lengths on charts. Compare data to predict winter shortening and graph results as a class.

Explain how some animals prepare for winter.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are a squirrel. What three things would you do to prepare for winter and why?' Listen for explanations related to food storage, shelter, or changes in behavior.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 35 min · Pairs

Animal Adaptations: Preparation Role-Play

Assign animals like squirrels or hedgehogs to pairs. Students act out gathering food or building nests, then share with the class why these help in winter. Use props like acorns or fabric dens.

Predict what happens to the length of daylight in winter.

What to look for

Provide students with a sentence starter: 'In winter, the days get shorter because...'. Ask them to complete the sentence and then draw one animal that prepares for winter and briefly explain how it does so.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Small Groups

Seasonal Sensory Bags

Fill bags with autumn leaves, winter bark, and animal fur samples. In small groups, students describe textures and link to changes. Create class display with findings.

Compare how trees change in autumn and winter.

What to look for

Show students pictures of a tree in autumn and the same tree in winter. Ask: 'What is one difference you can see between these two pictures?' and 'Why do you think the tree looks like this in winter?'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should blend direct observation with guided reflection, avoiding long explanations before students have firsthand data. Small groups and repeated measurements over time build stronger connections than single sessions, which often reinforce misconceptions rather than correct them.

Successful learning shows when students connect observations to explanations, using evidence from their own investigations to describe shifts in trees, daylight, and animal behavior between autumn and winter.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Nature Walk: Autumn Tree Hunt, watch for students who say, 'Trees lose leaves because they get cold and die.'

  During the Nature Walk, have students collect fallen leaves and sort them by color and size, then point out buds on bare branches and discuss how trees save water and energy during shorter days.

• During Animal Adaptations: Preparation Role-Play, watch for students who claim all animals hibernate.

  During the role-play, set up stations with animal cards showing migration, hibernation, and food storage, and ask students to justify each animal’s choice before acting it out.

• During Daylight Tracker: Shadow Sticks, watch for students who believe daylight length stays the same all year.

  During the Shadow Sticks activity, have students measure and record shadow lengths weekly, then use their charts to explain why shadows grow longer as days shorten.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning