Dogs to the rescue: Science primary resource

This primary resource teaches children about the relationship between humans and dogs, such as St Bernard dogs; which were used to help rescue lost or stranded mountain trekkers. Why were St Bernards chosen as life-saving animals? What did they carry around their next to help people warm up? What adaptations does a St Bernard have to help it cope in the snow?

Pupils will learn about the long history that humans have with dogs, and how some animals are used not just for companionship, but to assist humans in their daily lives in our National Geographic Kids’ pets primary resource sheet.

The teaching resource can be used in study group tasks for discussion about what makes dogs the ideal pets for assisting humans. It could be used as a printed handout for each pupil to review and annotate, or for display on the interactive whiteboard for class discussion.

Activity: As a class discussion, ask the children to share ideas about why dogs are used to assist people: whether it’s mountain rescue dogs, guide dogs or police dogs. Are there certain characteristics associated with different breeds that make them particularly suited to certain jobs? Do they know of any other kinds of ‘animal jobs’? Pupils could create a piece of creative writing about a rescue dog, or create a non-fiction leaflet about the dogs in the resource.

N.B. The following information for mapping the resource documents to the school curriculum is specifically tailored to the English National Curriculum and Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We are currently working to bring specifically tailored curriculum resource links for our other territories; including South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. If you have any queries about our upcoming curriculum resource links, please email: schools@ngkids.co.uk

This Animals primary resource assists with teaching the following Key Stage 1 Science (Year 1) objectives from the National Curriculum:

 Pupils should be taught to:

• identify and name a variety of common animals including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals

• identify and name a variety of common animals that are carnivores, herbivores and omnivores 

• describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, including pets)

Pupils might work scientifically by: using their observations to compare and contrast animals at first hand or through videos and photographs, describing how they identify and group them; grouping animals according to what they eat; and using their senses to compare different textures, sounds and smells.

National Curriculum Key Stage 1 Science (Year 2) objective:

Pupils should be taught to:

• identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other

• identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including micro- habitats

Pupils should be introduced to the idea that all living things have certain characteristics that are essential for keeping them alive and healthy. They should raise and answer questions that help them to become familiar with the life processes that are common to all living things. Pupils should be introduced to the terms ‘habitat’ (a natural environment or home of a variety of plants and animals)

Pupils should compare animals in familiar habitats with animals found in less familiar habitats, for example, on the seashore, in woodland, in the ocean, in the rainforest.

Pupils should be taught to:

• notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults

• find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air)

National Curriculum Lower Key Stage 2 Science (Year 3) objective:

 Pupils should be taught to:

• identify that animals, including humans, need the right types and amount of nutrition, and that they cannot make their own food; they get nutrition from what they eat 

• Compare and contrast the diets of different animals (including their pets) and decide ways of grouping them according to what they eat. They might research different food groups and how they keep us healthy and design meals based on what they find out.

National Curriculum Lower Key Stage 2 Science (Year 4) objective: 

Pupils should be taught to:

• recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways

• explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment

• recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things

This Animals primary resource assists with teaching the following Sciences First level objectives from the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence: 

• I can explore examples of food chains and show an appreciation of how animals and plants depend on each other for food.

• By comparing generations of families of humans, plants and animals, I can begin to understand how characteristics are inherited

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Second level Sciences objectives:

• I can identify and classify examples of living things, past and present, to help me appreciate their diversity. I can relate physical and behavioural characteristics to their survival or extinction.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Third level Sciences objectives:

• I can sample and identify living things from different habitats to compare their biodiversity and can suggest reasons for their distribution.

Scottish Curriculum for Excellence Fourth level Sciences objectives: 

I understand how animal and plant species depend on each other and how living things are adapted for survival. I can predict the impact of population growth and natural hazards on biodiversity.

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