Teaching Strategies, Tactics, and Methods

Animals with no vertebral column (also known as a backbone or spine) are invertebrates. They come in all shapes and sizes; some invertebrates are microscopic, and others, like the giant squid, can be seen with the naked eye!

Instead of having a skeleton, many invertebrate animals have a thick shell known as an exoskeleton. Because these external skeletons don’t grow, many invertebrate animals have to shed their exoskeleton every so often!

Confusingly, some animals have both an internal and an external skeleton! For example, tortoises have a skeleton, and they also have a shell!

Are Invertebrates Animals?

An animal is a living organism that feeds off organic matter (i.e., other animals or plants). Typically, they have sense organs capable of responding to inputs like light, sound, or touch.

It is stated that 97% of all animals within the animal kingdom are invertebrates. Although over 1.25 million species have been described, most of which are insects, numerous more invertebrates have not been discovered living on Earth today.

In numbers, the invertebrate species could be in the 5, 10, or 30 million marks compared to only 60,000 vertebrates. A big reason why invertebrates are so successful is their reproduction rate. For example, insects like ants and bees lay eggs, which can develop without fertilization.

Invertebrate animals are also among the oldest animals in existence. For example, jellyfish have been around for over 500 million years! Sponges and some crustaceans (animals like crabs and lobsters) also enjoy similar longevity. Many of the world’s oldest animals live underwater. That’s because life on Earth started in the sea!

What are the five most common types of Invertebrates?

Within the vast number of Invertebrates, there are five main groups that many fall under. These include:

• Protozoans

Single-celled organisms such as paramecia, these invertebrates are free-living or can be parasitic. They feed on the matter, which can be other microorganisms, organic tissues, or debris.

• Annelids

Also known as ringed worms or segmented worms. They are a large phylum, and over 22,000 species of phylum exist, which includes earthworms and leeches. They are characterized by their body cavity, moveable bristles, and segmented body.

• Echinoderms

Marine invertebrates, including sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and starfish. They are a very diverse group and have an essential role ecologically for near-shore environments in deep seas.

• Molluscs

Soft-bodied invertebrates are usually enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell, with a soft mantle covering their body. Organisms within the mollusks type include Snails, octopuses, squid, clams, and scallops.

• Arthropods

Arthropods have five main characteristics; these types of invertebrates have Exoskeletons, where their bodies do not have internal bones. Second, they have segmented bodies, internally and externally. Third, arthropods have jointed appendages, bilateral symmetry, and an open circulatory system.

Be A Part Of Something Bigger Than Yourself

We all want to feel like we belong. Like we’re an essential part of something. And yet, how often do we get to feel that way? Especially in the modern day, where it’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling lonely, isolated, and like you’re all alone.

Despite this, we often hear people talking about togetherness, particularly the word “community,” which gets thrown around a lot. But what is community? Let’s find out together, explore what the word means, and look at some of the different communities you may already be off w

What Does Community Mean?

What is community? To put it simply, a community is a group of people. Any size group of people will do, from a handful to hundreds and hundreds, even thousands and millions. But what’s more essential about these people is what’s brought them together and put them into this group. What do they have in common?

Because that turns people from a disparate group into a community, they will all have something in common. But what?

For some communities, the thing they have in common is that they all live in the same place. When we think of the word community, the thing that springs to mind is a village or a town. A small group of people all live in the same small area, near one another. Neighbors, of a sort.

But community can cover many different groups than just people who live near each other. For example, several people who are members of the same pottery club might be considered to be a community. There might not be as many of them as in a small town, but the definition still stands. They’re part of a group with a mutual interest, so they’re part of a community.

Likewise, you could look at groups of people who are all members of the same religion to be a community. Communities like these often spring up around a focal point, like a synagogue, temple, or church.

Such communities are often based around something vital to a person’s identity. Other examples might include groups primarily for people who identify as a specific sexuality or gender identity, people who have a common job type like police or fire services, or people who have reached old age.

With the rise of online services, video games, and social media platforms, the definition of a community and what it means to be in one have changed slightly. However, because the internet has allowed people to connect worldwide to argue about science fiction programs and laugh at pictures of cats, communities are often not limited by geographical proximity.

However, despite that, the terms of admission are now somewhat different. In the past, you could become a member of a pottery society (remember those folks? They still love their pots) just by attending a meeting of their group. Now, you no longer have to participate in the group in a physical sense; you can join an online version.

Now, you’re a part of the community, all of you throwing pots together but doing it in your own homes and sharing videos of your efforts with each other. Now, you must make a conscious decision to join this community. First, you must be listed and sometimes ratified and approved by someone to join it. There will also invariably be a list of people who belong to that community.

It may not be new in a historical context. Documents like parish registers and the census have recorded people’s geographical membership in a community for hundreds of years. But having a membership list for more niche interest groups, particularly online, is a much more recent phenomenon.

So, now we know what a community is: It’s a group of people who all share something in common, like an interest, religion, hobby, or where they live. But where do we get the word itself from?

Where Does Community Come From?

Community, as a word, has some pretty deep roots. The word comes from the Old French word “comuneté,” which is still in use today, although it’s now spelled “communauté.” So you can see where, even how we pronounce it comes from there, can’t you?

However, that’s not the start of the chain, only the middle of it. If you look even further back, you’ll find the Latin word “communitas,” which in itself comes from the word “communis,” which means “common.”

What’s notable about this, other than it makes for a good bit of trivia for a general knowledge quiz, is that you have a word that stretches back through thousands of years of history. Not only that, but unlike most words, it hasn’t ever really changed its meaning. The original word itself means the same thing as the modern version, which is something that, in etymology terms, is quite rare.

Board games are a specific type of tabletop game that often include pieces or counters that are moved on a board according to a certain set of rules. Board games vary significantly in complexity, with most including an element of chance and some being based purely on chance. For example, many board games require players to roll a dice, which depends largely on luck, whereas others are more skill-based or focused on turn-taking.

Types of board game

There are wide varieties and genres of board games for children. Some have no theme and rely more on the gameplay, while others embrace a specific theme and narrative. Here are some examples of the different types of board games and some of their defining characteristics:

Abstract strategy board games

• require two players; 1 vs. 1
• more reliant on skill than luck
• no specific theme
• examples include chess and chequers

Cooperative board games

• players work together to complete an objective
• players play against randomized game mechanics

Role-playing games (RPGs)

• uses dice to randomize the mechanics of the game
• very thematic, often including fantasy elements
• relies on leveling mechanics so players can improve their character over time

A Short History of Board Games

Board games have been played and developed in most cultures throughout history. Records show that the earliest known board games were played in Egypt around 3100 BCE.

However, one of the oldest known board games still played today is Backgammon, first developed over 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia. Another example of an ancient board game still played today is chess – this popular board game originated in India and is arguably one of the most well-known board games there is.

It wasn’t until the 19th and early 20th centuries that board games became commercially available in the Western world. Lizzie Magie, one of America’s first board game designers, created ‘The Landlord’s Game’ in 1903, which she patented but then sold to Parker Brothers, who used her idea to create what we know as ‘Monopoly’ – arguably one of the most popular board games ever made.

Board Games for Children

Board games are a versatile tool that teachers can use to help children develop essential skills such as teamwork, sportsmanship, motor skills, problem-solving, and general social skills.

Board games for children are extremely popular and can positively impact children who may struggle with any of the skills above and can be used as an activity to facilitate the learning of specific topics and subjects.

What are qualifiers in writing?

A qualifier is a type of word used to add extra meaning to another word. Qualifiers could come before a verb, noun, adjective, or adverb – depending on the type of qualifier used. One common use of a qualifier is to enhance or limit the meaning of the following word. Writing qualifiers are used in many different contexts, from creative writing to non-fiction.

Examples of qualifiers:

Writing has many different types of qualifiers since the definition is quite broad. However, some common types of qualifiers children might encounter include:

• Adjectives – these are used to qualify a noun and are one of the most common qualifiers you might encounter.

Example 1: “That is a fluffy cat.”

Example 2: “I can see a red car.”

• Qualifiers of time might tell you how often an action or event occurs.

Example 1: “I sometimes do my homework.”

Example 2: “He is usually talkative.”

• Qualifiers of quantity will give you information about how much of an action or event has happened.

Example 1: “I ate all my dinner.”

Example 2: “I completed some of the questions.”

• Qualifiers of intensity – also sometimes called intensifiers, will show a level of magnitude related to an adjective.

Example 1: “She is a very pretty woman.”

Example 2: “He is quite funny.”

• Qualifiers of comparable quality – these can be used to show how well a noun fits its description.

Example 1: “He is the most intelligent student.”

Example 2: “I am the smallest child in the school.”

When do children encounter qualifiers?

While they might not always hear them talked about by name, children will encounter qualifiers in writing from a young age. They might first learn about the most simple qualifiers, starting with adjectives to qualify a noun. Children will continue to learn about qualifiers throughout primary and secondary school, eventually becoming masters of description.

Because the term qualifier covers many word types, children might never hear the word used. However, it is okay – your kids are on the right track if they can use them correctly.

One occasion where children might hear about qualifiers is in language lessons at secondary school. Often, language lessons can dive a little bit deeper into grammar so that children might be introduced to qualifiers in this context. Not to worry – the definition of a qualifier in writing is the same in every language.

When should you use qualifiers in writing?

As they’re so common and wide-ranging, you’ll find qualifiers popping up often in all sorts of text types. You might have even spotted a couple on this page!

Using qualifiers can be helpful in many contexts – for example, when writing to persuade. Using qualifiers such as “definitely,” “the most,” or “always” are great for adding weight to an argument and convincing the audience that you’re certain of and passionate about what you’re saying.

And, of course, qualifiers are helpful when you’re writing descriptively. You can build a picture in your reader’s head by including many descriptive qualifiers and phrases, such as “she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.”

But a word of warning! Using certain qualifiers too much might make your writing seem slightly lazy, especially if you’re looking to impress with your creative vocabulary. Have a look at this example:

“We went to Italy, which was pretty. The weather was quite nice, and we ate some pizza. It was very nice.”

Here, qualifiers such as “really,” “quite,” and “very” have been used too often. There are plenty of other, more exciting words which could have been used instead – such as “delicious” as opposed to “very nice” or “stunning” in the place of “really pretty.”

Simple machines alter the direction or force of a certain object, making it easier to move. A simple device makes it easier and reduces the time required to complete a job.

Simple machines can help build skyscrapers or make it easy to chop vegetables – there’s no end to their number of uses. They’ve made life easier for humans in loads of different ways, and it’s hard to imagine we’d have developed this far without them.

Many of the complex designs and tools we use today stemmed from simple machines of the past – they’re a vital stepping stone toward complex machinery.

Simple machines can work in a variety of ways. For example, they can transfer a force from one place to another, change a force’s direction, increase its magnitude, or increase the distance or speed of a force.

Examples Of Simple Machines

Here are some examples of simple machines – objects which have helped humans achieve engineering on incredible scales.

Pully

A pully is a simple machine with a grooved wheel and rope to raise, lower or move a load.

Lever

A lever is a rigid bar that rests on support to help lift or move heavy loads.

Wedge

A wedge is an object that features at least one sloping side with a hard edge to cut apart materials.

Wheel and Axel

A wheel with a rod through the center helps lift or move loads.

Inclined Plane

An inclined plane features a slanted surface connecting a higher and lower level.

Screw

A screw is an inclined plane that is wrapped around a pole. It holds things together and can lift materials.

If you’ve enjoyed learning about the parts of a plant and how they grow, you might also like these facts about plants for kids. We’ve put together ten of our favorite fun facts about plants for kids here:

• Some plants are carnivorous. It means they eat other living things! They gain nutrients from some insects and spiders, e.g., Venus flytraps.
• Some plants have adapted to defend themselves from animals. Plant defenses include stings and poisons.
• 80% of flowering plants are adapted for pollination by animals (mostly insects).
• Honeybees account for 80% of all insect pollination.
• Nearly all chocolate relies on midges pollinating the cocoa plant, which might make them seem slightly less annoying!
• Some plants self-pollinate. They transfer the pollen grains from the anther to the stigma on the same flower. These plants do not need a pollinator, such as an insect, to reproduce. However, only a few plants self-pollinate. Examples include peanuts, orchids, peas, and sunflowers.
• The monvital puzzle tree is from Chile. But, strangely, there are no monvitals in Chile. Instead, the nonvital puzzle tree is home to more than 70 types of insects and slender-billed parakeets.
• One of the most amazing facts about plants – there are over 200,000 different plant species!
• Some plants do not have flowers or seeds, e.g., moss and ferns. Instead, they reproduce by making spores.
• Some trees are deciduous and lose their leaves in the winter, while others are coniferous (or evergreen) and keep their leaves all year round.
• Some plants live underwater – they are called aquatic plants.
• Saffron is a delicate but expensive spice obtained from the crocus flower.
• Glue used to be made from bluebell flower juice.
• A typical tree has enough wood to make 170,100 pencils!
• Bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing woody plant, with a growth rate of 35 inches in a single day. So you could watch it grow!
• Lightning strikes oak trees more frequently than any other tree.
• More than 80,000 edible plants worldwide, but 90% of our foods come from just 30 plants.
• One of the scariest facts about plants – the poison of Oleander plants is strong enough to poison a person who eats the honey made by bees that have digested its nectar.
• The English word ‘banana’ is derived from the Arabic word ‘banan,’ which means “finger” because of its finger-like shape. Therefore, a cluster of bananas is also called a ‘hand.’
• The oceans contain about 85% of all plant life on Earth.
• Asian watermeal (Wolffia globose) is the world’s smallest flowering plant, with a diameter of 0.004–0.008 inches.
• The world’s tallest living plant, the coastal redwood, can grow up to 379 feet tall and is found only in California.
• The color of the carrots was originally purple, not orange. Its new color results from thousands of years of cross-breeding by humans.
• Oak trees can live for 1,000 years, with an average lifespan of 600. Therefore, they are classed as ancient from 400 years onwards.
• Apples float on water because they are 25% air.
• Cranberries also float on water as they have small pockets of air.
• A sunflower is made of hundreds of tiny florets, each of which ripens into a seed.
• Because the elephant grass in Africa is 4.5 meters tall, and even elephants can conceal themselves within it – which is how it got its name!
• The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth.
• The swollen baobab tree’s swollen trunk in Africa can store up to 120,000 liters of water.

State-of-being verbs are sometimes known as linking, relating, or popular. They function differently from other verbs. Instead of being action words, SOB verbs link the subject of a sentence with more information about it to add meaning. They tell us about the state of being of the subject.

So, how do they do this? Let’s take a look.

The verb ‘to be’

The verb ‘to be’ is the most common state of being a verb. It can be used in the present or past tense to link the subject of the sentence with a subject complement, such as a noun or adjective, to give us more information about the subject’s state of being.

Before we look at how it does this, let’s see how the verb ‘to be is conjugated in the present tense:

• I am
• You are
• He/she/it is
• We are
• They are

From here, we can look at how the verb ‘to be’ is used in sentences to give us more information about the subject.

• I am tired.
• The dog is brown.
• Maya and Oliver are the fastest runners in our class.

We can see from these examples how the verb ‘to be’ doesn’t describe any action – it simply tells us the state of being of the subject or subjects of the sentence.

This process works the same way in the past tense when the verb is conjugated like this:

• I was
• You were
• He/she/it was
• We were
• They were

We can see how this verb tells us about states of being in the past if we look at a few sample sentences.

• You were late today.
• The teacher was helpful.

These sentences tell us about the subjects’ previous states of being that have already happened.

We can also use the present participle ‘being’ and the past participle ‘been’ to describe states of being. Unlike the simple present and past tense forms of the verb, these remain the same no matter which person we apply them to. Here’s how it works when we use the present participle:

• We’re being positive about it.
• He was being rude.

These examples show that when we use the present participle form, we also have to use the simple present or past tense of the verb ‘to be’ along with it, so it makes sense.

The past participle works slightly differently in that we use it with the simple present or past form of the verb ‘to have’

• I have been to Spain.
• She has been here for hours.

Talking about the verb ‘to have’ while discussing SOB verbs is essential. So let’s take a closer look at this verb to decide whether or not it is a state of being verb.

The verb ‘to have’

Is the verb ‘to have’ a state of being verb? It is something that people have differing opinions on. The verb ‘to have’ is usually classed as an auxiliary verb, also known as a helping verb, because it brings context to the main verb in a sentence – for example, ‘I have written a book.’

‘To have’ on its own can’t be classed as a state of being a verb, as it is used to bring context to the SOB verb ‘to be,’ as in the example, ‘I have been to Spain.’ So it can’t be used to desc

Action verbs used as SOB verbs

We usually think of several verbs as action verbs, but they can sometimes be used to describe a state of being. Some examples are:

• To look (‘You look beautiful.’)
• To taste (‘This apple tastes delicious.’)
• To feel (‘I feel great.’)
• To smell (‘The flowers smell lovely.’)

In these examples, the sentences’ subjects aren’t taking any action. The verbs here are simply describing the subjects’ states of being.

Other states of being verbs

As well as the verbs we have already looked at; several others can be classed as state-of-being verbs. These are:

• To seem (‘Your friend seems nice.’)
• To become (‘She became more confident.’)
• To get (‘The work gets harder in Year 10.’)
• To appear (‘He appears friendly.’)

In these sentences, all of these verbs describe states of being.

It’s pretty easy to use SOB verbs in question form. Here are some examples so you can see how the process works.

Questions using the verb ‘to be

• ‘How are you?’
• ‘Have you been busy?’
• ‘Is that your dog?’
• ‘Isn’t he clever?’

Questions using action verbs as state-of-being verbs

• ‘Does that milk smell OK?’
• ‘How do I look?’
• ‘Are you feeling better?’

Questions using other state-of-being verbs

• ‘Does your new boss seem nice?’
• ‘Will Ellie become a doctor after she graduates?’
• ‘Are you getting better at playing the piano?’

Computer literacy can be defined as someone’s knowledge and ability to effectively use a computer and other Information and Communications Technology (ICT). It covers everything from using a computer’s hardware and software to perform basic tasks to more advanced computer programming. Computer literacy also includes knowing the meaning of vital computing terms.

Computer literacy is different from digital literacy. Digital literacy refers to someone’s ability to communicate or locate information through digital platforms, such as checking emails on the phone or creating an online social media profile. In contrast, computer literacy refers to someone’s ability to use a computer and their functional knowledge of how computers work.

What are basic computer literacy skills?

While there isn’t a definitive list of basic computer literacy skills, it is possible to provide a general overview.

Basic Functions

The starting point for computer literacy includes using equipment like the vital board, mouse, and trackpad, switching the computer on and shutting it down correctly, and launching applications. Users should also be familiar with basic functionality like typing using the vital board, clicking and double-clicking using a mouse or trackpad, and using the copy and paste commands.

Office Software Packages

Computing is viewed as a vocational subject because many employers require their employees to use basic office software. For younger learners, typing using a word processor will be one of their first skills. Word processing will probably also be their first introduction to the ‘undo’ and ‘redo’ functions and text formatting using bold, italic, and underline. Creating documents will also require learners to understand how to use the ‘save’ function.

Alongside drawing and painting packages, children in vital stage 1 will start using presentation software to create slides. It might include adding images and formatting text in visually-appealing ways.

Later in vital stage 2, children might begin to use spreadsheets, learning how to enter formulae into cells, using basic functions such as SUM, MIN, MAX, and AVERAGE; this might even lead to creating graphs, which are then formatted appropriately.

Browsers And Search Engines

In vital stage 1, children are introduced to using the Internet safely; this will usually include using ‘for kids’ to ensure safer search results, searching the Internet using one word, making sense of the search engine results page, and following links and returning to the results page. They can also expect to be given a chance to try out a range of search engines.

Communication

An essential part of computer literacy is communicating safely using services like email. In vital stage 2, children are likely to be taught how to identify and deal with ‘spam’ emails and create secure passwords for their online accounts. Children are also guided on how to safely, respectfully, and responsibly communicate online, including what information they should never share and how to deal with cyberbullying. This learning will probably include how photographs can be altered and presented as reality online.

Why is computer literacy essential?

Computer literacy is essential for several reasons:

• Many jobs require the use of computers in some form. For example, office work is mostly based around a computer.
• Basic computer literacy skills can help children move onto more advanced skills, such as programming.
• Communication today is mostly digital. Therefore, children must understand how to communicate safely, appropriately, and effectively through various communication tools.
• With computer literacy developed through vital stages 1 and 2, children can move on to more advanced and technical computer skills.

The Arctic habitat is a cold area above the Arctic Circle at the top of the Earth. It comprises the Arctic Oceans and regions of the U.S., Canada, Russia, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Greenland. It’s a diverse habitat, meaning many different plants and animals live there.

The Arctic consists of icy glaciers, sea ice on the Arctic Ocean, and flat plains covered in ice and snow. It’s also very cold — the temperatures can reach -34°Cin the winter!

The climate in Polar Regions

Each continent that borders the Arctic Ocean, Greenland, and Antarctica is home to polar climates.

The temperature in polar climates is unsurprisingly very low. All year round, polar regions experience cold, bitter weather, with the average temperature of the warmest month never getting above ten °C. The average temperature of the entire year ranges greatly. Something that does set the winter and summer months apart in polar regions is that the summer days are very long. While polar regions are cold, they are not overly wet. The annual rainfall in the polar areas is less than 25 cm, with most rain happening in summer.

The Polar Climate in the Arctic

One of the regions that experience a polar climate is, of course, the Arctic. As a result of the cold temperatures, many areas in the Arctic are completely covered by ice in the form of sea ice, glacial ice, or snow all year round. Almost all areas in the Arctic are covered by ice in some form or another for long periods.

On average, the temperatures in the Arctic during the winter tend to sit below −50 °C. In contrast, during the summer months, temperatures in the Arctic range from around −10 to 10 °C. Therefore, you may be surprised that some areas in the Arctic can get up to temperatures above 30 °C during summer.

The Arctic Ocean is a huge feature of this polar region and plays an essential role in dictating the climate of the Arctic. While it is very cold, the temperatures of the Arctic Ocean can never drop below −2 °C, which is relatively warm compared to the temperature on land. The Arctic Ocean stops the North Pole from being the coldest place in the Northern Hemisphere. The ocean is also why Antarctica is so much colder than the Arctic.

On the other hand, Antarctica is home to the coldest climate on Earth. The lowest naturally occurring temperature ever recorded was in Antarctica at a staggering −89.2 °C.

Why is the Arctic so cold?

The reason that the Arctic circle is so cold is because of the angle of the Earth. The Earth’s angled along a diagonal axis means that as it rotates, the two Poles (both North and South) sit at an angle that limits the amount of direct sunlight they’re exposed to. The rays from the sun lose some of their energy because they have to pass through more of the atmosphere to reach the poles. During the summer months, the sun remains very low on the horizon, and during the winter months, it doesn’t even rise above the horizon when you get close to the North Pole.

Because this means that the temperatures in the Arctic circle don’t ever get as high as in regions exposed to more direct sunlight, lots of snow, and ice form, the snow and ice are extremely reflective, so it then reflects a lot of the light out. Away from the Arctic itself, which helps to make the region even colder – it’s almost a self-fulfilling prophecy! The ice and snow that form due to the freezing temperatures help to prevent the temperature from rising and help to make things even colder.

What plants live in an Arctic habitat?

Even though most plants wouldn’t be able to survive the freezing conditions of the Arctic, there are, in fact, around 1700 different plants that do thrive there.

The Arctic habitat is partly made up of frozen sea ice and partly of land covered in a layer of permafrost; on top of that, there’s a thin layer of topsoil, which thaws for a short amount of time each year. Arctic plants take root here and grow.

There isn’t much soil for plants, so they grow low to the ground and together in bunches.

Here are some plants that have adapted to the harsh conditions of the Arctic habitat:

1. Tundra Moss

Mosses, with short stems and tiny leaves, are common in the Arctic Tundra. They grow on moist ground and in shallow underwater pools warmed by the sun. In these underwater pools, it’s protected from the cold, dry air of the Tundra.

• Arctic Lichens

The Arctic is full of lichen. Made up of algae and fungi, these plants vary in appearance, from tiny coral-like structures to looking like ‘planty’ crusts on a rock. To survive in the cold Arctic, these plants can photosynthesize in temperatures as low as -20°C. They can also absorb water when covered in snow.

• Arctic Willow

It is a tiny shrub with shallow roots spread out sideways because the plant can’t push down through the tough permafrost. Instead, it grows long, fuzzy hairs to protect itself from the cold winds. It’s also an essential food for various Arctic herbivores, including caribou and the Arctic hare. The Inuit people call it the “tongue plant” because of the shape of its leaves.

1. Bearberry

Bears are very fond of eating the bearberry, hence its name! It’s an evergreen plant covered in oval-shaped leathery leaves that blooms with red berries between March and June. It grows low to the ground to stay out of the wind and is also covered in fine silky hairs to keep it warm.

1. Cottongrass

The cottongrass thrives in the Arctic habitat because it can exploit the lack of competition. Its name comes from the cotton-like flower it grows and has thin leaves to help with water loss in the freezing tundra. As soon as the temperature rises, it produces seeds so that more of the plant can grow.

• Arctic Poppy

The Arctic poppy blooms a yellow flower and has a hairy stem to help it retain heat in the cold and harsh conditions of the Arctic. The flower can also track the sun in the sky, maximizing the sunlight it receives for photosynthesis.

What are the animals that live in the Arctic?

Just as plant species have adapted to survive in the Arctic, so have many animals.

Animals that live in an Arctic habitat are often highly specialized to thrive in extremely cold temperatures. While they don’t all have all of these features, here are some common adaptations found among animals that live in the Arctic:

• A white appearance – as camouflage from predators and prey on the snow and ice.
• thick layers of fat and fur – for insulation against the cold
• large feet – to distribute their load and increase grip on the ice
• bigger bodies – to increase their mass-to-surface ratio and have less of their overall body mass able to lose heat to the environment
• small extremities, like ears, tails, and noses – the smaller they are, the less exposed they are to the elements and the smaller the chance of damage to circulation or frostbite.

There is a massive range of herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores making up animals that live in the arctic, and here are just a few:

Polar Bear

It is arguably the most famous of the animals that live in the Arctic. The polar bear has a white appearance to help it blend in with the snow and approach its prey more easily, and it also has thick layers of fur and fat to protect it from freezing temperatures. They live on Arctic sea ice, the biggest land predator in the world!

Caribou

Caribou (more commonly known as reindeer) live in herds (sometimes containing thousands of animals) and travel together through the forested areas of the Arctic. Their fur is made up of hollow hairs which trap air to keep the animal warm.

Arctic Hare

Unlike other hare species, the Arctic hare has shortened ears and limbs and a small nose to prevent heat loss in the cold tundra. It’s a herbivore and survives by eating woody plants, mosses, and lichens in the winter. In the summer, it’ll also eat berries and leaves. They have a white coat of fur in the winter and shed it for a grey or brown coat in the summer.

Arctic Fox

Another animal that lives in the Arctic is the Arctic fox. It is covered in thick white fur, which is used as camouflage. It also has furry soles, short ears, and a short muzzle. Like many other foxes, the Arctic fox has a varied diet of small mammals, birds, eggs, insects, berries, or anything else it can find.

Walrus

The walrus is a large marine mammal with flippers to aid with swimming. They can be identified by the large tusks that protrude out of their mouths. The tusks aren’t just for show, either. They can use the tusks to pull themselves out of the sea and onto the ice or to break holes into the ice for breathing when they’re swimming underneath.

Beluga Whales

Beluga Whales are a species of Arctic and sub-Arctic whales well known for their unique color – unlike almost every other whale species, belugas are white! Belugas are medium-sized, somewhere between the size of the larger “true” whales and larger dolphins, and they’re closely related to narwhals. They are extremely pleasant animals who live in large family groups or pods, usually of about ten members. Still, they can gather in the hundreds or even thousands in estuaries and shallow coastal areas during the summer. They communicate using high-pitched twittering calls that have led to them sometimes being called “sea canaries,” They use their echolocation not only to find food in the freezing ocean but also to find breathing holes in the ice!

Narwhals

Narwhals, known as the ‘unicorn of the sea,’ can only be found in the Arctic Ocean. They’re medium-sized whales with tusks protruding from canine teeth. They have a thick layer of fat to protect themselves from the cold and use their powerful tails to propel themselves through the Arctic waters.

Who was the first person to reach the North Pole?

It isn’t as easy to answer as it might seem! Although it’s most commonly said that the first person to reach it was Robert Peary, there’s been an ongoing debate about it for over a century. An American Naval Officer by the name of Robert Peary claims to have been the first to conquer the unforgiving environment of the Arctic. He was accompanied only by Matthew Henson and claimed that on April 6, 1909, he was the first to reach the pole.

The speed at which he claimed to achieve this amazing feat puzzled many, as Peary had lost eight of his toes due to frostbite on previous expeditions. When he returned, it seemed that someone else had beaten him to it, a man called Dr. Frederick A Cook; however, Peary was honored by congress in 1911 despite the mystery surrounding his claims.

In April 2005, a British explorer, Tom Avery, set out to retrace Peary’s and Henson’s footsteps and prove the skeptics wrong. Traveling in a similar style to Peary’s with teams of Canadian Inuit dogs and custom-built wooden sleds, Tom’s expedition team even managed to beat Peary and Henson’s time of 37 days by 5 hours!

Keep reading to learn more about the various characteristics of polar regions.

Fun facts about the Arctic

• Because of the way the Earth tilts, there are days in the winter with no sunlight and days in the summer when the sun doesn’t go down.
• Temperatures are as low as–70 °C have been recorded in northern Greenland.
• Around four million indigenous people live in the Arctic. They’re called Inuit.
• The Inuit have influenced the English language — the words ‘kayak’, ‘husky,’ ‘anorak,’ and ‘igloo’ come from them.
• The word ‘Arctic’ comes from the Greek word for bear, ‘Arktos.’ It’s believed that this is because of two constellations you can see in the sky there, the ‘Ursa Minor’ (Little Bear) and ‘Ursa Major’ (Great Bear).
• In some parts of the Arctic Ocean, wildlife is more active during the lonely winter than in the summer.
• There are four ‘poles’ in the Arctic — the ‘Geographic North Pole,’ ‘North Magnetic Pole,’ ‘Pole of the Cold,’ and the ‘Pole of Inaccessibility.’ The “Geographic” North Pole is what we traditionally think of as the North Pole – the center of the Arctic ocean; the Magnetic Pole is a wandering point on the Earth’s surface where a compass always points straight down (it only moves slightly, fortunately!), the Pole of Cold is the coldest place on Earth. Finally, the Pole of Inaccessibility is the most distant point of the Arctic, as far from land as possible wherever you look.
• The Arctic is usually warmer than the Antarctic.
• The Arctic only has two seasons— winter and summer.
• Polar bears aren’t white! Instead, the fur on their bodies is made up of thousands of transparent and hollow hairs – these reflect the light and look white to our eyes.

Arctic Habitat Vocabulary

• Hibernation —The Arctic has freezing temperatures during the winter time. To survive the cold winter, animals go into a deep sleep and wait for spring. They eat lots of food beforehand so that they can save energy.
• Permafrost is a layer of soil that’s always frozen, even during the warmer months. However, due to climate change, some permafrost is melting.
• Tundra — An area within the Arctic with no trees. The landscape is flat with snow.
• Sea ice — This is where the sea has frozen solid. The edges melt away in the summer, then freeze again when the temperatures drop in the winter.
• Iceberg — A lump of ice broken off the mainland and floating away onto the ocean. These can be very dangerous if a ship crashes into one.
• Pack ice — An area where many smaller bits of ice are floating in the ocean. It is more common in summer when the edges of sea ice melt.
• Polar ice cap — An area in the North and South Poles that is always frozen. It caps the top and bottom of the Earth.

A cloze exercise is a type of reading comprehension activity. It has a passage of text with missing words – children need to fill in the blank spaces using words from a list or word bank. The words are usually removed at intervals, such as every five words.

They’re similar but different from gap-fill exercises, where words are chosen and removed to practice a specific language point.

What is a cloze exercise useful for?

A cloze exercise tests a child’s vocabulary, spelling, and language skills simultaneously. It encourages children to think carefully about word choice so that they can pick out the word that best fits the blank space.

To choose the word best suited to the missing space, children have to read and understand the surrounding text; this is a test of reading comprehension – can they decipher the meaning well enough to understand which word needs to be added to complete the text? In addition, this teaches children to look at context clues and make use of them.

Cloze exercises also help children think critically and analytically about their reading. For example, when deciding which word to put in the blank space, children must determine what kind of word will fit into the sentence. Choosing the correct one shows an understanding of language. For these reasons, a cloze procedure is a great exercise for teachers to give to their pupils. Not only does it help with their reading and language development, but it’s also a fun way to learn about a topic. In addition, the text often provides useful information for a child to learn and makes them think about what they’re reading as they have to fill in the gaps.

Teaching grammar with cloze activities

If you want to combine teaching on grammar and cloze learning, this is ideal as the two topics are interlinked. For example, knowledge of grammar is necessary to find an appropriate word to complete a sentence. In addition, children need to know the correct order that terms might take in a sentence to choose the right word.

One way to practice this grammar skill when using a cloze procedure is to encourage children to read each sentence aloud. Often, it will be easier to hear when a sentence is correct than it is to be able to tell this when reading silently.

Using cloze worksheets also supports children in exploring a vital aspect of grammar – different types of words. As they look at the blank space in their sentence, you can encourage them to consider whether they need an adjective, a noun, or a verb. Children can then look at the words they have to choose from and think about which words they have of the right type.

You could also introduce learning punctuation into your grammar cloze activity. To do this, try removing all punctuation from the cloze passage before sharing it with your children. Then, challenge students to correctly find the spaces in the passage that need punctuation added and then add the right punctuation.

When might children take a cloze test?

Cloze exercises are sometimes used in the classroom to assess children’s understanding of the English language. They may be used to help develop vital reading comprehension skills.

They’re also a vital part of the 11 plus test – a test that year six children may take if they apply for a place at a grammar school. Cloze tests are set to replace the verbal reasoning 11 plus exam.

Tips for passing a cloze exercise

Please help your child or pupils pass their cloze test using these handy tips.

• Read the whole text through before choosing any words from the word bank. While one word might seem like a good fit for a blank space at the start of the text, it might fit better elsewhere. It’s also essential to have a solid understanding of what the whole text is about.
• Remember to think of grammar and syntax. Does this blank space need a noun, adjective, or verb? It will help children to narrow down which words can grammatically fit in the blank; then, they can choose the one that makes sense in context.
• Use a pencil when writing. Then, if they change their mind about where a word should go, they can easily erase it and start again.
• Start with the ones you’re most confident about first. Then, if there are some blanks they’re unsure about, encourage them to add the ones they are sure about first; this will help with the process of elimination.
• Carefully read through the words in the word bank. Do they know what each of the words means? If not, encourage them to use their knowledge of spelling rules and the context to estimate their meanings.
• Once the cloze exercise is filled in, read it back; this is a good way to check whether it makes sense. Again, reading aloud is the best way to check that all the words have been put in the right places.

Example of cloze procedures

There are two types of cloze exercises: cloze paragraphs and cloze words.

Cloze Paragraphs

This cloze exercise about giraffes has blank spaces in each sentence. There’s also a word bank at the top, filled with words that would fit these empty spaces.

Children should choose words from the word bank and put one into each blank space. Cloze paragraphs are objective exercises with only one correct answer for each space.

Cloze words

An exercise with cloze words removes letters from particular words in a passage of text. Children have to fill in the blanks and spell the words correctly. These kinds of cloze tests don’t have a word bank.

Here’s an example:

You should be a good ne—-our and help out your co—-ity.

The correct words would be ‘neighbor’ and ‘community.’

These cloze exercises are a good way of testing spelling, grammar, and vocabulary.