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NGSS*2nd GradeLife Science

2-LS4-1: Comparing Life in Different Habitats

Also called NGSS 2-LS4-1 · Topic: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems · Life Science

Practice ItAll 14 2nd Grade Science Standards

The Official Wording

Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.

Clarification statement: Emphasis is on the diversity of living things in each of a variety of different habitats.

Assessment boundary: Assessment does not include specific animal and plant names in specific habitats.

NGSS Lead States, 2013 · Read it on nextgenscience.org · checked October 15, 2026

What 2-LS4-1 Means in Plain English

Second graders observe plants and animals in different places, like a lawn, a garden bed or a pond, and compare how many different kinds of living things each place has. They notice that some habitats are packed with variety and others hold just a few kinds.

Students count and compare kinds of living things. They are not expected to name particular species or match them to habitats. Next, 3rd graders explain why some organisms survive well in one habitat but poorly or not at all in another (3-LS4-3).

2-LS4-1 I Can Statements

  • I can look closely for living things in a habitat.
  • I can count how many different kinds of living things I find.
  • I can compare the variety of life in two habitats.

2-LS4-1 Worked Example

A survey around the school that needs one hula hoop and a magnifying glass per team.

The Question

Does a lawn, a garden bed or a gravel path hold the most kinds of living things?

Set It Up: A hula hoop, a magnifying glass, a pencil and a tally chart for each team, plus three spots near the school.

Three spots to survey
LawnGarden bedGravel path
What Students Do
  1. Lay the hoop on the lawn and search inside it for ten minutes.3 kinds of plants, 1 kind of animal
  2. Sketch one of each new kind instead of counting every single one.One sketch per kind
  3. Move the hoop to the garden bed and search for the same ten minutes.6 kinds of plants, 4 kinds of animals
  4. Do the same on the gravel path.1 kind of plant, 1 kind of animal
  5. Make a bar graph of the kinds found in each spot.Garden bed: 10. Lawn: 4. Gravel: 2
What They Find

The garden bed held the most kinds of living things, five times as many as the gravel path.

Why it works: Places with more food, water, hiding spots and kinds of plants can feed and hide more kinds of animals and other living things.

Common Mistakes with 2-LS4-1

Counting individuals instead of kinds

“We found 40 living things!” after counting every ant

Try this: Count each kind only once. Forty ants of the same kind still add just one to the variety count.

Uneven searching

Ten minutes in the garden but two minutes on the lawn

Try this: Use the same size area and the same amount of time in every habitat so the comparison is fair.

Missing small or hidden life

Only listing what is easy to see while standing up

Try this: Kneel down, use the magnifying glass and gently lift leaves, since many tiny animals and plants hide close to the ground.

Where 2-LS4-1 Fits

Comes BeforeK-ESS3-1Model how plants and animals use the places they live, the start of thinking about habitats.
Alongside2.MD.D.10Draw a bar graph comparing how many kinds of living things each habitat held.2-LS2-1Test what plants need, one reason some habitats support more life than others.
Comes Next3-LS4-3Use evidence to argue that each kind of organism survives better in some habitats than in others.

Practice 2-LS4-1

Graph Paper GeneratorFree ToolPrint grid paper for a bar graph of how many kinds each team found in every habitat.Bar graph1 cm gridLarge squares
Open

Quick Check

  1. You find 20 ants and 1 worm. How many kinds of animals is that?
  2. Why spend the same time searching each habitat?
  3. Why might a garden have more kinds of life than a parking lot?

2-LS4-1: Other Names

2-LS4-1NGSS 2-LS4-1Biodiversity in habitatsComparing habitats

Official wording from NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. The plain-English lines and everything else on this page are EMStudio’s own explanations, written beside the official wording. They are not part of the standards.

*NGSS is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.