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The Environment
Our Amazing Environment
In this topic, we will learn about how living and non-living things interact, and how an environment's resources affect how many living things it can support.
Our Environment
Living + Non-living = One System
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
2.1.1.1
- Describe the interaction among living and non-living components in a given environment
2.1.1.2
- Explain how the ability of an environment to provide food, water, space and essential nutrients affects its carrying capacity
Components of an Environment
Living Components (Biotic)
Things that are alive or were once alive:
- 🌳 Plants (trees, grass, flowers, crops)
- 🐘 Animals (elephants, lions, birds, fish, insects)
- 🦠 Micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi)
- 👨👩👧👦 Humans
- 💀 Dead organic matter (leaves, dead animals)
Non-Living Components (Abiotic)
Things that are not alive and never were alive:
- ☀️ Sunlight (energy)
- 💧 Water (rivers, rain, lakes)
- 🌬️ Air (oxygen, carbon dioxide)
- 🪨 Soil, sand, rocks
- 🌡️ Temperature
- 🏞️ Space (land area)
📝 Which of these is a NON-LIVING component of an environment?
How Living and Non-Living Things Interact
Living things depend on non-living things — and on other living things — to survive. Let's explore these interactions:
Plants + Sunlight
Plants use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis. Without sunlight, plants cannot grow.
Plants + Water
Plants need water to transport nutrients and stay firm. Animals need water to drink.
Plants + Soil
Soil provides minerals (nutrients) and anchorage for plant roots.
Animals + Plants
Animals eat plants for food. This is called a food chain.
Animals + Other Animals
Some animals eat other animals (predator-prey relationship). Lions eat zebras.
Animals + Air
Animals breathe oxygen from the air. Plants use carbon dioxide.
The Okavango Delta: Living and Non-Living Interactions
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a perfect example of how living and non-living things interact!
• Plants use sunlight and water to grow 🌞💧
• Elephants eat the plants 🐘🌿
• Fish live in the water 🐟💧
• Crocodiles eat the fish 🐊🐟
• Decomposers break down dead plants/animals into soil nutrients
Okavango Delta
A living web of interactions!
Interactions Through Food Chains
One of the most important interactions between living things is who eats whom. This is called a food chain.
Sun
Energy source
Grass
Producer
Grasshopper
Primary Consumer
Frog
Secondary Consumer
Snake
Tertiary Consumer
Eagle
Top Predator
📝 In a food chain, where does all energy originally come from?
Living or Non-Living?
Click on each item to sort it into the correct category!
Living Things
Drag living things here →
Non-Living Things
Drag non-living things here →
What is Carrying Capacity?
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of living things (population) that an environment can support without being damaged.
🍽️ Food — enough to eat
💧 Water — clean water to drink
🏞️ Space — room to live, grow, and raise young
🧪 Essential Nutrients — minerals, vitamins, shelter
Carrying Capacity
How many can live here?
How Many Giraffes Can Live Here?
Adjust the resources to see how carrying capacity changes!
Resources Available:
50 trees50 water holes
50 km²
50%
Carrying Capacity:
Factors That Limit Population Size
Food Availability
More food = more animals can survive. Less food = starvation and fewer animals.
Water Availability
All animals need water to drink. If water holes dry up, animals must leave or die.
Space / Territory
Animals need room to find food, build nests, and raise young. Overcrowding causes stress and disease.
Essential Nutrients
Plants need nutrients from soil. Poor soil = fewer plants = less food for herbivores.
Elephants in Chobe National Park
Botswana has the largest elephant population in Africa — over 130,000 elephants! But there are concerns about carrying capacity.
🍽️ Food: Trees, grass, shrubs
💧 Water: Chobe River (permanent water)
🏞️ Space: 11,700 km² of park
🧪 Nutrients: Varied soil quality
Chobe Elephants
Are there too many?
📝 What happens when an animal population exceeds carrying capacity?
Match the Resource to Its Effect on Carrying Capacity
Resource Change
🌿 More food available
💧 Less water available
🏞️ Less space available
🧪 More nutrients in soil
Effect on Carrying Capacity
How Humans Affect Carrying Capacity
Negative Impacts
- 🏗️ Building cities → less space for wildlife
- 🌲 Deforestation → less food and shelter
- 💨 Pollution → damages air, water, soil
- 🎣 Overfishing / overhunting → reduces animal populations
- 🔥 Climate change → changes temperature and rainfall
Positive Impacts (Conservation)
- 🏞️ National parks → protect space for wildlife
- 🌳 Reforestation → plants new trees
- ♻️ Recycling → reduces pollution
- 🚰 Clean water projects → provides water
- 🦏 Anti-poaching → protects endangered animals
Design a Wildlife Reserve
You are a conservationist designing a new wildlife reserve for zebras in Botswana. What will you include?
🌿 How will you provide food?
💧 How will you provide water?
🏞️ How will you provide enough space?
🧪 How will you ensure essential nutrients are available?
What We Learned About the Environment
Living + Non-Living
They interact constantly! Plants need sun and water. Animals need food and shelter.
4 Key Resources
Food, Water, Space, Nutrients — these determine carrying capacity.
Carrying Capacity
Maximum population an environment can support. Exceeding it causes problems.
Test Your Knowledge
1. What are the two main components of an environment?
2. Which of these is a NON-LIVING component?
3. What is carrying capacity?
4. Which resource is NOT one of the four that affect carrying capacity?
5. If an environment has MORE food and water, what happens to carrying capacity?
6. Name one interaction between a living and non-living thing in the Okavango Delta:
You Are an Environmental Scientist!
✅ The difference between living and non-living components
✅ How living and non-living things interact in an environment
✅ What carrying capacity means
✅ How food, water, space, and nutrients affect carrying capacity
✅ Real examples from Botswana (Okavango Delta, Chobe elephants)
Every time you observe nature, you are thinking like an environmental scientist!
The Environment
This certifies that
__________________
has completed the Standard 5 Science module on
The Environment: Living and Non-Living Interactions & Carrying Capacity
Our Amazing Environment
In this topic, we will learn about how living and non-living things interact, and how an environment's resources affect how many living things it can support.
Our Environment
Living + Non-living = One System
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
2.1.1.1
- Describe the interaction among living and non-living components in a given environment
2.1.1.2
- Explain how the ability of an environment to provide food, water, space and essential nutrients affects its carrying capacity
Components of an Environment
Living Components (Biotic)
Things that are alive or were once alive:
- 🌳 Plants (trees, grass, flowers, crops)
- 🐘 Animals (elephants, lions, birds, fish, insects)
- 🦠 Micro-organisms (bacteria, fungi)
- 👨👩👧👦 Humans
- 💀 Dead organic matter (leaves, dead animals)
Non-Living Components (Abiotic)
Things that are not alive and never were alive:
- ☀️ Sunlight (energy)
- 💧 Water (rivers, rain, lakes)
- 🌬️ Air (oxygen, carbon dioxide)
- 🪨 Soil, sand, rocks
- 🌡️ Temperature
- 🏞️ Space (land area)
📝 Which of these is a NON-LIVING component of an environment?
How Living and Non-Living Things Interact
Living things depend on non-living things — and on other living things — to survive. Let's explore these interactions:
Plants + Sunlight
Plants use sunlight to make food through photosynthesis. Without sunlight, plants cannot grow.
Plants + Water
Plants need water to transport nutrients and stay firm. Animals need water to drink.
Plants + Soil
Soil provides minerals (nutrients) and anchorage for plant roots.
Animals + Plants
Animals eat plants for food. This is called a food chain.
Animals + Other Animals
Some animals eat other animals (predator-prey relationship). Lions eat zebras.
Animals + Air
Animals breathe oxygen from the air. Plants use carbon dioxide.
The Okavango Delta: Living and Non-Living Interactions
The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a perfect example of how living and non-living things interact!
• Plants use sunlight and water to grow 🌞💧
• Elephants eat the plants 🐘🌿
• Fish live in the water 🐟💧
• Crocodiles eat the fish 🐊🐟
• Decomposers break down dead plants/animals into soil nutrients
Okavango Delta
A living web of interactions!
Interactions Through Food Chains
One of the most important interactions between living things is who eats whom. This is called a food chain.
Sun
Energy source
Grass
Producer
Grasshopper
Primary Consumer
Frog
Secondary Consumer
Snake
Tertiary Consumer
Eagle
Top Predator
📝 In a food chain, where does all energy originally come from?
Living or Non-Living?
Click on each item to sort it into the correct category!
Living Things
Drag living things here →
Non-Living Things
Drag non-living things here →
What is Carrying Capacity?
Carrying capacity is the maximum number of living things (population) that an environment can support without being damaged.
🍽️ Food — enough to eat
💧 Water — clean water to drink
🏞️ Space — room to live, grow, and raise young
🧪 Essential Nutrients — minerals, vitamins, shelter
Carrying Capacity
How many can live here?
How Many Giraffes Can Live Here?
Adjust the resources to see how carrying capacity changes!
Resources Available:
50 trees50 water holes
50 km²
50%
Carrying Capacity:
Factors That Limit Population Size
Food Availability
More food = more animals can survive. Less food = starvation and fewer animals.
Water Availability
All animals need water to drink. If water holes dry up, animals must leave or die.
Space / Territory
Animals need room to find food, build nests, and raise young. Overcrowding causes stress and disease.
Essential Nutrients
Plants need nutrients from soil. Poor soil = fewer plants = less food for herbivores.
Elephants in Chobe National Park
Botswana has the largest elephant population in Africa — over 130,000 elephants! But there are concerns about carrying capacity.
🍽️ Food: Trees, grass, shrubs
💧 Water: Chobe River (permanent water)
🏞️ Space: 11,700 km² of park
🧪 Nutrients: Varied soil quality
Chobe Elephants
Are there too many?
📝 What happens when an animal population exceeds carrying capacity?
Match the Resource to Its Effect on Carrying Capacity
Resource Change
🌿 More food available
💧 Less water available
🏞️ Less space available
🧪 More nutrients in soil
Effect on Carrying Capacity
How Humans Affect Carrying Capacity
Negative Impacts
- 🏗️ Building cities → less space for wildlife
- 🌲 Deforestation → less food and shelter
- 💨 Pollution → damages air, water, soil
- 🎣 Overfishing / overhunting → reduces animal populations
- 🔥 Climate change → changes temperature and rainfall
Positive Impacts (Conservation)
- 🏞️ National parks → protect space for wildlife
- 🌳 Reforestation → plants new trees
- ♻️ Recycling → reduces pollution
- 🚰 Clean water projects → provides water
- 🦏 Anti-poaching → protects endangered animals
Design a Wildlife Reserve
You are a conservationist designing a new wildlife reserve for zebras in Botswana. What will you include?
🌿 How will you provide food?
💧 How will you provide water?
🏞️ How will you provide enough space?
🧪 How will you ensure essential nutrients are available?
What We Learned About the Environment
Living + Non-Living
They interact constantly! Plants need sun and water. Animals need food and shelter.
4 Key Resources
Food, Water, Space, Nutrients — these determine carrying capacity.
Carrying Capacity
Maximum population an environment can support. Exceeding it causes problems.
Test Your Knowledge
1. What are the two main components of an environment?
2. Which of these is a NON-LIVING component?
3. What is carrying capacity?
4. Which resource is NOT one of the four that affect carrying capacity?
5. If an environment has MORE food and water, what happens to carrying capacity?
6. Name one interaction between a living and non-living thing in the Okavango Delta:
You Are an Environmental Scientist!
✅ The difference between living and non-living components
✅ How living and non-living things interact in an environment
✅ What carrying capacity means
✅ How food, water, space, and nutrients affect carrying capacity
✅ Real examples from Botswana (Okavango Delta, Chobe elephants)
Every time you observe nature, you are thinking like an environmental scientist!
The Environment
This certifies that
__________________
has completed the Standard 5 Science module on
The Environment: Living and Non-Living Interactions & Carrying Capacity
Counting from 1 to 10
In the previous lesson we learned to count from 1 to 5.
Now let us learn to count from 1 to 10.
Numbers
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Example
Look at the stars.
⭐
⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
We can keep counting:
6 stars
7 stars
8 stars
9 stars
10 stars
Practice
Count the circles:
● ● ● ● ● ● ●
How many circles are there?
Answer: 7
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