Unit Plan 29 (Grade 1 Science): Observing Traits Across Seasons

Focus: Observe and compare how plants and animals look or behave across seasons, and relate those changes to daylight patterns through the year.

Grade Level: 1

Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Earth & Space Science)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

Students become “season scientists” who track how the world changes over time. They observe that the amount of daylight changes during the year and connect that pattern to seasonal changes they notice in living things—like new leaves and flowers in spring, baby animals in warmer months, and changes in coats, migration, or rest behaviors as days get shorter. Students also practice noticing traits (how organisms look) and making careful comparisons between young organisms and their parents, recognizing that offspring are like, but not exactly like, their parents. The week ends with a Seasonal Traits & Daylight Field Journal share, where students present evidence-based claims about seasonal patterns.

Essential Questions

• How does the amount of daylight change at different times of year?
• How do plants and animals look or behave differently across seasons?
• How are young plants and animals like, but not exactly like, their parents?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Make observations at different times of year to describe how the amount of daylight relates to the time of year (1-ESS1-2).
2. Observe and describe seasonal patterns in organisms (appearance or behaviors), using simple evidence (photos, class observations, short texts).
3. Compare young organisms to their parents and describe at least one way they are similar and one way they are different (1-LS3-1).
4. Organize observations using simple tables, drawings, and labels to show seasonal changes.
5. Create a short evidence-based explanation that connects daylight changes to at least one seasonal organism change.

Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (NGSS-Aligned)

• 1-LS3-1 — Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.
• 1-ESS1-2 — Make observations at different times of year to relate the amount of daylight to the time of year.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can show that daylight changes at different times of year.
• I can describe how a plant or animal changes across seasons.
• I can tell how a young organism is like its parent and how it is different.
• I can use my drawings and notes as evidence.
• I can explain a seasonal pattern using words like daylight, season, and traits.