Unit Plan 17 (Grade K Science): Needs & Habitats
Kindergarten science unit uses simple models to show how plants, animals, and humans meet needs through habitats like forests, ponds, and deserts.
Focus: Use simple models to show how the needs of plants, animals, and humans connect to the places they live (habitats).
Grade Level: K
Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Earth & Space Science • Modeling)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students explore how living things need food, water, air, shelter, and space, and how different habitats help meet those needs. Through read-alouds, picture sorting, and hands-on model building, students match organisms to habitats such as forest, pond, desert, ocean, and grassland. By the end of the week, students create a simple habitat model (diorama, mat model, or labeled drawing) that shows an organism, its needs, and how the habitat supports those needs.
Essential Questions
- How do needs help us understand where plants, animals, and humans live?
- What is a habitat, and how does it help living things survive?
- How can a model show the relationship between an organism’s needs and its habitat?
- How are human habitats the same as and different from animal habitats?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Name basic living thing needs (food, water, air, shelter, space) using observations and examples.
- Identify common habitats (forest, pond, desert, ocean, grassland) using pictures, texts, and class discussion.
- Match organisms to habitats and explain at least one reason using “needs” language (e.g., “Fish live in water because they need water to survive.”).
- Use a simple model (diorama, mat, or drawing) to show how an organism’s needs connect to its habitat.
- Share a short explanation (oral or written) describing how the habitat supports the organism’s needs.
Standards Alignment — Grade K (NGSS-Aligned)
- K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
- Example: Build a habitat model showing what an organism needs and where it gets those needs.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name what living things need (food, water, air, shelter, space).
- I can tell what a habitat is and give examples.
- I can match a plant or animal to its habitat and tell why.
- I can make a model that shows an organism and what it needs in its habitat.
- I can explain my model so someone else understands it.