Unit Plan 29 (Grade K Science): Needs & Habitats Review

Focus: Explain why different plants and animals live in different habitats by connecting needs (food, water, air, shelter, space) to environmental features using simple models and evidence from observations.

Grade Level: K

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

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

I. Introduction

This review unit helps children put two big kindergarten ideas together: living things have needs, and habitats provide (or don’t provide) what living things need. Students sort and match organisms to habitats, build simple “habitat plates” or dioramas, and use a class model to show the relationship between needs and places. Across the week, students practice using kid-friendly evidence (“I saw…,” “The picture shows…”) to explain why a cactus belongs in a desert or why a fish belongs in water.

Essential Questions

• What do plants and animals need to survive?
• What is a habitat, and what does it provide?
• Why do some living things live well in one place but not another?
• How can a model help us show the connection between needs and habitats?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe patterns of what living things need to survive (food, water, air, shelter, space) using observations and examples (K-LS1-1).
2. Identify features of common habitats (forest, desert, pond/ocean, grassland, arctic) that relate to living things’ needs (K-ESS3-1).
3. Use a simple model (diagram, sorting mat, diorama) to show that living things live where their needs are met (K-ESS3-1).
4. Compare two habitats and explain how they are different for meeting needs (e.g., water amount, temperature, plant types).
5. Communicate a claim about where an organism belongs and support it with simple evidence (picture clues, observations, class charts).

Standards Alignment — Kindergarten (NGSS-Aligned)

• K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
• 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.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell what living things need: food, water, air, shelter, and space.
• I can name a habitat and describe what it is like.
• I can match a plant or animal to the habitat where it can live well.
• I can use a model (sorting mat, diagram, diorama) to show needs + habitat.
• I can explain my choice using evidence: “It belongs here because…”