Unit Plan 35 (Grade K Science): STEM Capstone — My Environment Model

Focus: Create an integrated diorama/model that shows how motion (pushes/pulls), sunlight & shade, weather patterns, living things’ needs, and human/environment interactions work together in one place.

Grade Level: K

Subject Area: Science (Physical Science • Life Science • Earth & Space Science • Engineering Design)

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

I. Introduction

This capstone week brings Kindergarten science together in one big project: a “My Environment Model.” Students choose (or are assigned) a simple setting—like a playground, garden, pond, forest, desert, or neighborhood—and build a shoebox diorama or tabletop model that includes living things, land/ground, and weather/sunlight features. They add at least one moving part to show push/pull motion, and they include a design that helps solve a problem (like shade, shelter, or weather safety). Students use drawings, labels, and oral explanations to show patterns: sunlight warms, weather changes, and plants/animals need food, water, air, shelter, and space.

Essential Questions

• How do sunlight, weather, and seasons affect what happens in an environment?
• What do plants and animals (including humans) need to survive, and where do they get those needs met?
• How can pushes and pulls change motion in our environment models?
• How do living things—and people—change the environment, and how can we reduce harm?
• How can we design a simple solution (shade, shelter, safety tool) that helps in our environment?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive and show those needs in a model (K-LS1-1).
2. Use a model to show the relationship between needs and the places living things live (K-ESS3-1).
3. Use observations and simple data (class weather chart, daily notes) to describe local weather patterns over time (K-ESS2-1).
4. Construct a simple argument (with “I think…because…”) for how living things (including humans) can change the environment to meet needs (K-ESS2-2).
5. Ask and answer questions about weather safety and how people prepare/respond (K-ESS3-2), and communicate at least one solution that reduces human impact (K-ESS3-3).
6. Show how pushes and pulls change motion (strength/direction) and include at least one “motion feature” in the model (K-PS2-1).
7. Use evidence from tests to determine if a design solution changes the speed or direction of an object as intended (K-PS2-2).
8. Include one simple engineering design (shade/shelter/tool), describe the problem, and improve it after feedback or a quick test (K-2-ETS1-1–3, spiral).

Standards Alignment — Kindergarten (NGSS-Aligned)

• K-PS2-1 — Compare effects of different strengths/directions of pushes and pulls on motion.
• K-PS2-2 — Use data to determine if a design solution works to change speed/direction.
• K-PS3-1 — Observe the effect of sunlight on Earth’s surface.
• K-PS3-2 — Design/build a structure to reduce warming from sunlight.
• K-LS1-1 — Describe patterns of what plants/animals (humans) need to survive.
• K-ESS2-1 — Observe and describe weather patterns over time.
• K-ESS2-2 — Argue how living things can change the environment to meet needs.
• K-ESS3-1 — Model relationship between needs and places living things live.
• K-ESS3-2 — Ask questions about the purpose of weather forecasting for severe weather.
• K-ESS3-3 — Communicate solutions that reduce human impact on the environment.
• K-2-ETS1-1–3 — Define a simple problem; sketch/model solutions; compare designs using test data.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can show what plants/animals need (food, water, air, shelter, space) in my model.
• I can show where living things live and why that place helps them meet needs.
• I can show sunlight or shade and tell what sunlight does (it warms).
• I can show weather in my environment and describe a pattern (like rainy days or windy days).
• I can include something that moves with a push or pull.
• I can explain my design solution and say, “It works because…” using what I saw in a test or try-out.