Unit Plan 33 (Grade K Science): Weather, Plants & Animals

Focus: Link weather patterns to plant changes and animal behaviors, then use evidence to explain how living things can change the environment to meet their needs.

Grade Level: K

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

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

I. Introduction

Students explore how daily weather (sunny, cloudy, rainy, windy, hot/cold) connects to what they notice in plants and animals. They keep a simple class weather chart, go on short observation walks, and look for patterns such as “After rain, worms appear” or “On windy days, leaves move and seeds travel.” Students then learn that living things don’t just react to weather—they can also change their environment (birds build nests, squirrels hide food, plants grow toward light). The week ends with a “Weather + Living Things” sharing day where students present a page from their pattern booklet and make a class claim using evidence.

Essential Questions

• How can we use weather observations to find patterns over time?
• How does weather affect what plants and animals do?
• How do plants and animals change the environment to meet their needs?
• What does it mean to use evidence to support a science idea?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Observe and record local weather conditions and describe simple patterns over time (temperature, wind, precipitation, sky) (K-ESS2-1).
2. Observe and describe how plants and animals look or act on different weather days (K-ESS2-1).
3. Use pictures, class data, and observations to explain a pattern: “When the weather is ___, we usually notice ___” (K-ESS2-1).
4. Share an example of how a plant or animal can change the environment to meet its needs (K-ESS2-2).
5. Construct a simple argument using evidence: “I think ___ changes the environment by ___ because I observed ___” (K-ESS2-2).

Standards Alignment — Grade K (NGSS-Aligned)

• K-ESS2-1 — Use and share observations of local weather conditions to describe patterns over time.
  • Example: Keep a class weather chart and compare what is the same/different across days.
• K-ESS2-2 — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
  • Example: Use observations/pictures to explain how nests, burrows, and plant growth change the surroundings.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can tell what the weather is like today using words like sunny, windy, rainy, hot, or cold.
• I can notice a pattern after we look at weather charts for many days.
• I can describe how plants or animals act differently on different weather days.
• I can explain how a living thing can change the environment (like building, digging, or growing).
• I can use evidence (what I saw, a picture, or our chart) to explain my idea.