Grade 2 Science Unit: 09 Lesson: 01 Suggested Duration: 4 days Basic Needs of Plants and Animals Lesson Synopsis: This lesson is a review of the basic needs of plants and animals. TEKS: 2.9 Organism and environment. The student knows that living organisms have basic needs that must be met for them to survive within their environment. The student is expected to: 2.9A Identify the basic needs of plants and animals. Scientific Process TEKS: 2.2 Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student develops abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry in classroom and outdoor investigations. The student is expected to: 2.2D Record and organize data using pictures, numbers, and words; 2.2E Communicate observations and justify explanations using student-generated data from simple descriptive investigations. 2.4 Scientific investigation and reasoning. The student uses age-appropriate tools and models to investigate the natural world. The student is expected to: 2.4A Collect, record, and compare information using tools, including computers, hand lenses, rulers, primary balances, plastic beakers, magnets, collecting nets, notebooks, and safety goggles; timing devices, including clocks and stopwatches; weather instruments, such as thermometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges; and materials to support observations of habitats of organisms such as terrariums and aquariums. GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION Performance Indicator(s): None Please Note: there will be a formative assessment suggested in the Evaluate section. The Performance Indicators in Lessons 02 and 03 will incorporate the concept of basic needs. Key Understandings and Guiding Questions: Plants and animals have basic needs. What are the basic needs of plants? What are the basic needs of animals? Vocabulary of Instruction: basic needs light space nutrients food shelter clothing energy (from food) Refer to section for materials. Handout: Basic Needs of Plants (1 per student) Teacher Resource: Background Information KEY Handout: Basic Needs of Animals (1 per student) Optional Handout: Pictures for Formative Assessment Evaluation Teacher Resource: Formative Assessment Evaluation Instructions KEY 2012, TESCCC 05/21/13 page 1 of 5
Advance Preparation: 1. Have one healthy plant and one unhealthy plant (for example: needs water) for student observation. 2. Gather books on the basic needs of plants and animals. 3. Prepare attachment(s) as necessary. Background Information: This lesson bundles student expectations that address the process skills of scientific inquiry along with identifying the basic needs of living organisms. The investigations in this lesson set a foundation for environmental studies in the grades that follow. Prior to this lesson, students have learned the difference between a living organism and a non-living object, and they have sorted plants and animals into groups based on physical characteristics. During this lesson, students will identify the basic needs of plants and animals. GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION SUPPLEMENTAL PLANNING DOCUMENT Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the My CSCOPE Tab within the My Content area. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES Instructional Procedures ENGAGE Basic Needs Review: What Causes Plants To Become Unhealthy? NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes Suggested Day 1 2008, TESCCC Revised 09/29/08 page 2 of 5
1. Say/Ask: You have previously learned about nonliving objects and living organisms. You learned that living organisms have basic needs. What are the basic needs of plants? Allow students a few minutes to think-pair-share to generate responses. Students should remember that the basic needs of plants include air, light, water, nutrients (food), and space. 2. Say: I have two plants here: Plant A (healthy) and Plant B (unhealthy). (Show the two plants: one healthy and one not healthy.) 3. Say: In your science notebook, draw these two plants, and record observations about how they look. Include a list of the plant s basic needs. Predict what caused plant B to become unhealthy. Explain your thinking. plant (healthy, Plant A, 1 per class) plant (unhealthy, Plant B, see Advance Preparation, 1 per class) crayons or colored pencils (per group) Instructional Note: As students share the basic needs, write the vocabulary that they are using in a visible location (blackboard, interactive white board, or chart paper). 4. Provide students with the opportunity to carefully draw the two plants in their science notebooks. You may want to model a claims and evidence chart as a way to record their predictions. 5. The reasoning section could be constructed, but does not get filled out until students have had more time to explore the concept. EXPLORE/EXPLAIN Basic Needs of a Plant Suggested Days 1 (continued) and 2 1. Ask: 3. Are there some needs that plants can do without for a while? Provide time for student groups to complete the handout. Monitor students to listen for any misconceptions or lack of understanding of basic needs. 4. Explain that scientists who study plants (botanists) list several things that plants need to grow and thrive: space (environment) light (sunlight) air nutrients (food) 5. Facilitate a discussion about why each of these basic needs is important. The Teacher Resource: Background Information KEY could be used to assist in guiding the discussion. Students should revise their answers on the Handout: Basic Needs of Plants, if necessary. Plants can live many days without sunlight; however, depending on geographical location and type of plant, the exact length of time will vary. In the heat of summer, Handout: Basic Needs of Plants (1 per student) Teacher Resource: Background Information KEY Instructional Notes: Use the Teacher Resource: Background Information KEY to help clarify these discussions but please keep in mind that the information on the Teacher Resource is not designed for student use. 2008, TESCCC Revised 09/29/08 page 3 of 5
many plants need water every day or they will die. 6. Summarize by reinforcing the concepts that when these basic needs are not met, the plant is unable to thrive and grow. Ask: What are the basic needs of plants? Light, water, air, nutrients, and space/habitat. What do we need to provide to the unhealthy plant to support its growth? Answers will depend on why the plant was unhealthy, but it is most likely it will need water. EXPLAIN Literature Connection: Explaining the Basic Needs of Plants 1. Read a book about the basic needs of plants. Suggested Day 2 (continued) book (about basic needs of plants, 1 per class) Check for Understanding: As the book is being read, ask Guiding Questions to informally assess student understanding. EXPLORE/EXPLAIN Basic Needs of an Animal Suggested Day 3 1. Ask: Are there some needs that animals can do without for a while? 2. Instruct students to discuss the basic needs of animals in their groups and then fill in the Handout: Basic Needs of Animals. Instruct them to make sure they explain their thinking. 3. Provide time for student groups to complete the handout. Monitor students to listen for any misconceptions or lack of understanding of basic needs. 4. Explain that scientists who study animals (zoologists) list four things that animals need to grow and thrive : air food suitable place to live (shelter or habitat) 5. Facilitate a discussion about why each of these basic needs is important. The Teacher Resource: Background Information KEY could be used to assist in guiding the discussion. Students should revise their answers on the Handout: Basic Needs of Animals, if necessary. 6. Summarize by reinforcing the concepts that when these basic needs are not met, the animal is unable to thrive and grow. Ask: What are the basic needs of animals? Students should be able to respond that the basic needs include air, water, food (nutrients), Handout: Basic Needs of Animals (1 per student) Instructional Notes: During the discussion, it could be mentioned that air is one of the most critical basic needs for animals. Humans can survive only about three minutes without air. (There are variables, such as age and temperature, which may vary this time.) Humans can last about four days without water. This also depends on physical activity and temperature. Information about how long a human can survive without food varies. Twenty one days is one of the more consistent answers. So for humans, survival could be summed up (at this age) as: 3 minutes: air 3 days: water 3 weeks: food Animals, not including humans, also have a wide range of survival rates when basic needs are withheld. 2008, TESCCC Revised 09/29/08 page 4 of 5
shelter, and [for humans] clothing. ELABORATE/EVALUATE Performance Indicator Suggested Day 4 Performance Indicator None Please Note: There is a suggested formative assessment on the Teacher Resource: Formative Assessment Evaluation Instructions KEY. The Performance Indicators in Lessons 02 and 03 will incorporate the concept of basic needs. 1. Refer to the Teacher Resource: Formative Assessment Evaluation Instructions KEY for information on administering the evaluation. paper (construction, 1 sheet per student) glue (sticks or white liquid, per group) pencils (per groups) pictures (selection, from magazines or clip art, per group) Optional Handout: Pictures for Formative Assessment Evaluation Teacher Resource: Formative Assessment Evaluation Instructions KEY 2008, TESCCC Revised 09/29/08 page 5 of 5