What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?
What Do Plants and Animals Need to Live? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a new curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is aligned to a group of kindergarten standards. It has a focus on life science with a secondary focus on engineering design. In this module, students:
- Plan and carry out investigations about the growth of radish plants
- Obtain information from live organisms, media, and texts about the patterns of what plants and animals need to live and grow
- Develop and use models that represent the relationships between plants and animals and their environment
- Communicate solutions that reduce human impact on plants in the environment
Below are digital resources that support teaching of this module.
Blackline Masters
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This file contains the notebook sheets, notebook sheet prompts, and activity sheets for the module.
Ada Asks Introduction
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Ada shows students several photos of mysterious circumstances at her school related to what plants and animals need to live and grow.
Ada Asks Plant
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This photo shows the dead plant from the Ada Asks Introduction file.
Plant Results
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These photos show the results of the radish plant experiment in Lessons 2 and 3 in the event that the classroom experiment fails.
Caterpillar
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Photos of a painted lady larva (caterpillar) and adult painted lady butterfly feeding on thistle.
Plant
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This file shows a mallow plant before and after being eaten by painted lady caterpillars.
Caterpillars Feeding
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This video shows painted lady caterpillars feeding on mallow plants.
Animals
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Photos of the various animals featured in the “What’s on the Menu?” story.
Bobcat
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This photo shows a bobcat sheltering from snow.
Underground Mouse
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This photo shows a mouse moving through a subway station.
Rabbit Habitat
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Photos of a rabbit sensing danger and running into a burrow.
Holes
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This photo shows the holes in the ground from the Ada Asks Introduction file.
Caterpillar Tent
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This photo shows the supportive structures spun by the painted lady caterpillars in their cup of medium.
Tree and Sidewalk
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This photo shows the tree and sidewalk from the Ada Asks Introduction file.
Ada Asks Sidewalk Problem
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Ada returns to the tree and sidewalk problem from the Introduction file and asks students to weigh criteria and constraints and help her find a solution.
Sidewalk Solutions
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Photos of various engineering strategies for fixing sidewalk-tree interactions.
Kit Tips & Tricks