What Do Plants And Animals Need To Live?
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