Shawn Ray

Pasodale Elementary School/Grand Canyon University

Student Intern
February 18th, 2019

Lesson Plan: Basic Needs of Plants & Animals

TEKS
2.19 Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related
texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes.
2.5 Reading/Vocabulary Development. Students understand new vocabulary and use it when reading and
writing.
Focus
2.9 Organisms and environments. The student knows that living organisms have basic needs that must b
e met for them to survive within their environment.

Learning Objective
The students will learn the differences and similarities of the basic biological needs for plants
and animals.

Language Objective
The students will use new science vocabulary in original sentences that reflect what they learned
in science.

Essential Questions
What are the basic needs of animals?
What are the basic needs of plants?

Lesson Cycle: Approximately 30 minutes

Engage/Explore
Anticipatory Set - Thumbs up/Thumbs down:
Ask yes or no questions such as: Do animals need sunlight to survive? Do plants need to wear
jackets in the cold? Do plants need sunlight to survive? Do plants need music? Do animals need
water? Do you know what a biological need is? (call on students and ask questions for thumb up
or down and ask the student why they think that)
Our focus today will be to learn the basic biological needs of plants and animals.
I do: I will add science vocabulary words to the word wall – biological need, shelter, space,
sunlight, nutrients, air/oxygen. I will ask students to give their own definition for these words as
a class. I will reinforce correct definitions, so students have the correct ideas in mind.
We do: Interactive Venn Diagram. Student helper will pass out all the materials to each student.
We will go over the materials together, so each student knows what they have. We will go over
each picture and what they represent. We will go over the Venn Diagram and explore each
section together. Plants need some things, animals need some things, and they both need some of
the same things to survive. Question students – who knows something that only plants need to
survive? Who knows something that only animals need to survive? Who knows something that
both plants and animals need to survive? After each question as students give responses, we will
take a minute to paste that picture in the correct area of the Venn Diagram (guided practice).
You do: Students will continue to paste the remainder of the pictures in their appropriate
sections of the Venn Diagram making choices between what is truly a need and what is a non-
biological need (i.e. clothing, music, transportation, money, toys). As students are doing the
individual assignment, I will walk the classroom and keep reminding students and question the
students of the basic biological needs.
Closure
Students will utilize the word wall, Venn Diagrams, and writing journals and draw a picture of
an animal and something that it needs to survive, a plant and something that it needs to survive,
and use science vocabulary to compose sentences reflecting on what they learned in this lesson.
Give examples through questions:
Would a dog need a doghouse in the winter to survive the cold?
Would a plant need water/rain in order to survive?
Would a plant need dog food in order to survive?
Assessments
Formative – checking on progress while students are working
Summative – completed Venn Diagrams and sentences
Materials
Hand outs
Glue sticks
Science Journals & pencils
Word Wall and prepared vocabulary words
Bloom’s
Through analysis, synthesis, and evaluation