Unit Plan Template (Fall 2019)

Title of Unit and Essential Question:

How do animals and plants traits help them survive?

Briefly, what do you expect the students to “DO” in this unit?

Students will investigate a variety of animals and plants to see how they survive with what they were given;
using external parts and traits passed down from parents.

Performance Expectations
(PE)
1-LS1-1 From Molecules to Organisms:
Structures and Processes
Use materials to design a solution to a
human problem by mimicking how
plants and/or animals use their external
parts to help them survive, grow, and
meet their needs.
Science and Engineering Practice, SEP Disciplinary Core Idea, DCI Cross
Cutting Concept, CCC
SEP​: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and
progresses to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of
natural phenomena and designing solutions.
Use materials to design a device that solves a specific problem or a solution to a specific
problem.
DCI: ​LS1.A: Structure and Function
All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways
to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and
take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers,
fruits) that help them survive and grow.

LS1.D: Information Processing

Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for
growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them

1-LS1-2 From Molecules to Organisms:
Structures and Processes​
Read texts and use media to determine
patterns in behavior of parents and
offspring that help offspring survive.
1-LS3-1 Heredity: Inheritance and
Variation of Traits​
Make observations to construct an
evidence-based account that young
plants and animals are like, but not
exactly like, their parents.
survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
CCC: ​Structure and Function
The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their
function(s).
SEP: ​Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information in K–2 builds on prior experiences
and uses observations and texts to communicate new information.
Read grade-appropriate texts and use media to obtain scientific information to determine
patterns in the natural world.
DCI: ​LS1.B: Growth and Development of Organisms
Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the
offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.
CCC: ​Patterns
Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed, used to describe
phenomena, and used as evidence.
SEP: ​Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing explanations and designing solutions in K–2 builds on prior experiences and
progresses to the use of evidence and ideas in constructing evidence-based accounts of
natural phenomena and designing solutions.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to construct an evidence-based account for
natural phenomena.
DCI:​ LS3.A: Inheritance of Traits
Young animals are very much, but not exactly like, their parents. Plants also are very much,
but not exactly, like their parents.
LS3.B: Variation of Traits
Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary
in many ways.
CCC: ​Patterns
 Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed, used to describe
phenomena, and used as evidence.

Unit Plan Overview

lesson Author's Lesson Title and Essential What the students will
number Initials or Driving Question learn. (NOT an SLO) Activity or Investigation Assessment
Using demonstrations and models
How animals use their body the students will be guided to Summative: The students will
LB
1 How do Animals Move? parts to move to be able to define characteristics of how fill out a worksheet as they
*TCM
survive. animals use their body parts to walk around.
move.
The students will match images
Students will draw a picture of
AC and How Animals Use How animals mimic humans that show how humans survive to
2 an animal mimicking how
LB External Parts to Survive to survive. the animal that mimics that
humans survive.
characteristic.

Students will look at different

Students will research their
The essential elements animal images and observe the own animals and present to
What do Animals Need to environment they live in. They will the class what environment
3 AC animals need in order to
Survive? then determine what the animals that animal lives in and what it
survive.
need in order to survive in their needs to survive.
environment.
Parents help their offspring Students will create birds nests for
Lessons adapted from a survive by meeting their various types of birds and connect By drawing on an index card,
JC and
4 How do Parents Help basic needs, and that that provision to the way that other students will provide a new
EA
Offspring Survive? behavior is shown almost animals, including humans, take example of an animal or
identically in humans. care of each other. human taking care of its baby.
 Parent plants pass down
traits to their offspring that Students will dissect plants and
JC What is Passed Down to allow them to meet their hypothesize how each part is Students will fill out an exit
5
*TCM Plants and Why? most basic needs and needed for the plant. Then they ticket by writing three things
survive dangers they are will reconstruct a plant to design a that parents pass on to their
threatened with. solution to threatening dangers. offspring to help them survive.
Students will use their given
images to find their corresponding Students can draw their
6 Animal parents and their parent/offspring in their class, and favorite animal and its baby
AC and Who’s Your Animal offspring are similar but not work as pairs to identify similarities and turn it in by telling us one
JC Parent? exactly alike. and differences. similarity and one difference.
Students will be given a seedling
and are expected to go around the Students will draw their own
7 Seedlings and adult plants room and identify which adult plant seedling and adult plant which
EA are similar but not exactly corresponds with their seedling displays the similarities and
*TCM Who’s Your Plant Parent? alike. based on its leaves and vines. differences discussed in class.
The students will be putting everything they have learned from all seven lessons on a “big idea page”.The students will first
create their “big idea page” on a poster board. The top of the “big idea page” will have the unit’s essential question: How do
animals’ and plants’ traits help them survive? Each section of the “big idea page” will have one category regarding how the
animal/plant survives. The first section will be about how parents help offspring survive, second will be the external features
Assessment of animals, the third page will be other traits, and the last page will be about adapting to the animal’s environment. The
students will be handed multiple magazines along with other supplies to cut out and make a collage for the “big idea page.”
They will present their posters to the class and give oral reasoning behind why they chose specific pictures to represent
each category and its connection to helping animals survive. This assessment would be formative and will show what the
students have learned throughout the entire unit.

Note that one lesson must include a book.