Plants and Animals

Lesson 1c: Environments

Grade: Kindergarten Length of lesson: 42 minutes Placement of lesson in unit: 1c of 6 lessons on plants and animals
Unit central question: Do plants and animals need the same things Lesson focus questions: Where do plants and animals in our terrarium get what
to live and grow? Explain your thinking. they need to live and grow? Where do we get what we need to live and grow?
Main learning goal: Plants and animals need an environment where they can get the things they need to live and grow.
Science content storyline: We have many ideas about what plants and animals need to live and grow. We’ll do some investigating to find out which of
our ideas are correct. But one thing that’s very important for all plants and animals is where they live. They must live in a place—an environment—where
they can get everything they need to live and grow.
Ideal student response to the focus questions: Plants and animals need a place to live where they can get the things they need to live and grow, like food
and air and water. That place is called an environment.

Preparation
Materials Needed Ahead of Time
 Science notebooks  Review the content background document and Common Student Ideas about Plants
 Chart paper and markers and Animals.
 Class terrarium (from lesson 1a)  On chart paper, create a circle map titled “What Plants and Animals Need.”
 Write the definition of environment on the board or post it on a word wall for
Student Handouts and Teacher Masters
students to refer to throughout the lesson series.
 1.1 Terrarium Instructions and Mantis Care (Teacher Master)
 Review the care instructions for the terrarium and mantis from handout 1.1. Follow
(from lesson 1a)
the feeding schedule, mist the inside walls of the terrarium with water every 2 or 3
days, and lightly water the soil for the plants. Be careful not to overwater.
 ELL support: Meet with ELL students in advance and introduce them to the lesson
content, structure, materials, and activities so they know what’s expected and can
participate more fully. Identify vocabulary terms in the lesson plan to review with
students in advance, including living, nonliving, plants, animals, live/stay alive,
grow, and investigate. In particular, introduce students to the word environment and
talk about the terrarium as an environment. Also discuss what humans need to live
and grow.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
Lesson 1c General Outline
Time Phase of Lesson How the Science Content Storyline Develops
2 min Link to previous lesson: The teacher reviews the unit central  Our terrarium contains living things: three kinds of animals and two kinds of
question and engages students in summarizing key findings plants. It also contains nonliving things like water and dirt.
from the previous lesson.
6 min Lesson focus questions: The teacher introduces the focus  Plants and animals need certain things in order to live and grow. We have
questions, Where do plants and animals in our terrarium get many ideas about what they need and where they can get these things.
what they need to live and grow? Where do we get what we
need to live and grow? Then the teacher elicits ideas from
students about what plants and animals need to live and grow
and records these ideas on a circle map.
10 min Setup for activity: The teacher introduces and defines the  All living things need an environment. An environment is a place where
word environment that students will investigate as they living things can get what they need to live and grow. Every environment
consider what plants and animals need to live and grow and includes both living and nonliving things.
where they can find these things.
10 min Activity: Students consider whether their class terrarium is an  Plants and animals live in environments where they can get what they need
environment based on the definition they learned. Then they to live and grow. People are animals too, so we also need an environment
think about their own environment and describe the living and where we can the things we need to live and grow. Our environment
nonliving things it includes. provides us with the food, water, air, and shelter we need.
5 min Follow-up to activity: Students consider whether three  Plants and animals are individual living things, not environments.
different photographs of a puppy, a plant, and a deer in a Environments are places where many living things can get what they need to
meadow represent environments; then they share their live and grow.
decisions and reasons with the class.
8 min Synthesize/summarize today’s lesson: The teacher reviews  An environment is a place where living things can get what they need to live
the focus questions and engages students in summarizing key and grow. All environments include both living and nonliving things.
ideas about what an environment is and why living things
need one.
1 min Link to next lesson: The teacher foreshadows the focus
question for the next lesson.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
2 min Link to Previous Lesson Show slides 1 and 2.

Synopsis: The teacher Let’s look at the big question for this unit that
reviews the unit central we’ve been thinking about. Can you read it with
question and engages me?
students in summarizing
key findings from the NOTE TO TEACHER: Point to the words on the
previous lesson. board as you read the unit central question aloud
Main science idea(s): together.
 Our terrarium contains
living things: three ELL support: It might be helpful for ELL students
kinds of animals and if you review what the words live and grow mean.
two kinds of plants. It
also contains nonliving The things we’ve been learning about the living and
things like water and Link science
ideas to other nonliving things in our terrarium will help us
dirt. answer this question at the end of our unit.
science ideas.

Last time, we sorted the living things in our

terrarium into two groups. Who can tell me what
these two groups were?
Plants and animals.
Who can remember the name of one of our plants?
One was called a
philodendron. It had
a lot of leaves.

The other one was a

spider plant. It had
spiky leaves like
grass.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
And what animals did we see in our terrarium? A praying mantis.

Earthworms.

Ladybugs.
So we know that there are living things and
nonliving things in our terrarium. But what about
other places where animals and plants live? That’s
what we’ll think about today.

ELL support: It might be beneficial for ELL

students if you review some examples of nonliving
things.

6 min Lesson Focus Questions Show slide 3.

Synopsis: The teacher Set the purpose In this lesson, we’ll answer two focus questions:
introduces the focus with a focus Where do plants and animals in our terrarium get
questions, Where do question or goal what they need to live and grow? Where do we get
plants and animals in our statement. what we need to live and grow?
terrarium get what they
need to live and grow? NOTE TO TEACHER: As you read the focus
Where do we get what we questions aloud, point to the words so students can
need to live and grow? follow along. Then write the questions on the board
Then the teacher elicits for student to refer to throughout the lesson and
ideas from students about draw a box around them.
what plants and animals
need to live and grow
To help us answer these questions, we’ll investigate
and records these ideas
what plants and animals need to live and grow and
on a circle map.
where they can get these things.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops

Main science idea(s):

 Plants and animals Select content Look at the plants and animals in our terrarium.
need certain things in representations What do you think these living things need to live
order to live and grow. and models and grow? What about plants and animals in other
We have many ideas matched to the places? What do you think they need to live and
about what they need learning goal grow?
and where they can get and engage
these things. students in their Turn and Talk: Share your ideas with your elbow
use. partner and be ready to share your ideas and reasons
with the class.
Ask questions to
elicit student ELL support: The Turn and Talk will be especially
ideas and helpful for ELL students. To facilitate their
predictions. thinking, you may want to pair students with a
shared-language partner so they can discuss their
ideas in their home languages before sharing them
in English with the class. A nice variation that
encourages language development is having
students share their partner’s idea with the class.

Show slide 4.

NOTE TO TEACHER: Display the circle map

you created on chart paper (“What Plants and
Animals Need”).

Whole-class share-out: Who has an idea about

what plants and animals need to live and to grow? Questions to ask
Be ready to give a reason for your idea. As you about each idea:
share your ideas, I’ll write them on this circle map. I think plants and  Why do you

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
animals need food think that?
NOTE TO TEACHER: The goal here is to elicit a to live and grow.  How do you
variety of student ideas about what plants and know they need
animals need to live and grow. Write down I think they need this?
Ask questions to everything students suggest, but ask probe questions water.  Do you think all
elicit student so that you can learn more about their reasoning plants and
ideas and and their experiences with plants and animals. I think they need a animals need
predictions. Acknowledge all ideas without indicating whether home. this?
they’re right or wrong. Emphasize that these are  Does anyone
beginning ideas, and they will probably change in disagree with that
Ask questions to I think they need
later lessons. idea or want to
probe student people to take care
add on?
ideas and of them.
predictions. ELL support: Ask ELL students to share their
ideas even if they repeat someone else’s idea. This
I think they need
is good practice and will make student thinking
visible. soil.

I disagree! I think
only plants need
soil. Animals, like
fish and birds, don’t
need soil to live and
grow.

I think all living

things need air.
You came up with a lot of good ideas about what all
plants and animals need, and I like how you stated
your reasons!

I also noticed that we don’t all agree on everything,

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
so we need to do some investigating. We’ll need to
be good scientists and look for new ideas about
what plants and animals need to live and grow.

10 min Setup for Activity Make explicit One of our ideas is that all living things need a
links between home or a shelter or a place to live. You’re right
Synopsis: The teacher science ideas about that! All plants and animals do need a place to
introduces and defines and activities live.
the word environment before the
that students will activity. Why do you think plants and animals need a place
investigate as they to live?
Because they need
consider what plants and Engage students to keep them warm.
animals need to live and in constructing If they’re too cold,
grow and where they can explanations they’ll die.
find these things. and arguments.
Main science idea(s): Because they need a
 All living things need place that protects
an environment. An them from the
environment is a place weather.
where living things
can get what they need Because they need a
to live and grow. place where they
Every environment can find food.
includes both living
and nonliving things.
Because they need
to be with their
families.

Because they need a

place where they

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
can get water to
drink.
Show slide 5.

Highlight key Scientists have many of the same ideas you have.
science ideas They’ve discovered that plants and animals can
and focus survive only if they live in a place where they can
question get the things they need to live and grow.
throughout.
Scientists have a special word to describe the place
where plants and animals live. It’s called an
environment.

NOTE TO TEACHER: Write the word on the

board and point to it. You may also want to include
the word and its definition on a word wall so that
students can refer to it throughout the lesson series.
Revisit the definition as needed in future lessons. If
time allows, have students write the word and
definition in their science notebooks or include it in
a class picture dictionary.

Can everyone say that word with me a few times?

It’s a tricky word to say!

ELL support: After the lesson is over, post images

of the terrarium environment and the deer in a
meadow environment where students can see them,
and write the word environment and the definition at
the top.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
Show slide 6.

Now let’s read the definition on the slide together:

An environment is a place where living things can

get what they need to live and grow. There are both
living and nonliving things in an environment.

ELL support: ELL students will be better prepared

to participate if you introduce the word environment
in advance and engage them in the following
vocabulary-building tasks:

 Have students say the word environment

together several times.
 Point to the words in the definition as you
read them aloud.
 Point to the words again and have students
read them aloud with you.

10 min Activity Make explicit To help us make sense of this new word, we’ll look
links between at our terrarium and think about whether this is an
Synopsis: Students science ideas environment. But first, let’s read our definition
consider whether their and activities again.
class terrarium is an during the
environment based on the activity. Show slide 7.
definition they learned.
Then they think about Select content Now look at our terrarium and think about whether
their own environment representations it fits the definition of an environment? Is it a place
and describe the living and models where living things can get what they need to live
and nonliving things it matched to the and grow? Why or why not?

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
includes. learning goal
and engage Turn and Talk: Talk about these questions with an
Main science idea(s):
students in their elbow partner and be ready to share your ideas and
 Plants and animals live
use. reasons with the class. Think about each living thing
in environments where
in the terrarium and what it needs to live and grow.
they can get what they
need to live and grow.
Show slide 8.
People are animals too,
so we also need an
Whole-group discussion: Give me a thumbs-up if
environment where we
you think our terrarium is an environment and a
can the things we need
thumbs-down if you think it is not an environment.
to live and grow. Our
environment provides
NOTE TO TEACHER: Note whether any students
us with the food,
gave a thumbs-down (or no).
water, air, and shelter
we need. Engage students Let’s hear from those who think our terrarium is an
in constructing environment. Why do you think so? When you
explanations share your ideas, use the first sentence starter on the
and arguments. slide:

Ask questions to I think it’s an environment because …

probe student
ideas and Can everyone practice saying that sentence starter
predictions. out loud with me? I think it’s an
environment
NOTE TO TEACHER: If students have difficulty because it’s a place
Ask questions to
coming up with ideas, reread the definition and ask for plants and
challenge
them to think about whether the terrarium is a place animals to live. Good! You used the
student
thinking. where plants and animals can find the things they idea from our
need to live and grow. definition that it’s a
place for living

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
things.
I think it’s an
environment
because it has water
for the animals to
drink and food for
them to eat.

I think it’s an
environment
because it’s a home
for the plants and
animals.
Why do the plants
and animals need a
home? Think back
to our definition.
Oh, they need a
home or place to get
what they need to
live and grow.
Who thinks our terrarium isn’t an environment?
Tell us why. Use the second sentence starter on the
slide:

I don’t think it’s an environment because …

I don’t think it’s an
environment
NOTE TO TEACHER: You might consider because it’s just a
introducing the idea of artificial versus natural box. It’s not nature.
environments if you think it will be helpful for your Let’s think about
students. our definition again.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
Does the terrarium
have everything that
the definition says
an environment
So our terrarium is an environment because it’s a should have?
place where plants and animals can get the things
they need to live and grow.

Show slide 9.

Engage students Now let’s think about another environment. What is

in using and our environment? We’re animals too, so how would
applying new you describe the place where we live?
science ideas in
a variety of First, let’s talk about some of the things we need to
ways and live and grow. Who can tell me one thing?
We need food.
contexts.
We need water.
Ask questions to
elicit student
We need a place that
ideas and
keeps us safe from
predictions.
the weather.
Where do we get these things?
Ask questions to
We can get food and
probe student
water at our houses,
ideas and
and we can sleep
predictions.
there.
Are there other
places we can get

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
food and water?
At the grocery store.

At restaurants.

At school.
Are there nonliving things in our environment?
Yes. There are
houses. Any other ideas?

There are cars.

Bicycles.

Furniture.

Are there other living things besides people in our

environment? What are some other animals? There are cats and
dogs.

Birds.

Bugs.

Worms!
What are some examples of plants in our
environment? Trees.

Flowers. Can you name some

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
plants that give us
food to eat?
Apple trees.

Tomato plants.
So we’re animals, and our environment is a place
Summarize key
where we can get what we need to live and grow.
science ideas.
Our environment also has living and nonliving
things in it.

But our environment is very different from the

terrarium, isn’t it? For one thing, our environment is
much bigger!

5 min Follow-Up to Activity Make explicit So what did we decide about our terrarium? Is it an
links between environment or not? We said it’s an
Synopsis: Students science ideas environment. And what were our
consider whether three and activities NOTE TO TEACHER: During this discussion, reasons?
different photographs of after the look for good reasoning and encourage students to Because the animals
a puppy, a plant, and a activity. use the environment definition. and plants can get
deer in a meadow what they need to
represent environments; Ask questions to live and grow. What were some of
then they share their probe student the things we said
decisions and reasons ideas and they needed?
with the class. predictions. Food.
Main science idea(s):
 Plants and animals are Ask questions to Water.
individual living challenge
And what did we decide about where we live? Is it
things, not student
an environment or not? We said it’s an
environments. thinking.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
Environments are environment. What were our
places where many Engage students reasons?
living things can get in making Because we can get
what they need to live connections by what we need to live
and grow. synthesizing and and grow. What were some of
summarizing the things we need
key science to live and grow?
ideas. We need food.
Where can we get
the food we need?
At home and at
school.

We need water. Where can we get

the water we need?
At home and at
school. What else do we
need?
We need protection
from bad weather.
Where can we find
shelter from the
weather?
At home and at
school.
Next, I’m going to show you three different photos.
Engage students Look carefully at each photo and think about
in using and whether it’s a plant, an animal, or an environment.
applying new
science ideas in

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
a variety of Show slides 10, 11, and 12 (one at a time).
ways and
contexts. What do you think? Is the puppy a plant, an animal,
or an environment? The puppy is an
Ask questions to animal! Why isn’t the puppy
probe student ELL support: You may want to quickly review the an environment?
ideas and criteria students established for determining whether Because I don’t see
predictions. a living thing is a plant or an animal. Then the things it needs to
encourage ELL students to use these criteria as they live and grow. Does anybody want
Ask questions to think about the photos. to add on?
challenge I agree. I only see
student thinking. the puppy. There
aren’t any other
living or nonliving
things.
Is the living thing in this picture an animal, an
environment, or a plant? It’s a plant. Why do you think it
isn’t an
environment?
Because it doesn’t
have anything else
that plants need to
live and grow.
What about this picture? Is this a picture of a plant,
an animal, or an environment? It’s a picture of an
animal.
What makes you
think it isn’t an
NOTE TO TEACHER: Students could be correct environment?
if they say that all three pictures show an
environment. Because it’s a deer,

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
and a deer is an
animal. Does anyone
disagree or have
another idea?
I disagree. I think
it’s an environment. Why do you think
that?
Because there’s
other living and
nonliving things in
the picture. Does the picture
show things that the
deer might need to
live and grow?
Yes. The deer could
probably get food
by eating the
bushes.
So do we all agree that the puppy and the plant are
living things, but they aren’t environments?
Yes! How do we know?
And do we all agree that the picture of the deer in a
meadow is an example of an environment?
Yes! How do we know?

8 min Synthesize/Summarize Show slide 13.

Today’s Lesson
Highlight key Let’s think about our focus questions again: Where
Synopsis: The teacher science ideas do plants and animals in our terrarium get what
reviews the focus and focus they need to live and grow? Where do we get what
questions and engages question we need to live and grow?

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
students in summarizing throughout.
key ideas about what an What did we learn about where plants and animals
environment is and why get the things they need to live and grow? We learned that they
living things need one. get what they need
Main science idea(s): from their
 An environment is a environment.
Show slide 14.
place where living
things can get what Engage students
What is an environment, and why do living things
they need to live and in making
need an environment?
grow. All connections by
environments include synthesizing and
Turn and Talk: Talk about these questions with an
both living and summarizing
elbow partner. Be ready to share your ideas and
nonliving things. key science
reasons with the class.
ideas.
Whole-class discussion: Who would like to share
Engage students your answers to these questions: What is an Challenge questions
in constructing environment? Why do living things need an Ideal response: to ask:
explanations environment? An environment is a  Can you use our
and arguments. place where plants definition of
ELL support: It might be helpful for ELL students and animals can get environment to
Ask questions to to talk explicitly about the living and nonliving what they need to make your
challenge things in the terrarium or meadow environment, live and grow. answer better?
student including what they need and how these Environments have  Why do living
thinking. environments provide what they need. both living and things need an
nonliving things in environment to
them. live and grow?

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c
 Time Phase of Lesson and STeLLA Teacher Talk and Questions Anticipated Possible
How the Science Strategy Student Responses Probe/Challenge
Content Storyline Questions
Develops
1 min Link to Next Lesson Show slide 15.

Synopsis: The teacher Summarize key Today we learned that plants and animals need an
foreshadows the focus science ideas. environment where they can get all of the things
question for the next they need to live and grow. One of the environments
lesson. we talked about was our terrarium. We also talked
about our own environment and how we get what
we need to live and grow.

Show slide 16.

Link science Next time, we’ll talk about some other

ideas to other environments and how plants and animals in these
science ideas. places get what they need to live and grow.

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Kindergarten Plants and Animals Lesson 1c