Unit Plan

Name_______________________________
Date _______________________________
Day 1
Unit
Life Processes
Lesson or Topic
Living and Non-Living (Day 1)
Grade Level
Kindergarten
Key Question
What is the difference between living and
nonliving objects?
Focus
It is important for students to understand that
certain things are living and certain objects are
not.
Standards (List
Science: K.1, K.6, K.7
both math and
science if both are
incorporated into
the lesson
Processes
Observing, Comparing and Contrasting, Drawing
Conclusions
Materials
Fake Plant, Live Plant, Stuffed Animal, Picture of a
real animal. Paper, colored pencils or crayons.
Background
Teachers will need to know the basics of the
Information
differences between living and non-living things.
Students will need basic prior knowledge on what
living things need to survive.
Management
Lesson-35 minutes. 5 Lessons in the unit, each
lesson 35 minutes.
Procedure
1. Show the students two different plants, one
will be real and the other will be fake. Ask
the students What is the difference
between these two plants? List the
differences on the board that the students
suggest.
2. Do this again, except this time used the
stuffed animal and a picture of a real, living
animal. Lead the students to suggest that
one is living and the other is not. Example
question might include; Do both of these
animals move? Why or why not?
3. Create a chart with the headers Living and
Non-Living. Ask the students what the
differences are between living and nonliving things. For living things have them
focus on the ideas of movement, eating,
reproduction, and drinking.

Method of
Evaluation
Possible
Extensions to the
Lesson
Discussion and
Reflection

Unit
Lesson or Topic
Grade Level
Key Question
Focus
Standards (List
both math and
science if both
are incorporated
into the lesson
Processes
Materials
Background
Information
Management

4. Pass out paper to the students, first have

them draw a picture of a living thing. As
they are drawing make sure that they are
including the necessities that living things
need in their picture. Then tell them to draw
a non-living thing. As you go around review
the characteristics of non-living things.
Have students present their pictures to the class,
and have them tell why their picture is living or
non-living.
Hang the pictures the students up on a bulletin
board separating them between living and nonliving things.
Reflection will be a review of the concepts we
have learned. Will take up the last couple minutes
of class, and review the first couple minutes of the
next class on what we have covered.
Day 2
Life Processes
Plant and Animal Needs (Day 2)
Kindergarten
What do plants and animals need to survive?
It is important for students to understand what
plants and animals have certain necessities that
they need to survive.
Science- K.1, K.7, and K.6

Observing, Comparing and Contrasting, Drawing

Conclusions.
Small pictures of Animals and Plants
Paper
Crayons, Colored Pencils, Markers
Teacher will need basic information on what
animals and plants need to survive. Students will
previously need to know what a plant or animal
looks like.
Lesson should take about 35 minutes. 35 Minutes
per lesson, 5 lessons total in the unit. Students will
be placed in groups of 2 or 3. Resources students
will need for the lesson will be provided by the
teacher. Students will remain in the classroom for

Procedure

Method of
Evaluation
Possible
Extensions to the
Lesson
Discussion and
Reflection

Unit
Lesson or Topic
Grade Level
Key Question

the lesson.
1. Show video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN5gLnLwvOw
2. Tell the students they will learn about what
plants and animals need to survive. Start with the
questions: What do you need to stay alive?
What do your pets need to stay alive? and What
do plants need to stay alive? Have students
brainstorm when asking these questions.
3.Discuss the basic needs of animals; food, water,
shelter, air, and space. And plants; nutrients,
water, air, light, and a place to grow. Explain how
they might get these basic needs.
4. Show students the picture of an animal (Wolf).
Discuss where the animal lives. Explain how the
animal gets its life needs. Discuss what will happen
to the animal if it does not get its needs. Do this
again with a picture of a plan (Sunflower). Discuss
ideas such as what if a plant gets stepped on. What
would happen if it never rained again?
5. Give each group a picture of an animal or a
plant. Have them draw their animal on a piece of
paper and add certain things that the animal would
need to survive.
Teacher will go around while the students are
working in their groups to see that they are
properly identifying what their animal/plant needs
to survive.
Have the students see an animal on their way
home from school and talk about it in the next
class, discussing the animal and its basic needs to
survive.
Have students present their plant/animal,
discussing where it lives and what it might need to
survive that they have drawn in their picture. In
their science journal, have students draw a table
with Plants and Animals written on each side.
Have the students write down the needs for each
the plants and the animals.
Day 3
Life Proccesses
Plant Life Cycles (Day 3)
Kindergarten
What occurs during the Plant Life Cycle?

Focus
Standards (List
both math and
science if both are
incorporated into
the lesson
Processes
Materials
Background
Information
Management

Procedure

It is important to understand that plants have a

life cycle and that is how plants are born and die.
Science: K.1, K.7, K.9, K.10

Observing, Collecting, Monitoring, Drawing

Conclusions, Collecting Data
Bean Seeds, Small Plastic Baggies, Paper Towels,
Paper, Pencils, Crayons
Teacher should have a clear understanding of how
the plant c cycle works. Students should have
prior knowledge on what a plant is.
Lesson will take 35 min. 5 Lessons in this unit, 35
min per lesson. Students will be inside and outside
during this lesson. Materials will be provided by
the teacher.
1. Have students plant maple seeds in pots.
Make sure to tell them that we will check up
on these plants daily to record what they
look like. These recordings will be placed in
their science journals. Take the students
outside to look at maple trees outside. Ask
the questions, Whats the difference
between these trees and the plants you are
growing in the classroom? Emphasize the
difference of shape, size, and leaves.
2. Discuss the life cycle of plants. This includes
the steps of growing the roots, stems,
leaves, and flowers, reproduction, and
death.
3. Explain to students that they will be growing
another plant in the classroom, and they will
be able to write down and show the steps of
these plants life cycles. Give the students a
plastic bag, bean seed, paper towel, and a
piece of tape.
4. Have students wet their paper towels and
place their bean inside of the paper towel.
Have them put the paper towel and bean in
the bag and then tape the bag onto a
window that is exposed to sunlight. Students
will check the bag each day to make sure
that the towel is still wet and observe the
changes in their beans.

Method of
Evaluation
Possible
Extensions to the
Lesson
Discussion and
Reflection

Unit
Lesson or Topic
Grade Level
Key Question
Focus
Standards (List
both math and
science if both are
incorporated into
the lesson
Processes
Materials
Background
Information

5. Allow a couple minutes of each class for

students to observe their bag and note
down the changes of their beans in their
science journals. Their observations might
include a growth of roots, stem, and maybe
leaves.
6. Make sure that the students are drawing
pictures in their journals of what they see
and that they are keeping the steps in order.
Examine the students science journal to make
sure they are accurately drawing their
observations of their bean plants.
Have students make a foldable with the steps of
the plant life cycle. Hang the foldables in the
hallway to show to the rest of the school.
Discussion will take place for about 5 minutes at
the end of this lesson. Discussion will also occur
throughout the days that the students are
observing their bean plants in the bags.

Day 4
Life Processes
Offspring
Kindergarten
What is offspring? What do certain animals
offspring look like?
Offspring is a key part of life processes because,
new plants and animals keep the life cycle going.
Science: K.1, K.7, K.9, and K.10

Comparing and Contrasting, Observing, Drawing

Conclusions
Magazine about baby animals
Pictures of baby animals with their parents
Pictures of baby plants with older plants
Teacher should have a good knowledge of plant
and animal offspring. Students should have prior

Management

Procedure

Method of
Evaluation
Possible
Extensions to the
Lesson
Discussion and
Reflection

knowledge on what a plant and animal is and their

differences.
Lesson will take 35 minutes, 5 lessons in this unit,
35 minutes per lesson. Students will be located in
the classroom for this lesson. Materials will be
provided by the teacher.
1. Ask students How are you and your parents
alike? They might suggest ways such as
eye color, height, personality, etc. Then
switch to asking the students How are you
different from your parents? Then ask them
to discuss how they are different from their
brothers and sisters.
2. Show a few pictures from a magazine with
baby animals and their parents. As you
show the pictures have the students discuss
how the babies are alike and different from
their parents. Ex: Size, Color, Shape
3. Give each student a picture of either a baby
animal/plant or an adult animal/plant. Have
students walk around the room and try to
match their baby animal with the adult
animal. Once they have matched, have the
pairs discuss how their baby animal/plant
has changed since it grew into an adult.
Repeat this process two or three times
allowing the students to switch
animals/plants to observe the similarities
and differences.
4. Create a large chart for the students to
separate animals into ones that look like
their parents and ones that do not look like
their parents.
Have students match baby animals with their
adult counterpart, use pictures and glue.
Hang the large chart, that you and the students
made in class, in the hallway. Allow students to
take pictures of their animals at home and place
them in the correct category of the chart
throughout the next couple of days.
Reflection will occur the last couple minutes of
class. We will review this topic for the first couple
minutes of the next class in order to make sure
students are learning and retaining information.

Day 5
Unit
Lesson or Topic
Grade Level
Key Question
Focus
Standards (List
both math and
science if both are
incorporated into
the lesson
Processes
Materials

Background
Information
Management

Procedure

Life Processes
Habitats
Kindergarten
What is a habitat? What consists in a habitat?
Habitats are important because they are where
the animal/animal lives. The habitat must have
what the animals/plants need to survive.
Science: K.1, K.6, and K.7

Analyzing, Observing, Constructing

Animal Toys
Shoe box
Various items (cotton balls, construction paper,
markers, pens, confetti, cut out shapes, etc..)
Teacher should have a good knowledge on
animal/plant habitats. Students should know the
difference between a plant and an animal and
each of their basic needs.
Lesson will take 35 minutes, 5 lessons in this unit,
35 minutes per lesson. Students will be located in
the classroom for this lesson. Materials will be
provided by the teacher.
1. Write the word Habitat on the board. Tell the
students that a habitat is where animals/plants
live and their surroundings. Tell the students
that these habitats contain all the basic needs
that the plants/animals need to survive.
Review with the students and ask them what
plants and animals need to survive.
2. Show a picture of a lion, ask the students
various questions on where the lion might live,
and what is in the place it lives. Emphasize
that this place is the lions habitat. Do the same
with a cactus picture and have the students
tell you about the cactus habitat.
3. Tell students they will create their own habitat
for an animal in their shoe boxes. Pass out a
toy animal to each student, separate the
materials evenly throughout the tables so each
student have the same materials to use.
4. Tell the students to create an appropriate

Method of
Evaluation
Possible
Extensions to the
Lesson
Discussion and
Reflection

habitat for the animal they have gotten. Tell

them they should have the basic needs of the
animal in their habitat: food/water, shelter,
space, etc..)
5. As the students are working go around and ask
them questions about their habitat. If they are
leaving out something make sure to draw it to
their attention, but let them make the decision
themselves.
6. Once students have finished have them
present their shoebox to the class and tell their
animal and what they put in its habitat and
why.
The shoebox will show that students have a good
knowledge of animals and their habitats and basic
needs if they have done them correctly.
Present the shoeboxes in the front of the school,
have the students create the sign that says
habitats.
Reflection will occur when the students are
discussing their habitats at the end of the lesson.
We will review the topic of habitats again the next
class period.