GRADES 1–2
OVERVIEW
PLANTS AND ANIMALS
CONTENT GOALS
The Plants and Animals Module provides experiences that heighten
young students’ awareness of the different ways that plants and
animals meet their needs. Students care for plants to learn what they
need to grow and develop. They observe the structures of plants and
discover ways to propagate new plants from mature plants (from
seeds, bulbs, roots, and stem cuttings). They observe and describe
changes that occur as plants grow, and organize their observations on
a calendar and in a notebook. They build a terrarium and provide for
the needs of both plants and animals living together in a classroom
habitat. They read about and view photographs and videos of plants
and animals living in different habitats.
FOSS EXPECTS STUDENTS TO
•
Develop a curiosity and interest in plants as living things.
•
Provide for the needs of growing plants and animals.
•
Observe and describe the changes that occur as plants grow
and develop.
OVERVIEW CONTENTS
•
Become familiar with the structures and functions of
flowering plants (root, stem, leaf).
Content Goals
1
FOSS and National Standards
2
•
Discover various ways that new plants can develop from
mature plants.
Plants and Animals
Module Matrix
4
•
Compare the basic needs of common plants and animals.
•
Experience some of the diversity of forms in the plant and
animal kingdoms and become aware of features that help
plants and animals thrive in different habitats.
•
Learn that some animals eat plants, and others use them for
shelter and nesting.
6
FOSS Components
11
FOSS Teacher Guide
Organization
13
FOSS Investigation
Organization
14
Science for Young Children
16
•
Compare structure and function of different animals’ teeth.
Assessing Progress
22
•
Organize and communicate observations through drawing
and writing.
FOSS for All Students
23
Safety in the Classroom
25
•
Acquire the vocabulary associated with the structures,
needs, and habitats of plants and animals.
Connecting the Experience
26
Organizing the Classroom
28
•
Draw pictures that portray features of objects.
Scheduling the Module
30
•
Record observations and data with pictures, numbers, and
words.
FOSS K–8 Scope and Sequence 32
MAGNETISM
ELECTRICITY
PLANTS ANDAND
ANIMALS
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Science Background
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PLANTS AND ANIMALS OVERVIEW
FOSS AND NATIONAL STANDARDS
The Plants and Animals Module emphasizes the development of
observation and description skills and building explanations based
on experience. This module supports the following National Science
Education Standards.*
SCIENCE AS INQUIRY
Develop students’ abilities to do scientific inquiry.
•
Ask and answer questions.
•
Plan and conduct simple investigations.
•
Employ tools and techniques to gather data.
•
Use data to construct reasonable explanations.
•
Communicate investigations and explanations.
•
Understand that scientists use different kinds of
investigations and tools to develop explanations using
evidence and knowledge.
CONTENT: LIFE SCIENCE
Develop students’ understanding of the characteristics of organisms.
•
Organisms have basic needs. For example, animals need air,
water, and food; plants require water, nutrients, light, and
air.
•
The world has many different environments, and distinct
environments support the life of different types of plants.
•
Each plant or animal has different structures that serve
different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
Develop students’ understanding of the life cycle of organisms.
•
Plants have life cycles that may include sprouting; growing
leaves, flowers, and seeds; and eventually dying. New
plants from the same seeds, stems, or bulbs closely resemble
their parents.
*National Science Education Standards (Washington DC: National
Academy Press, 1996).
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EARTH
MATERIALS
FULL
OPTION
SCIENCE SYSTEM
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Develop students’ understanding of organisms and their
environments.
•
All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants for
food. Other animals eat animals that eat plants.
•
All organisms cause changes in the environment where they
live.
•
The availability of nutrients, light, and water influences the
growth of plants.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Develop students’ understanding about science and technology.
•
Scientists work collaboratively in teams and use tools and
scientific techniques to make better observations.
MAGNETISM
ELECTRICITY
PLANTS ANDAND
ANIMALS
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PLANTS AND ANIMALS MODULE MATRIX
SYNOPSIS
1. GRASS AND GRAIN SEEDS
Students plant miniature lawns
with rye grass and alfalfa. They
mow the lawns and observe the
response of grass and alfalfa to
cutting. They plant individual
wheat seeds in clear straws and
observe how seeds germinate and
grow. They read about and view a
video on how plants grow.
CONCEPTS
THINKING PROCESSES
• Seeds are alive.
• Seeds need water and light to grow
into new plants.
• Some plants die and some plants
continue to grow after they are
mowed.
• Plants have different structures that
function in growth and survival.
• Wheat and other cereals that we eat
come from seeds called grains.
• Observe plant development.
• New plants can grow from stems of
mature plants.
• Observe the development of roots
on stems.
• Plants need water and light to grow.
• Record and communicate
observations in words and
drawings.
• Record and communicate
observations in words and drawings.
• Compare the development of
different kinds of plants.
• Compare the development of wheat
shoots and roots using a bar graph.
• Organize representations of lawns
to show the sequence of events
during growth and mowing.
2. STEMS
Students make new plants from stems
of houseplants. They put sections
of stems into water and look for
evidence that a new plant is forming.
Stem pieces that develop roots are
planted to make new plants. Students
plant pieces of potatoes (modified
stems) and observe them grow. They
learn about how plants make food.
Students read about seed dispersal.
• Leaves, twigs, and roots
develop on stems at the nodes.
• Potatoes are underground stems.
• Seeds have structures to help them
travel to new locations to grow.
• Plants make their own food, using
sunlight.
• Compare the development of
cuttings from different plants.
• Identify evidence that a cutting will
develop into a new plant.
3. TERRARIUMS
Students set up terrariums using
seeds and plants from Investigations
1 and 2. They add local animals
such as snails, isopods, and worms
and provide for the needs of the
plants and animals. They learn
about other animals and plants
through readings and multimedia.
• A terrarium is a place where plants
and animals live in soil.
• A habitat is a place where plants
and animals live. There are many
different kinds of habitats.
• Plants and animals have structures
and animals have behaviors that
help them live in their habitat.
• Changes in a terrarium happen over
time and can be recorded.
4. BULBS AND ROOTS
Students plant onion bulbs or garlic
cloves in moist cotton and observe
as they develop into new plants.
They plant parts of roots—carrots and
radishes—to discover which parts will
develop into new plants. Through a
reading, they learn about the shape
and functions of different kinds of
teeth, and use their own teeth to eat
a carrot.
4
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• Bulbs are alive.
• Bulbs need water to start growing.
• Observe plant development and
animal behavior in a habitat.
• Record and communicate
observations in words and drawings.
• Compare the development of
different kinds of plants and
behaviors of animals when living
together in a habitat.
• Organize and compare maps of a
terrarium to show the sequence of
changes over time.
• Observe the growth of roots and
bulbs.
• Animals eat plants.
• Record and communicate
observations in words and
drawings.
• Animal teeth come in different
shapes and sizes and are used to
capture and eat different kinds of
food.
• Compare the shape and size of
animal teeth to the food they eat.
• Parts of roots will grow into new
plants. Other parts will not.
• Compare the development of
different parts of plants.
• Observe and compare human teeth.
FULL OPTION SCIENCE SYSTEM
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LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
• FOSS Science Resources: Plants and
Animals, “What Do Plants Need?”
and “The Story of Wheat”
• Science Notebook: Students draw and
write about seed and plant growth.
They draw and label using numbers
and words.
• FOSS Science Resources: Plants and
Animals, “How Seeds Travel”
• Science Notebook: Students draw
changes in the stem cuttings and
caption their drawings. They write
about how seeds travel.
• FOSS Science Resources: Plants and
Animals, “What Do Animals Need?”
and “Plants and Animals around the
World”
• Science Notebook: Students draw a
map showing the locations of plants
in their terrarium. They record
changes over time.
EXTENSIONS
Language: Write directions for
growing plants.
Preassessment (optional)
Teacher Observation/Notebook Sheet
Math: Problem A: Sort seeds by their
properties. Problem B: Explore
symmetry of leaves and flowers.
• Observes that some plants grow
back if they are cut.
Home/School: Look for examples of
grains at home and explore their uses.
• Science Notebook: Students draw
and label their growing bulb.
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• Compares leaves and roots
and explains why they grow in
predictable directions.
Language: Write what life is like in the Teacher Observation/Notebook Sheet
terrarium if you were a plant or worm. • Builds a terrarium and knows
Make a poster about your terrarium
what plants and animals need to
and tell others about it.
live in it.
Math: Problem A: How many plants
• Maps locations of seeds and plants
did Amelio have in his terrarium?
in the terrarium and records
Problem B: What are different ways 20
changes over time.
worms can be sorted into 4 terrariums? • Matches plants and animals to their
Language: Illustrate homonyms such
as eyes on potatoes and eyes on your
head.
Math: Problem A: How many bulbs
did Jeremy have blooming in the
spring? Problem B: How many garlic
bulbs will Letitia be able to plant next
year?
Home/School: Listen to the
beginning of a story and write an
ending.
PLANTS AND ANIMALS
• Sequences drawings of
observations.
Teacher Observation/Notebook Sheet
Math: Problem A: How many new
potatoes did Jia grow? Problem B:
• Makes accurate observations and
describes them in drawings and
How many new plants did your class
with words.
grow? How much did your class make
• Compares the structures of potato
if you sold each plant for a quarter?
plants to other plants they have
Home/School: Look for examples of
grown.
edible stems at the grocery store.
Home/School: Make a plastic-bottle
terrarium to grow plants at home.
• FOSS Science Resources: Plants and
Animals, “Animal Teeth”
ASSESSMENT
habitat, based on their structures
and behaviors.
Teacher Observation/Notebook Sheet
• Accurately records observations.
• Demonstrates a basic
understanding of the needs of
plants and can name structures and
functions.
End-of-Module Assessment
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