Grade 1- Understanding Life Systems: Needs and Characteristics of Living Things
Overall Expectations
Investigate needs and characteristics of plants and animals, including humans;
Demonstrate an understanding of the basic needs and characteristics of plants and animals,
including humans
Assess the role of humans in maintaining a healthy environment;
Instructional Strategies
K-W-L Chart: What do living things (plants and humans) need to survive?
Cut and paste activity: Life Cycle of a Bean
Experiment: Grow bean seeds with/without sunlight, water, soil, etc.
Think-Pair-Share: Which bean seed will grow the quickest/slowest/not at all? Why?
Journal the different seeds progress
Use tech (ipads) to photograph daily progress.
Animals vs Humans vs Plants Comparison Chart: What do they need to live? How are they different/similar?
Take a nature walk: Discuss what we see, what things are living, how do we know their living?
Trip to Kortright Conservation Centre
Label Parts of a Bean Plant
Discuss 5 Sense-Label Human Body
Create 3-D Diorama
Assessments
Observations
Anecdotal Notes
Class Discussions
Projects
Experiment/Plant Journals
Rubrics
Questioning
Topics/Big Ideas
Plants and animals, including people, are living things.
Living things have basic needs (air, water, food, and shelter) that are met from the environment.
Living things grow, take in food to create energy, make waste, and reproduce.
Different kinds of living things behave in different ways
All living things are important and should be treated with care and respect.
Resources
Worksheets
Label Parts of a Bean Plant
Label Parts of the Body: 5 Senses
Life Cycle of a Bean Cut and paste
Technology
Ipads
Youtube
Life Cycle of a Butterfly-Cut and paste
Life Cycle of a Butterfly Cut and paste
Google Search animals/plants of interest
Books
The Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
My Five Senses by Aliki
Why Should I Protect Nature?
The Amazing Life Cycle of Plants by Kay Barnham
Living Things by Melvin and Glida Berger
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle