Kindergarten: Plants and Animals Unit
A 5-week exploration of how plants and animals make a difference to our world
Unit Overview
This Plants and Animals unit introduces kindergarten students to the fascinating world of living things and their importance in our lives. Through hands-on activities, observations, and explorations, students will develop an understanding of different plants and animals, their needs for survival, their habitats, and how they can change their environments.
The unit integrates science, language arts, mathematics, art, and social-emotional learning while building critical thinking skills and curiosity about the natural world.
Essential Questions
- How do plants and animals make a difference to me?
- What do plants and animals need to survive?
- Where do plants and animals live and why do they live there?
- Can plants and animals change the place where they live?
- Can we do some things so the environment is not changed so much by humans?
Unit Description
The Plants and Animals unit is designed to engage kindergarten students in observing, describing, and understanding the living things around them. Through a variety of hands-on activities, children will explore different types of plants and animals, their needs for survival, their habitats, and how they interact with their environments.
Unit Structure
This unit is organized into five thematic weeks:
Week 1
Plants and Animals in Our Lives
How plants and animals make a difference to me
Week 2
Survival Needs
What plants and animals need to survive
Week 3
Habitats
Where plants and animals live and why
Week 4
Changing Environments
How plants and animals change their environments
Week 5
Environmental Stewardship
Reducing human impact on the environment
Each week includes daily lesson plans, featured activities, recommended children's literature, and cross-curricular connections to provide a comprehensive learning experience.
Weekly Overview
Week 1: Plants and Animals in Our Lives
How plants and animals make a difference to me
Students begin their exploration by learning about the importance of plants and animals in their daily lives, distinguishing between living and non-living things, and understanding that humans are animals too.
Week 2: Survival Needs
What plants and animals need to survive
Students explore what it means to survive and investigate the basic needs of plants and animals, including water, light, food, and shelter through hands-on experiments and activities.
Week 3: Habitats
Where plants and animals live and why
Students learn about different habitats and why specific plants and animals live in certain places, exploring how plants and animals depend on each other and their environment.
Week 4: Changing Environments
How plants and animals change their environments
Students discover how plants and animals (including humans) can change their environments to meet their needs, and learn to identify evidence of these changes.
Week 5: Environmental Stewardship
Reducing human impact on the environment
Students learn how human activities affect the environment and explore ways they can help reduce their impact on the land, water, air, and other living things.
Teaching Tips
- Create a nature corner: Designate an area in your classroom for plant and animal specimens, books, and observation tools.
- Plant helpers: Assign daily helpers who assist with watering classroom plants and recording observations.
- Movement breaks: Incorporate plant and animal-themed movements (growing like a plant, moving like different animals) for transitions.
- Connect to literature: Use a variety of plant and animal-themed books to reinforce concepts across the curriculum.
- Family connections: Send home plant and animal observation activities for families to do together.
Resource Library
Books for Plants and Animals Unit
- "The Tiny Seed" by Eric Carle
- "From Seed to Plant" by Gail Gibbons
- "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle
- "Animals and Their Homes" by Pamela Hickman
- "The Earth Book" by Todd Parr