Structure, Function, & Information Processing

Unit description:  Students explore how plant and animal structures are used to help them survive, how they are similar and different. They learn how these structures are used to communicate between parents and offspring to help with survival.  Students learn how young plants and animals can look similar to their parents, but also can vary in many ways. 

Download the complete Grade 1 Science Unit 3 framework to customize for your own planning.

Essential Questions and Big Ideas

How do plants and animals use their body parts to survive?

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow. (1-LS1-1)

How do plants and animals survive when they are young?

• • Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive. (1-LS1-2)
  • Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs. (1-LS1-1)

Why do some animals or plants look similar to, but not exactly like their parents?

• • Some young animals are similar to, but not exactly, like their parents. Some young plants are also similar to, but not exactly, like their parents. (1-LS3-1)
  • Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways. (1-LS3-1)

Prerequisite Skills/Science & Engineering Practices

Use materials to design a solution to a problem, read texts and use media to determine patterns, make observations to construct an evidence-based explanation.