Have you ever wondered what kinds of plants and animals live near you or in places different from where you live? In this unit, students begin by noticing and wondering about different kinds of places, including their own schoolyard and national parks in different regions of the United States, and the plants and animals that live there. Students use a website to obtain information from texts and media to observe patterns in the shapes and kinds of land and water in different national parks and develop maps to compare how they are similar and different. Students then make first-hand observations of plants and animals that live in their school and community, and media-based observations of plants and animals that live on land and in water in the national parks. Finally, students present their findings about the plants and animals that live in the national parks to compare the kinds of plants and animals that live on land and in water in different places.

• Lesson Set 1: How are places where plants and animals live similar and different?

Lesson Set 2: What kinds of plants and animals live in different places?