Module Description & Pacing Guide

This module engages students with the anchor phenomenon that young plants and animals (offspring) have structures and behaviors that help them grow and survive. The driving question for the module is how do young plants and animals survive in their habitat? Students observe firsthand 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 young plants grow, and compare classroom plants to those in the schoolyard. They design terrariums (habitat systems) and provide for the needs of both plants and animals living together in the classroom.

Students explore the phenomenon of variation in the same kind of organism, including variation between young and adults. They learn about the behaviors of parents to help their young (offspring) survive. And they explore structure and function relationships as they sort different kinds of animal and plant structures. They use that understanding of structure and function, including animal sensory structures, to invent solutions to human problems.

Throughout the Plants and Animals Module, students engage in science and engineering practices by collecting and interpreting data to build explanations and designing and using tools to answer questions. Students gain experiences that will contribute to the understanding of the crosscutting concepts of patterns; cause and effect; systems and system models; and structure and function.