Elementary Level: Basic Needs of Living Things
Mid Level: Photosynthesis – How Plants Make Food
High Level: Levels of Organization in Living Things

Elementary Level (Kinder to Grade 2)

Subject: Basic Needs of Living Things

Alignment with Standards:

• NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards):
  • 1-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
  • 1-LS1-2: Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS):
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

1. Identify the four basic needs of living things (food, water, air, and shelter).
2. Differentiate between the needs of plants and animals.
3. Create a “Needs Chart” to compare the survival needs of plants and animals.

Materials

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers, crayons, or colored pencils
• Printed images or real-life examples of plants and animals
• Scissors, glue, and construction paper
• Book: Living or Nonliving? by Carol Lindeen (optional)
• Worksheet: “Basic Needs of Living Things” (teacher-made or online resource)

Lesson Activities

1. Introduction (10 minutes)

Discussion Questions:

• What do you think all living things need to stay alive?
• Do plants and animals need the same things?

Explanation:

• Introduce the four basic needs: food, water, air, and shelter.
• Show pictures of different animals and plants and ask children what they think each one needs to survive.
• Read a short section from Living or Nonliving? to reinforce the concept.

2. Group Activity: “Needs Chart” (15 minutes)

• Step 1: Divide a large sheet of paper into two columns: “Plants” and “Animals.”
• Step 2: Have children draw, cut out, or glue pictures of animals and plants under the correct column.
• Step 3: Label each picture with what it needs to survive (e.g., “dog – food, water, air, shelter”; “tree – sunlight, water, air, soil”).

3. Hands-On Activity: Plant a Seed (10 minutes)

• Give each child a small cup with soil and a seed.
• Ask them what their plant will need to grow.
• Have them water the seed and place it in a sunny spot.
• Discuss how plants need sunlight, water, and air to survive.

4. Wrap-Up & Reflection (10 minutes)

• Ask children:
  • What would happen if a living thing didn’t have food, water, air, or shelter?
  • How do humans make sure their pets have everything they need?
• Have children share their “Needs Chart” with a family member and explain what they learned.
• End with a fun song or video about the needs of living things (such as “Needs of a Plant” by Jack Hartmann on YouTube).

Assessment

✅ Observation: Teacher monitors participation and engagement.
✅ Worksheet Completion: children complete a worksheet identifying the four basic needs.
✅ Exit Question: Each child shares one thing they learned about living things.

Mid Level (Grade 3 to 5)

Subject: Photosynthesis – How Plants Make Food

Alignment with Standards:

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

• 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
• 4-PS3-4: Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts energy from one form to another.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.3: Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a scientific text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

1. Define photosynthesis and explain why it is essential for plants.
2. Identify the key ingredients needed for photosynthesis: sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
3. Demonstrate the process of photosynthesis through a simple leaf and sunlight experiment.
4. Draw and label a diagram of the photosynthesis process.

Materials

• Fresh green leaves (from a tree or plant)
• Clear glass or plastic container
• Water
• A sunny window or outdoor space
• Science journal or notebook
• Colored pencils or markers
• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Printed or digital photosynthesis diagram
• Book: The Magic School Bus Gets Planted: A Book About Photosynthesis by Joanna Cole (optional)

Lesson Activities

1. Introduction (10 minutes) – What is Photosynthesis?

Discussion Questions:

• How do plants make their own food?
• What do you think plants need to survive?
• Have you ever noticed how plants grow better in the sunlight?

Explanation:

• Introduce photosynthesis as the process by which plants make their own food.
• Explain that plants take in carbon dioxide from the air, water from the soil, and use sunlight to turn these into glucose (food) and oxygen.
• Show a simple photosynthesis diagram and break it down into three key components:
  1. Sunlight (energy from the sun)
  2. Water (absorbed by roots)
  3. Carbon dioxide (absorbed through leaves)

2. Experiment: Observing Oxygen Bubbles from a Leaf (20 minutes)

Purpose: This experiment demonstrates that plants produce oxygen during photosynthesis.

Steps:

1. Fill a clear glass or plastic container with water.
2. Take a fresh green leaf and place it inside the container.
3. Set the container in a sunny window or outside.
4. Observe what happens over the next 15–20 minutes.
5. Children should notice tiny bubbles forming on the surface of the leaf – this is oxygen being released!

Discussion:

• What do the bubbles tell us about photosynthesis?
• What do plants do with the oxygen they release?
• How would the experiment change if placed in a dark room instead?

3. Draw & Label the Photosynthesis Process (15 minutes)

• Give children a blank piece of paper and ask them to draw a plant with the sun shining on it.
• Have them add arrows and labels for:
  • Sunlight (from the sun)
  • Water (from the roots)
  • Carbon dioxide (from the air)
  • Glucose (food) made by the plant
  • Oxygen released into the air
• Encourage them to use colors and be creative!

4. Wrap-Up & Reflection (15 minutes)

• Have children write a short paragraph in their science journal explaining what they learned.
• Ask:
  • Why is photosynthesis important for humans and animals?
  • What would happen if plants couldn’t make food?
• Discuss real-world connections, such as how the Amazon Rainforest is called the “lungs of the Earth” because it produces so much oxygen.

Assessment

✅ Observation: Your Child participation in discussions and activities.
✅ Drawing & Labeling: Accuracy of photosynthesis diagram.
✅ Science Journal Entry: A paragraph explaining the experiment and the role of photosynthesis.
✅ Exit Question: “Why do plants need sunlight to make food?”

High Level (Grade 6 to 8)

Image credit: modified from Types of tissues: Figure 1 by OpenStax College, Anatomy & Physiology, CC BY 3.0

Subject: Levels of Organization in Living Things

Standards

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

• MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
• MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways that parts of cells contribute to the function.

Common Core State Standards (CCSS)

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.7.3: Analyze the interactions between individuals, events, and ideas in a text.
• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

1. Define and describe the five levels of organization in living things: cells, tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms.
2. Explain how cells work together to form more complex structures.
3. Create a labeled diagram showing the levels of organization in the human body or an animal of choice.

Materials

• Chart paper or whiteboard
• Markers, colored pencils, or crayons
• Printed worksheets with diagrams of body systems
• Microscope (optional)
• Prepared microscope slides of cells and tissues (optional)
• Science journal or notebook
• Reference book: Inside the Human Body by Joanna Cole (optional)

Lesson Activities

1. Introduction (10 minutes) – What Makes Up a Living Thing?

Discussion Questions:

• What do you think is the smallest part of your body?
• How do small parts come together to form bigger systems?
• Can a single cell work on its own?

Explanation:

• Introduce the five levels of organization:
  1. Cells – The basic unit of life (e.g., muscle cell, nerve cell).
  2. Tissues – Groups of similar cells that work together (e.g., muscle tissue, nerve tissue).
  3. Organs – Structures made of different tissues that perform a specific function (e.g., heart, lungs).
  4. Organ Systems – Groups of organs working together (e.g., circulatory system, digestive system).
  5. Organism – A complete living thing (e.g., a human, a dog, a tree).

2. Visualizing the Levels: Build a Diagram (20 minutes)

Step 1:

• Draw a large outline of a human body (or an animal of choice) on chart paper.
• Label sections where different organs and systems are found.

Step 2:

• Inside the body outline, start small with cells and show how they combine to form tissues.
• Layer in organs, followed by organ systems, and complete with the whole organism.

Step 3:

• Use colored pencils to distinguish different systems (e.g., red for the circulatory system, blue for the nervous system).

3. Hands-On Exploration (15 minutes) – Microscope Observation (Optional)

• If available, provide prepared slides of cells (e.g., cheek cells, onion skin cells).
• Have children observe through a microscope and describe what they see.
• Ask: How do these tiny cells form larger tissues and organs?

4. Wrap-Up & Reflection (15 minutes)

• Have children write a short paragraph in their science journal explaining the five levels of organization.
• Ask:
  • Why do cells need to work together?
  • What would happen if an organ system stopped working?
• Discuss how this organization is found in all living things, from simple organisms (like bacteria) to complex ones (like humans).

Assessment

✅ Observation: Your Child participation in discussion and activities.
✅ Diagram Completion: Accuracy in drawing and labeling the levels of organization.
✅ Science Journal Entry: A paragraph explaining the concept.
✅ Exit Question: “What is the relationship between cells and an organism?”