Materials & Prep
Prepare picture cards showing a child, a plant, water, air, sunlight, food, soil, a safe place, a toy, and a book. Post two large labels: “Living things need to survive” and “Helpful but not needed to stay alive.” No special technology is needed.
Gather and notice
Show a picture of a child and ask, “What does this child need to stay alive?” Accept gestures, home-language thinking, single words, or drawings. Invite students to show water by pretending to drink and air by taking a breath. Record their ideas with simple drawings.
ConnectSay, “You named things your body needs. These are needs. A need is something living things must have to stay alive. Today we will find out what plants and animals need.” Show a picture of a healthy plant and a wilted plant. Ask, “What do you notice? What might the plant need?” Let students first talk with a partner. Do not correct predictions yet.
Show and think together
ModelPlace the child picture beside water, air, food, and a safe place. Think aloud: “A child needs water. A child needs air. A child needs food for energy. A child needs a safe place. These help the child stay alive.” Place a toy beside the “Helpful but not needed” label and say, “A toy can be fun, but the child does not need it to stay alive.”
ConfrontReturn to the plant prediction. Hold up a food picture and ask, “Does a plant eat a sandwich like a person?” Have students signal yes or no, then explain: “Plants need food for energy, but they do not eat sandwiches. Plants make their own food in their leaves using sunlight, water, and air. Soil can help provide water and minerals, but soil is not the plant’s food.” Use a hand gesture for sunlight shining down and point to the plant’s leaves.
Check for understandingShow one card at a time: water, sunlight, toy, air, and food. Students point to the “need” label or the “helpful” label. Ask two students, “How does this help a plant or animal survive?” Listen for “Plants use sunlight to make food” and “Animals eat food for energy.” Rephrase answers clearly without lowering the science thinking.
Sort and talk with a partner
Center: Give each pair a child card, a plant card, and the need cards. Each card shows what it represents: water, air, sunlight, food, soil, safe place, toy, or book. Partners place each card with the plant, the child, or the “Helpful but not needed” label. They may place a card with both living things when it fits.
Partner talk: Students use the frames, “A needs to survive,” and “A plant gets food by .” They may rehearse in their home language before sharing in English. Accept pointing, gestures, drawing, or a one-word answer.
CirculateAsk, “What is your evidence from the picture or our model?” Watch for students placing soil as food. Ask, “What does soil give the plant? What does the plant make in its leaves?” Guide them to water and minerals from soil, and food made in leaves.
ExtensionAsk ready pairs to compare the child and plant: “What do both need? What does a plant do differently from an animal to get food?” Look for “Both need air and water” and “Plants make food; animals eat food.”
Come back together
ShareInvite pairs to hold up one need card and complete, “Living things need to survive because .” Choose one plant example and one animal example. Students may answer orally, point to the matching card, or use the sentence frame with a partner.
Check for understandingShow a plant card and an animal card. Ask students to name or point to two needs for each. Then ask, “A plant needs food. Does it eat a sandwich? How does it get food?” The closing response should show that students can describe basic survival needs and explain that plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and air.