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Animal Needs

Animal Needs

TEKS Objective

Students learn and identify that animals need air, water, food and a place to be by observing and comparing candy “gummy worms” to live worms, and building worm habitats.


Essential Understanding

The student knows that living organisms have basic needs that must be met for them to survive within their environment.

Science Background

Wildlife’s Requirements for Survival: Texas Parks and Wildlife (PDF) - Learn about the three basic needs of animals (food, water and shelter) and how to provide them when setting up backyard animal stations.

Wildlife’s Requirements for Survival
Texas Parks and Wildlife, www.tpwd.state.tx.us

What’s It Like Where You Live: Missouri Botanical Garden (website) - Interactive website, appropriate for teachers and students, with information about the world’s major biomes and types of ecosystems.

What’s It Like Where You Live
Missouri Botanical Garden, mbgnet.net

Aquatic Habitats, Homes for Aquatic Animals: Virginia Cooperative Extension (website) - Definitions and descriptions of many different aquatic habitats, with links to additional resources.

Aquatic Habitats, Homes for Aquatic Animals
Virginia Cooperative Extension, Publications and Educational Resources, pubs.ext.vt.edu

Signature Lesson

Animals’ Needs: BioEd Online (website) - Students learn that animals need air, water, food and a place to be by observing and comparing candy “gummy worms” to live worms, and building worm habitats.

Animals’ Needs
BioEd Online, www.bioedonline.org

Supporting Lessons

A Place to Be: BioEd Online (website) - All living things need a place to live and grow. In this activity, students learn and identify the basic needs of plants and animals, including shelter, or a place to be.

A Place to Be
BioEd Online, www.bioedonline.org

The Needs of Animals: Learn NC (website) - Students examine photographs of various farm animals, build an basic understanding of the needs of animals, and begin to learn that the animals’ needs have remained the same in different times.

The Needs of Animals
Learn NC, www.learnnc.org

What Animals Need to Live: Penn State University (website) - Students name the four things animals need to survive; define herbivore, carnivore, and omnivore; and understand the concept of an animal’s habitat.

What Animals Need to Live
Penn State University, School for Forest Resources, sfr.psu.edu

Elaboration Lessons and Extensions

Plant or Animal? BioEd Online (website) - Students learn about and compare the needs of two important groups of living things, plants and animals.

Plant or Animal?
BioEd Online, www.bioedonline.org

Exploring the Basic Needs of Animals: Lessons Alive (PDF) - Students learn that most living things have basic needs (air, food, water and shelter), identify the ways in which an animal’s habitat supports those needs, and observe the characteristics and behaviors of animals.

Exploring the Basic Needs of Animals
Lessons Alive, Agency for Instructional Technology, www.ait.net

What Animals Need: National Geographic (PDF) - Many young students do not have the background knowledge or oral/written communication skills needed for academic success. This interdisciplinary unit enables students to practice and improve their language skills while learning the basic needs of animals and guidelines for pet care.

What Animals Need
National Geographic Cengage Learning, www.ngsp.com

Assessment Ideas

Have each student draw a picture of his/her favorite animal and list or verbally describe its basic needs, including food, water and shelter.

Literature Connections

Basic Needs. Feldman, Jean (ISBN-13: 978-1615902132)

Animal Needs. Barraclough, Sue (ISBN-13: 978-1432914035)

Love Your World. Sirett, Dawn (ISBN-13: 978-0756645908)

Birds Build Nests. Winer, Yvonne (ISBN-13: 978-1570915017)

Living Things Need Food. Pigdon, Keith (ISBN-13: 978-0792243120)

Living Things Need Water. Street, Sharon (ISBN-13: 978-0792292111)

Related Science TEKS

(2.1A) Science Safety
The student is expected to identify and demonstrate safe practices as described in the Texas Safety Standards during classroom and outdoor investigations, including wearing safety goggles, washing hands, and using materials appropriately.

(2.1B) Importance of Safe Practices
The student is expected to describe the importance of safe practices.

(2.2A) Ask Questions
The student is expected to ask questions about organisms, objects, and events during observations and investigations.

(2.2B) Plan and Conduct Descriptive Investigation
The student is expected to plan and conduct descriptive investigations such as how organisms grow.

(2.2C) Collect Data
The student is expected to collect data from observations using simple equipment such as hand lenses, primary balances, thermometers, and non-standard measurement tools.

(2.2D) Record and Organize Data & Observations
The student is expected to record and organize data using pictures, numbers, and words.

(2.2E) Communicate and Justify Explanations
The student is expected to communicate observations and justify explanations using student-generated data from simple descriptive investigations.

(2.2F) Comparing Results of Investigations
The student is expected to compare results of investigations with what students and scientists know about the world.

(2.3A) Identify, Explain and Propose a Solution to a Problem
The student is expected to identify and explain a problem in his/her own words and propose a task and solution for the problem such as lack of water in a habitat.

(2.3B) Make Predictions
The student is expected to make predictions based on observable patterns.

(2.3C) Explore Scientists
The student is expected to identify what a scientist is and explore what different scientists do.

(2.4A) Tools for Collecting and Analyzing Information
The student is expected to collect, record, and compare information using tools, including computers, hand lenses, rulers, primary balances, plastic beakers, magnets, collecting nets, notebooks, and safety goggles; timing devices, including clocks and stopwatches; weather instruments such as thermometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges; and materials to support observations of habitats of organisms such as terrariums and aquariums.

Related Math TEKS

2.11A  The student is expected to construct picture graphs and bar-type graphs.

2.11B   The student is expected to draw conclusions and answer questions based on picture graphs and bar-type graphs.

2.12B   The student is expected to solve problems with guidance that incorporates the processes of understanding the problem, making a plan, carrying out the plan, and evaluating the solution for reasonableness.

2.12C   The student is expected to select or develop an appropriate problem-solving plan or strategy including drawing a picture, looking for a pattern, systematic guessing and checking, or acting it out in order to solve a problem.

2.12D  The student is expected to use tools such as real objects, manipulatives, and technology to solve problems.

2.13A  The student is expected to explain and record observations using objects, words, pictures, numbers, and technology.

Additional Resources

Wild or Tame? The Humane Society of the United States (PDF) - Students learn to differentiate between wild and domestic animals, and are able illustrate the different ways their needs are met.

Wild or Tame?
The Humane Society of the United States, www.humanesociety.org

Youth and School Programs: Houston SPCA (website) - The Houston SPCA conducts shelter tours, day camps for kids, and humane education lessons; and will participate in career days, health and safety fairs, environmental fairs and other community-related programs with enough advanced notice.

Youth and School Programs
Houston SPCA, www.houstonspca.org

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