Life Science Grades K–4

Content Standard C:

As a result of activities in grades K–4, all students should develop understanding of

• the characteristics of organisms
• life cycles of organisms
• organisms and environments

The Characteristics of Organisms

• Organisms have basic needs. Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs are met.
• Each plant or animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction.
• The behavior of individual organisms is influenced by internal cues (such as hunger) and external cues (such as a change in the environment). Humans and other organisms have senses that help them detect internal and external cues.

NSTA Grade K Content Standards (1998)

Animals and Plants: Describe

The learner will be able to understand how to describe similarties and differences in the way plants and animals look.

Animals and Plants: Understand/Stories

The learner will be able to understand that stories often attribute characteristics to plants and animals that they do not possess.

Animals: Parts/Structure/Understand

The learner will be able to understand how to identify the structures of common animals.

The Spider and Insect unit on the CD compares the anatomy and characteristics of spiders and insects. Students learn about the specific structures that make each one unique. The unit also explains how the animal uses its features to survive in the environment. Students can compare this factual information with the characteristics given the little spider in the story and the events that occur.