Science: How Plants and Animals Meet Their Needs
Exploring food, water, air, shelter, light, and space
Science: How Plants and Animals Meet Their Needs
Exploring food, water, air, shelter, light, and space
Science - Grade 2-3
- 1
List four things most animals need to stay alive.
Think about what a pet needs every day.
Most animals need food, water, air, and shelter or space to stay alive. - 2
A bean plant is in a dark closet. It has soil and water, but no sunlight. What need is missing, and why does the plant need it?
Plants use light to help make food.
The plant is missing sunlight. Plants need sunlight to make their own food and grow. - 3
A bird builds a nest in a tree. Which need does the nest help meet?
The nest helps meet the bird's need for shelter. It gives the bird a safe place to rest, lay eggs, and care for its young. - 4
Match each living thing to one thing it needs: fish, cactus, rabbit. Choices: water to swim in, sunlight, grass to eat.
Think about where each living thing lives and how it gets food.
A fish needs water to swim in. A cactus needs sunlight. A rabbit needs grass to eat. - 5
A plant has roots, a stem, and leaves. Choose one plant part and explain how it helps the plant meet its needs.
Roots help a plant meet its needs by taking in water and nutrients from the soil. Other correct answers include leaves using sunlight to help make food or the stem holding the plant up and moving water. - 6
A squirrel collects acorns in the fall. How does this behavior help the squirrel meet its needs?
Think about what happens to food in winter.
Collecting acorns helps the squirrel store food. The squirrel can eat the acorns later when food is harder to find. - 7
Circle the living things that need water: oak tree, dog, rock, butterfly, sunflower.
The oak tree, dog, butterfly, and sunflower need water because they are living things. The rock does not need water because it is not alive. - 8
A frog lives near a pond. Name two needs the pond habitat helps the frog meet.
A habitat is the place where a living thing gets what it needs.
The pond habitat can help the frog meet its needs for water and food. It may also provide shelter and a place to lay eggs. - 9
How are the needs of plants and animals alike? Name two needs they share.
Plants and animals both need water and air. They also need space to live and grow. - 10
How are the ways plants and animals get food different?
Think about a sunflower and a rabbit.
Plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and air. Animals cannot make their own food, so they eat plants or other animals. - 11
A deer has long legs and can run quickly. How can this body part help the deer meet its needs?
Long legs can help the deer move to find food and water. Running quickly can also help the deer escape danger. - 12
A classroom plant has dry soil and drooping leaves. What should students do first, and what need are they helping the plant meet?
Dry soil is a clue about what the plant may be missing.
Students should water the plant first. They are helping the plant meet its need for water. - 13
Choose an animal you know. Write two sentences explaining where it lives and how that place helps it get what it needs.
Example animals include a rabbit, fish, bird, turtle, or dog.
Answers will vary. A complete answer should name an animal, describe its habitat, and explain how the habitat helps it get needs such as food, water, air, shelter, or space.