Vertical Alignment of Standards K-5, structure and function of plants

Kindergarten
SKL1Students

1st
S1L1. Students will

2nd
S2L1. Students will

3rd
S3L1. Students will

4th
S4L1. Students

will sort living and

no-living materials
into groups by their
observable
features

investigate the
characteristics and
basic needs of plants
and animals

investigate the life

cycles of different
living organisms

investigate the habitats of

different organisms and the
dependence of organisms on
their habitat.

will describe the

roles of organisms
and the flow of
energy within an

c. Group plants
according to their
observable
features

SKL.2 Students
will compare the
similarities and
differences in

a. Identify the basic

needs of a plant. 1. Air
2. Water 3. Light 4.
c. Identify the parts of
a plantroot, stem,
leaf, and flower.

b. Relate seasonal
changes to
observations of how a
tree changes
throughout a school
year c. Investigate the
life cycle of a plant by
growing a plant from
a seed and by
recording changes
over a period of time.
d. Identify fungi
(mushroom) as living
organisms

b. Identify features of green

plants that allow them to live
and thrive in different
regions of Georgia

S3L2. Students will

recognize the effects of
pollution and humans on the
environment.

ecosystem.

5th
S5L1. Students will classify
organisms into groups and
relate how they
determined the groups
with how and why
scientists use
classification.

a. Identify the
roles of producers,
consumers, and
decomposers in a
community.
b. Demonstrate
the flow of energy
through a food
web/food chain
beginning with
sunlight and
including
producers,
consumers, and
decomposers. c.
Predict how
changes in the
environment would
affect a community
(ecosystem) of
organisms.
d. Predict effects
on a population if
some of the plants
or animals in the
community are
scarce or if there
are too many

b. demonstrate how
plants are sorted into
groups.

S4L2. Students
will identify factors
that affect the
survival or

S5L3. Students will

diagram and label parts of
various cells (plant,
animal, single-celled,

groups of
organisms

a. Explain the effects of

pollution (such as littering) to
the habitats of plants and
animals..

b. Explain the
similarities and
differences in
plants. (color, size,
appearance, etc.)

extinction of
organisms such as
adaptation,
variation of
behaviors
(hibernation), and
external features
(camouflage and
protection).
a. Identify external
features of
organisms that
allow them to
survive or
reproduce better
than organisms
that do not have
these features (for
example:
camouflage, use of
hibernation,
protection, etc.). b

Misconcepti
ons:
1.

Bushes
are baby
trees.

2.

Trees are
only
considere
d plants
when they
are small.

3.

Trees,
grass,
vegetable
s, weeds
are not
plants.

Misconception
s:

Misconception
s:

Misconceptions:
1.

1.

Plants and
animals do
not depend
on each
other.

1.

2.

Living/Nonliving Plants,
fungi, and
coral that are
stationary
are not living
Plants and
Fungi are not
living
organisms.
Plants that
shed their
leaves are
dead, but
come to life
again in

All plants and

animals can live in
any part of the
state. Animals and
plants can adapt to
changes in a habitat

Misconcepti
ons:

multi-celled)
a. Use magnifiers such as
microscopes or hand
lenses to observe cells and
their structure. b. Identify
parts of a plant cell
(membrane, wall,
cytoplasm, nucleus,
chloroplasts) and of an
animal cell (membrane,
cytoplasm, and nucleus)
and determine the function
of the parts. c. Explain how
cells in multi-celled
organisms are similar and
different in structure and
function to single-celled
organisms.

Misconceptions:
1.

1.

. Plants
and
animals
dont
need each
other for
survival.
Adaptatio
ns and
camouflag
e prevent
some
animals
and plants
from
becoming

2.
3.

Organisms
contain cells, such
as blood cells.
Cells are too small
and numerous to
observe.
Microorganisms
are non-living. All
microorganisms
are harmful.

Mushrooms are
plants.
Grass is not a
plant.

3.

Activities:
define
plant Go
on school
grounds
walk; point
out various
types of
plants,
grass,
weeds,
trees and
bushes; talk
about parts
of the
plants;
complete a
plant
comparison

Activities:
bring a pet rat
to school.
Students
make
hypothesis
about whether
rat will eat a
carrot. Put
carrot in cage
with rat.
Students
observe as rat
eats carrot
and record
observations
in science
journals;
research diet

spring
Commercial
seeds are
manufacture
d.
Roots obtain
food for the
plant from
the soil
Fungi/Microsc
opic life
Organisms
seen through
a microscope
are not
living.

Activities:
Sort pictures
of living and
non living
things
(include
pictures of
coral and
fungi);
students
research topic
of choice
fungi or coral;
choose tree
on school
grounds
record
changes over
time in a

food.
Extinction
only
occurred
in the
days of
dinosaurs.
Plants and
animals
can
change
features
to adapt.

Activities:
Research the
habitats of
Georgia. Choose a
habitat to focus on
and create that
habitat. Label the
plants in your
habitat. Make an
animal from clay
that would live in
that habitat.
Share habitats
with the group.
Discuss
similarities and
differences of the
habitats.

Activities:
Using ball
of yarn and
students in
a circle
create a
food web.
Take out key
players and
see what
happens to
the web.
Choose an
animal
research
and see
what the
animals
sources of

Activities:
Research
wheatgrass;
grow wheat
grass from
seeds;
Research fungi do a plants vs
fungi sort using
pictures
(conifers, ferns,
flowers, mosses,
mushrooms)
Observe plant
and fungi cells
using a
microscope

chart.

of a rat; show
video of bee
pollinating
flower; show
artifacts of
fruits and
vegetables
discuss
importance of
pollination.

journal

food are.
Create a
food web or
chain for
that animal.