Grade 1 - Animals and Habitats

Animals and Habitats: Supplemental Guide | Introduction 5

example, that animals and plants typically live in those habitats to

which they are best suited, often developing unique characteristics

or features that enable them to specifi cally adapt to the climate

and conditions of a given environment. They will also be

introduced to simple classifi cations of animals according to the

types of food they eat and will begin to understand the notion of a

food chain.

In later grades, students will build upon the knowledge of habitats

and animals that they will have gained from listening to and

discussing the read-alouds in this domain. The concepts and

factual information that they learn now will serve as the basis

for later, in-depth understanding of increasingly detailed and

sophisticated biological taxonomies, the interdependence of all of

nature and its fragile balance, and an appreciation of the role that

human beings must assume to protect the world in which they live.

What Students Have Already Learned in Core Knowledge
Language Arts during Kindergarten

The following Kindergarten domains, and the specifi c core content

that was targeted in those domains, are particularly relevant

to the read-alouds students will hear in Animals and Habitats.

This background knowledge will greatly enhance students’

understanding of the read-alouds they are about to enjoy:

Plants

• Explain that there are many different kinds and sizes of plants


• Explain that different kinds of plants grow in different
  environments


• Explain that plants are living things


• Describe what plants need to live and grow: food, water, air, and
  sunlight


• Identify the root, stem, leaf, fl ower, and seed of a plant


• Explain that roots anchor the plant and take in water and nutrients


• Explain that stems support the plant and carry water and
  nutrients to the various parts of the plant