### Lesson Plan: Basic Animals and Plants
**Grade Level:** Kindergarten
**Subject:** Science
**Duration:** 45 minutes
#### **Objectives:**
1. Students will be able to identify and differentiate between animals and plants.
2. Students will understand basic needs of animals and plants (food, water, air, and sunlight).
3. Students will learn about the different habitats where animals live and where plants grow.
#### **Materials Needed:**
- Picture books about animals and plants
- Flashcards with images of different animals and plants
- Construction paper, crayons, and markers
- Chart paper
- Glue sticks and safety scissors
- Small potted plant and a stuffed animal (or toy animal)
#### **Key Vocabulary:**
- Animal
- Plant
- Habitat
- Needs
#### **Introduction (10 minutes):**
1. **Greeting and Settling Down:**
- Welcome students into the classroom and ask them to sit in a circle on the rug.
- Briefly discuss what they think animals and plants are.
2. **Story Time:**
- Read a picture book about animals and plants. Some suggestions include “The Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle or “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.
#### **Lesson Development (20 minutes):**
1. **Discussion:**
- After the story, engage the students in a discussion. Hold up flashcards of different animals and plants. Ask students to identify each one and tell whether it is an animal or a plant.
- Use the small potted plant and the stuffed animal as props to explain the basic needs of each (plants need sunlight, water, air, and soil; animals need food, water, air, and shelter).
2. **Interactive Activity:**
- Break the class into small groups. Each group will receive a set of flashcards. Their task is to sort the flashcards into two categories: Animals and Plants.
- After the sorting activity, review each group’s categorization with the entire class.
#### **Hands-on Activity (10 minutes):**
1. **Art Project:**
- Provide construction paper, crayons, and markers to each student. Ask them to draw their favorite animal and favorite plant.
- Next, they can cut out the shapes and glue them onto a larger piece of chart paper to make a class mural showcasing their favorite animals and plants.
2. **Habitat Match-Up:**
- On another chart paper, draw simple outlines of different habitats (e.g., ocean, forest, desert).
- Ask students to match the animals and plants they’ve drawn to the correct habitat on the chart.
#### **Conclusion and Review (5 minutes):**
1. **Recap:**
- Gather the students back in the circle and go over what they have learned about animals and plants.
- Prompt them with questions such as “What do plants need to grow?” and “Where do animals get their food?”
2. **Closing Activity:**
- Sing a simple song that reinforces the concepts, such as “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” but include both animals and plants in the verses.
#### **Assessment:**
- Observe students’ participation in discussions and activities.
- Check the accuracy of their sorting and matching during the hands-on activity.
- Review their drawings and the class mural to ensure understanding.
#### **Extensions:**
- Create a small class garden where students can plant seeds and observe growth over time.
- Organize a “nature walk” around the school grounds to spot real-life examples of animals and plants and their habitats.
#### **Home Connection:**
- Send home a “Nature Journal” page where students can draw or paste pictures of plants and animals they find in their neighborhood or backyard.
By fostering curiosity and reinforcing knowledge through interactive and engaging activities, students will gain a foundational understanding of the basic characteristics and needs of animals and plants.