What Living Things Need
A 45-minute Kindergarten lesson on the patterns in what plants and animals need in order to stay alive.
What Living Things Need is a free 45-minute Kindergarten science lesson plan for Common Core standard K-LS1-1 — notice what plants and animals need in order to stay alive. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 45 minutes
- Standard:
- K-LS1-1
Kindergarten · Life Science
K-LS1-1
Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
Objective
Students will be able to sort what living things need from what they merely have.
Students are successful when they can
- Names what every animal needs.
- Names what every plant needs.
- Rejects something that is not a need.
What you need
- The four bean pots from the windowsill, two weeks on
- Picture cards of needs and non-needs
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — four pots
5 min- Show the four bean pots and ask which one grew best.
- Ask what pot 1 had that pot 4 did not.
Teach — need, not want
12 min- Read the bean pot record. Water and light gave a tall green shoot; no water gave nothing.
- Ask what happens to a plant with no water. It does not grow at all.
- Say the test: if it dies without it, it is a need.
- Do animals: water, air, food, a safe place. Check each against the test.
- Hold up a red collar. Ask whether a dog dies without it. That is not a need.
- Name the pattern: every animal needs the same four things, whatever it looks like.
“Would it stay alive without this?”
Investigate — check the classroom
15 min- Groups look after the class plant and the class pet, or pictures of them.
- They list what each one is given every week.
- They mark each thing as a need or not, using the test.
- They find one thing on the list that is not a need.
Independent practice
10 min- Students complete the 'What Living Things Need' page.
- Check that plant needs and animal needs are not mixed up.
Close
3 min- Ask what the class plant would miss most over the holidays.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says plants eat food from the soil like animals.
Why: Both are living, so both must eat.
Fix: Pot 3 had soil and no water and grew nothing. Water and light are what changed the result.
Lists wants as needs.
Why: A pet's toys are things it has.
Fix: Run the test. Would it stay alive without it?
Thinks only big animals need water.
Why: Big animals are the visible ones.
Fix: Ask about the snail and the ant. Every animal needs water.
If they are not there yet
- Two groups rather than three: needs and not needs.
- Picture cards rather than words.
If they finish early
- Find something a plant needs that an animal does not.
- Say what a fish needs that a rabbit does not.
- Explain why pot 2's shoot was pale.
Exit ticket
Name one thing every animal needs and one thing no living thing needs.
What to look for: Water, air, food or shelter, against something like a toy or a collar. Naming a want as a need means the test needs another run.
Printable practice for K-LS1-1
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- What Living Things NeedSort each one into the right group.
Questions about What Living Things Need
How long does the What Living Things Need lesson take?
45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 12 min, investigate 15 min, independent practice 10 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does What Living Things Need teach?
K-LS1-1 — K-LS1-1, Life Science for Kindergarten: “Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.” In plain terms, notice what plants and animals need in order to stay alive.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
The four bean pots from the windowsill, two weeks on, picture cards of needs and non-needs and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says plants eat food from the soil like animals; lists wants as needs and thinks only big animals need water. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Name one thing every animal needs and one thing no living thing needs.” Water, air, food or shelter, against something like a toy or a collar. Naming a want as a need means the test needs another run. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with What Living Things Need?
Yes — 1 printable K-LS1-1 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is What Living Things Need free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-08. Aligned to K-LS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.