What Organisms Need

Overview

This is lesson 1 of 15 in The Body Systems: What Organisms Need to Survive. Students use familiar local examples to identify living things, classify them as plants, animals or fungi, and suggest the needs shared by organisms. Their initial ideas will guide the rest of the unit.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify organisms and describe what makes something living.
• WALT sort organisms as plants, animals or fungi.
• WALT suggest what organisms need to survive.
• WALT observe, classify, communicate and ask questions like scientists.

Success criteria

• I can name living things from my place.
• I can sort organisms as plants, animals or fungi.
• I can suggest at least one need an organism has to survive.
• I can explain one sorting choice using “It needs ___ because ___”.

Curriculum links

• Biological Science — What organisms need to survive: identifying basic survival needs of a variety of plants, animals and fungi.
• Biological Science — Body Systems: understanding that animals need food, water, oxygen and space to survive.
• Biological Science — Body Systems: understanding that plants need water, carbon dioxide, light and space to survive.
• Science capabilities: observing, classifying, communicating and asking questions.

Lesson structure (50 minutes)

1. 0–7 min · Local picture hook. Display the local organism picture hook showing a kiwi, wētā, tuna, kōwhai and mushrooms. Invite students to quietly notice, then discuss with a partner: “Which of these are alive? How do you know?” Gather ideas without correcting every misconception. Students name organisms they recognise and connect them with their own whānau or place.

2. 7–15 min · Initial thinking and vocabulary. Introduce the words organism, survive, plant, animal, fungi, need and environment using the pictures in the vocabulary and discussion slides. Explain that an organism is a living thing, and that survival means staying alive. Students draw one organism on the initial thinking and needs sheet and label or dictate what they think it needs. Encourage drawings of local examples and accept emergent spelling.

3. 15–29 min · Group sorting investigation. Place students in five groups of five. Give each group organism cards, survival-needs cards and large paper. Students sort the organism cards into plants, animals or fungi, then match possible needs to one or more groups of organisms. Display the sorting instructions and needs prompt and remind students that they may disagree respectfully. Teacher circulates, asks “What do you notice?” and “Why did you put it there?”, and records misconceptions such as “plants are not alive” or “all organisms eat food”.

4. 29–36 min · Explain and justify. Each group chooses one card placement to justify orally using the frame, “We put ___ with ___ because ___.” Students share their reasoning while classmates show agreement, uncertainty or a different idea with thumbs or simple hand signals. Clarify that plants, animals and fungi are all organisms, while their needs may not be exactly the same. Note that animals generally need food, water, oxygen and space; plants need water, light, carbon dioxide from the air and space.

5. 36–44 min · Wonder wall and KWL. Revisit the wonder-wall and KWL prompts. Co-construct a class chart: What we Know, What we Want to know, and leave What we Learned for later lessons. Invite questions such as “How does a plant get water?” or “Where does a wētā find food?” Students contribute one wonder orally, by drawing, or with teacher scribing. Add questions to a visible wonder wall for the unit.

6. 44–50 min · Share and formative close. Students complete the final box on the initial thinking and needs sheet by drawing or writing one organism and one need. Invite two or three students to share. Revisit the learning intention and ask: “What do all organisms have in common?” Collect the sheets and photograph each group’s sort for evidence of starting ideas.

Resources

• the complete introduction, teaching and discussion deck
• the initial thinking and needs sheet
• Local photographs of a kiwi, wētā, tuna, kōwhai and mushrooms
• Organism picture cards
• Survival-needs picture cards
• Large paper and thick pens for group sorts
• Pencils, crayons and erasers
• Sticky notes for the wonder wall and KWL chart
• Camera or tablet for photographing group work

Assessment

• Listen during the hook and group sorting for classification ideas and misconceptions about what is alive.
• Photograph group sorts and note whether students can classify organisms and explain a choice using evidence or a reason.
• Collect initial drawings and labels as baseline evidence; check whether students can name an organism and suggest a need.

Differentiation

• Support learners with clear picture or symbol cards, fewer cards at a time, adult scribing and the sentence frame: “It needs ___ because ___.”
• Provide partner talk before whole-class sharing and allow students to draw, point or use home-language vocabulary before adding English words.
• Intentionally group students so confident speakers can model respectful scientific talk without taking over.
• Extend students by asking them to explain the difference between a need and a want, or to compare the needs of a plant and an animal.
• Use photographs or clean models only; do not handle unknown fungi. Wash hands after handling shared materials and remind students not to touch or taste specimens.