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  • 1st Grade

    From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes

Students who demonstrate understanding can:

Performance Expectations

  1. Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. 1-LS1-1

    Clarification Statement and Assessment Boundary

A Peformance Expectation (PE) is what a student should be able to do to show mastery of a concept. Some PEs include a Clarification Statement and/or an Assessment Boundary. These can be found by clicking the PE for "More Info." By hovering over a PE, its corresponding pieces from the Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts will be highlighted.

Science and Engineering Practices

Disciplinary Core Ideas

Crosscutting Concepts

By clicking on a specific Science and Engineering Practice, Disciplinary Core Idea, or Crosscutting Concept, you can find out more information on it. By hovering over one you can find its corresponding elements in the PEs.

Planning Curriculum

Common Core State Standards Connections

ELA/Literacy

  • W.1.7 - Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions). (1-LS1-1)

Model Course Mapping

First Time Visitors

Resources & Lesson Plans

  • More resources added each week!
    A team of teacher curators is working to find, review, and vet online resources that support the standards. Check back often, as NSTA continues to add more targeted resources.
  • STEM, Plants & Biomimicry - Day 1

    Biomimetics is the imitation of the models, systems, and elements of nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. In this lesson, students identify a human problem and use biomimicry to develop a possible solution.

  • The Purpose of Parts

    This resource is a 5-E biomimicry lesson based on the book "Feathers: Not Just for Flying" by Melissa Stewart.  In this lesson students consider how a human problem can be solved by mimicking a structure from the animal world that has ...

  • How Do Animals Move?

    This 5E lesson addresses animal structures and how these structures function to help the animal survive. The Big Idea: RUN! JUMP! SLITHER! Let's move like animals and learn how to survive in nature!

  • Bee-ing an Engineer with Wisconsin Fast Plants

    This resource is an excerpt of lessons from the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Investigating Plants with Wisconsin Fast Plants Program. Students will explore Fast Plants' flowers and learn how flowers and their internal structures are related to ...

  • Eat Like a Bird! January

    This lesson and activity is one of several lessons about birds. In this lesson, students learn that bird beaks come in many different sizes and shape. Each beak has a specific shape and function to help the bird to get and eat food.

  • Where in the Wild?

    Using the book titled Where in the Wild? Camouflages Creatures Concealed and Revealed by Davide Schwartz and Yeal Schy students develop an understanding of how particular features help animals survive. This lesson focuses on the use of camouflage as ...

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Planning Curriculum gives connections to other areas of study for easier curriculum creation.