Lesson 128: How we care for living things

Objective

I can explain simple ways to care for living things. I can say what plants and pets need and choose kind actions that keep them safe and healthy.

Materials

• Picture of a plant in a pot (real or drawn)
• Picture of a pet (dog, cat, fish, or other)
• Pencil and notebook or scrap paper

Mini-lesson — Caring for plants and pets

Guided Practice — Plan care for a plant and a pet

You will choose one plant and one pet (real or pretend) and make a simple care plan for each one.

1. Pick your living things: Use a real plant and pet if you can, or draw a picture of a plant in a pot and a pet (for example, a dog or a fish).
2. List what they need: For each one, say or write the words food, water, air, home, and love.
3. Make a care list: Under the plant, write three things you will do (for example: water, light, clean pot). Under the pet, write three things you will do (for example: food, clean bed, play).
4. Say what is kind: Talk about one kind action you can do each day for the plant and one for the pet.
5. Use the tracing pad: Choose care words like water, food, light, or clean from the dropdown and trace them slowly while you say the word out loud.

Tracing Pad

Lines Primary lines Baseline only Grid Blank Trace (none) water food light clean home plant pet safe kind

Pen Clear

Tip: After you trace the words, write one sentence such as "I water my plant" or "I am kind to my pet".

Practice 1 — Plant care checklist

Choose one plant (real or drawn) and make a simple care checklist.

1. Write the plant name or draw a quick picture at the top of your page.
2. Under it, write three boxes: water, light, clean.
3. Tick the box each day when you give it water, light, or clean its pot or tray.

Practice 2 — Pet care picture story

Draw a picture story that shows how you care for a pet in three small steps.

1. Draw three boxes in a row.
2. In box 1, draw giving the pet food or water.
3. In box 2, draw cleaning its home or bed.
4. In box 3, draw playing or sitting gently with the pet.
5. Under each box, write one word: food, clean, play.

Practice 3 — Kind or unkind?

Read or listen to each action. Decide if it is kind or unkind to a living thing.

• Gently watering a plant when the soil feels dry.
• Poking a plant leaf with a sharp stick.
• Filling your pet's bowl with fresh water.
• Shouting at a pet when it comes to you.
• Putting litter in a bin so animals do not step on it.

Circle or say which actions are kind and which are unkind. Explain how you would change the unkind actions into kind ones.

Quick Check — How we care for living things

Answer each question about caring for plants and pets. Think about what living things need and how we can help them.

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Exit ticket (student)