Echidnas

Ages 5–10 · 12 minutes · Science

No need to get prickly! Curl up to learn about echidnas!

Echidnas are some of the strangest animals on Earth. These incredible animals hatch from eggs but have spines like a porcupine. Students will learn about the echidna's unusual adaptations that make it one of most beloved animals from Australia.

Part of

All About Animals

Standards alignment

Common Core State Standards

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Alabama

SC23.1.5 — Use information from observations to explain how various external features help living things survive, grow, and meet their needs.
SC23.4.8 — Make a claim, using evidence, that the functions of both internal and external structures of plants and animals (including humans) support growth, survival, and behavior.
SC23.2.7 — Obtain information to explain that there are many different kinds of living things that exist in habitats on land and in water.

Alaska

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Arizona

1.L4U1.10 — Develop a model to describe how animals and plants are classified into groups and subgroups according to their similarities.
K.L1U1.6 — Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how organisms use different body parts for survival.
Identify questions and make predictions based on prior experiences.
K.L1U1.7 — Observe, ask questions and explain how specialized structures found on a variety of plants and animals (including humans) help them sense and respond to their environment.
Ask questions based on observations of the natural and/or designed world

Arkansas

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

California

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Colorado

LS1.A — Structure and Function: All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place and seek, find and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive, grow and produce more plants.
SC.1.2.1 — All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions.
SC.2.2.2.a — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
SC.K.2.1.a — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
LS1.D — Information Processing: Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival - for example, eyes for light, ears for sounds, and skin for temperature or touch. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive (e.g., find food, run from a predator). Plants also respond to some external inputs (e.g., turn leaves toward the sun).

Connecticut

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Make predictions based on prior experiences.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Delaware

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Florida

SC.3.L.15.1 — Classify animals into major groups (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish, arthropods, vertebrates and invertebrates, those having live births and those which lay eggs) according to their physical characteristics and behaviors.
SC.2.L.17.2 — Recognize and explain that living things are found all over Earth, but each is only able to live in habitats that meet its basic needs.
SC.K.L.14.3 — Observe plants and animals, describe how they are alike and how they are different in the way they look and in the things they do.
SC.5.L.17.1 — Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycles variations, animal behaviors and physical characteristics.

Georgia

S3L1.b — Construct an explanation of how external features and adaptations (camouflage, hibernation, migration, mimicry) of animals allow them to survive in their habitat.
SKL2.a — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.
S3L1.c — Use evidence to construct an explanation of why some organisms can thrive in one habitat and not in another.
S5L1.a — Develop a model that illustrates how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrate and invertebrate) and how vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal) using data from multiple sources.

Hawaii

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.

Idaho

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see; hear; grasp objects; protect themselves; move from place to place; and seek, find, and take in food, water, and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow. (1-LS-1.1)
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs. (1-LS-1.1)
3-LS-3.3 — Students who demonstrate understanding can: Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
K-LS-1.1 — Students who demonstrate understanding can: Use observations to describe how plants and animals are alike and different in terms of how they live and grow.

Illinois

LS1.A-P1 — All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
LS1.B-P1 — Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.
LS1.C-P1 — All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
LS1.D-P1 — Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.

Indiana

2.LS.3 — Classify living organisms according to variations in specific physical features (i.e., body coverings, appendages) and describe how those features may provide an advantage for survival in different environments.
K.LS.2 — Describe and compare the physical features of common living plants and animals.
1.LS.3 — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
2.LS.1 — Determine patterns and behavior (adaptations) of parents and offspring which help offspring to survive.

Iowa

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Kansas

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

Kentucky

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
L.1.5.b — Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes).

Louisiana

Make predictions based on prior experiences.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Maine

Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
Make predictions based on prior experiences.
Patterns in the natural and human designed world can be observed, used to describe phenomena, and used as evidence.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

Maryland

DCI.LS1.A.K-2.1 — All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
DCI.LS1.D.K-2.1 — Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
DCI.LS1.B.K-2.1 — Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.

Massachusetts

1-LS1-1 — Use evidence to explain that (a) different animals use their body parts and senses in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water, and air, and (b) plants have roots, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruits that are used to take in water, air, and other nutrients, and produce food for the plant.
2-LS4-1 — Use texts, media, or local environments to observe and compare (a) different kinds of living things in an area, and (b) differences in the kinds of living things living in different types of areas.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that animals and plants have internal and external structures that support their survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular environment some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive.

Michigan

4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
2-LS4-1 — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
1-LS1-2 — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

Minnesota

1L.3.1.1.1 — Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent how plants or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs. (P: 2, CC: 6, CI: LS1)
2L.4.1.1.1 — Construct an argument with evidence that evaluates how in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. (P: 7, CC: 2, CI: LS4, ETS2)
3L.4.1.1.1 — Construct an argument about strategies animals use to survive. (P: 7, CC: 2, CI: LS2)
3L.4.2.1.1 — Obtain information from various types of media to support an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. (P: 8, CC: 4, CI: LS1)
0L.1.2.1.2 — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. (P: 3, CC: 1, CI: LS4)

Mississippi

L.2.1.4 — Construct a scientific argument for classifying vertebrates that have unusual characteristics, such as bats, penguins, snakes, salamanders, dolphins, and duck-billed platypuses (i.e., bats have wings yet they are mammals).
L.2.4.1 — Evaluate and communicate findings from informational text or other media to describe how plants and animals use adaptations to survive (e.g., ducks use webbed feet to swim in lakes and ponds, cacti have waxy coatings and spines to grow in the desert) in distinct environments (e.g., polar lands, saltwater and freshwater, desert, rainforest, woodlands).
L.2.1.2 — Classify vertebrates (mammals, fish, birds, amphibians, and reptiles) based on their physical characteristics.
L.2.3B.1 — Evaluate and communicate findings from informational text or other media to describe and to compare how animals interact with other animals and plants in the environment (i.e., predatorprey relationships, herbivore, carnivore, omnivore).
L.K.1B.1 — Develop and use models to exemplify how animals use their body parts to (a) obtain food and other resources, (b) protect themselves, and (c) move from place to place.

Missouri

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
Make predictions based on prior experiences.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.

Montana

4-LS1-1 — construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction; and
2-LS4-1 — make observations of plants and animals to compare and contrast the diversity of life in different habitats.
3-LS4-3 — construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all;
L.1.5.b — Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes).

Nebraska

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Adult plants and animals can have young. In many kinds of animals, parents and the offspring themselves engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.
SC.3.7.2.C — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all..

Nevada

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.

New Hampshire

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

New Jersey

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

New Mexico

Make predictions based on prior experiences.
All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
1-LS1-2 — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

New York

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

North Carolina

LS.K.1.2 — Use models to exemplify how animals use their body parts to obtain food and other resources, protect themselves, and move from place to place.
LS.K.1.2 — Use models to exemplify how animals use their body parts to obtain food and other resources, protect themselves, and move from place to place.
LS.4.1.1 — Use models to explain that plants and animals have external structures that function to support survival.
LS.4.1.2 — Use models to explain that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information, and respond to the information in different ways.

North Dakota

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
1-LS1-1 — Construct an evidence-based argument with the use of a drawing or a model that illustrates how structures of plants or animals help them survive in their habitat.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
1-LS1-2 — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants, and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Ohio

K.LS.2 — Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival.
1.LS.1 — Living things have basic needs, which are met by obtaining materials from the physical environment.
1.LS.2 — Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs.
K.LS.1 — Living things have specific characteristics and traits.
3.LS.3 — Plants and animals have life cycles that are part of their adaptations for survival in their natural environments

Oklahoma

Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water, and air. (1.LS1.1)
Animals obtain their food from plants or from other animals. (K.LS1.1)
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. (1.LS1.1)
All organisms have external parts. (1.LS1.1)
K.ESS3.1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Oregon

4.LS1.1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. [Clarification Statement: Examples of structures could include thorns, stems, roots, colored petals, heart, stomach, lung, brain, and skin. [Assessment Boundary: Assessment is limited to macroscopic structures within plant and animal systems.]
3.LS4.3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. [Clarification Statement: Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. The organisms and their habitat make up a system in which the parts depend on each other.][assessment boundary: assessment does not include multi-generational shifts in population traits due to natural selection.]
K.ESS3.1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live. [Clarification Statement: Examples of relationships could include that deer eat buds and leaves, therefore, they usually live in forested areas; and, grasses need sunlight so they often grow in meadows. Plants, animals, and their surroundings make up a system.][assessment boundary: modeling is limited to describing the relationship and does not include patterns of structure and function to show how needs are met. impact on the environment is beyond the standard.]

Pennsylvania

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
3.1.2.C — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
3.3.K.C — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Rhode Island

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

South Carolina

1-LS1-1.DCI.A: — Structure and Function All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water, and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow. NRC Framework Link
3-LS1-1. — Develop and use models to describe how organisms change in predictable patterns during their unique and diverse life cycles. Clarification Statement: Changes organisms go through during their life cycles could include birth/sprouting, growth, reproduction, and death. State Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include human examples or details of reproduction beyond two ways animals are born: live from mother or hatched from eggs.
3-LS4-3. — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can thrive, struggle to survive, or fail to survive. Clarification Statement: Examples could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved. Changes in a habitat are sometimes beneficial, sometimes neutral, or sometimes harmful to an organism.
3-LS4-3.DCI.C: — Adaptation Adaptation can lead to organisms that are better suited for their environment. For any particular environment, some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. NRC Framework Link
K-LS1-1. — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive. Clarification Statement: Examples of patterns could include that animals need to take in food, but plants make food; the different kinds of food needed by different types of animals; the requirement of plants to have light; and that all living things need water. Patterns could be described using multiple modes of representation.

South Dakota

4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

Tennessee

2.LS1.1 — Use evidence and observations to explain that many animals use their body parts and senses in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water, and air.
2.LS1.2 — Obtain and communicate information to classify animals (vertebrates-mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, fish, invertebrates-insects) based on their physical characteristics.
3.LS4.2 — Infer that plant and animal adaptations help them survive in land and aquatic biomes.

Texas

1.10A — investigate how the external characteristics of an animal are related to where it lives, how it moves, and what it eats;
1.13A — identify the external structures of different animals and compare how those structures help different animals live, move, and meet basic needs for survival;
2.10A — observe, record, and compare how the physical characteristics and behaviors of animals help them meet their basic needs;
2.13B — record and compare how the structures and behaviors of animals help them find and take in food, water, and air;
K.10A — sort plants and animals into groups based on physical characteristics such as color, size, body covering, or leaf shape;

Utah

2.2.2 — Plan and carry out an investigation of the structure and function of plant and animal parts in different habitats. Emphasize how different plants and animals have different structures to survive in their habitat. Examples could include the shallow roots of a cactus in the desert or the seasonal changes in the fur coat of a wolf. (LS1.A, LS4.A, LS4.D)
1.2.2 — Construct an explanation by observing patterns of external features of living things that survive in different locations. Emphasize how plants and nonhuman animals, found in specific surroundings, share similar physical characteristics. Examples could include that plants living in dry areas are more likely to have thick outer coatings that hold in water, animals living in cold locations have longer and thicker fur, or most desert animals are awake at night. (LS1.A, LS1.D)
2.2.1 — Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about patterns of living things (plants and animals, including humans) in different habitats. Emphasize the diversity of living things in land and water habitats. Examples of *patterns*in habitats could include descriptions of temperature or precipitation and the types of plants and animals found in land habitats. (LS2.C, LS4.C, LS4.D)
3.2.5 — Engage in argument that in a particular habitat (system) some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. Emphasize that organisms and habitats form systems in which the parts depend upon each other. Examples of evidence could include needs and characteristics of the organisms and habitats involved such as cacti growing in dry, sandy soil but not surviving in wet, saturated soil. (LS4.C)
4.1.1 — Construct an explanation from evidence that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. Emphasize how structures support an organism's survival in its environment and how internal and external structures of plants and animals vary within the same and across multiple Utah environments. Examples of structures could include thorns on a stem to prevent predation or gills on a fish to allow it to breathe underwater. (LS1.A)

Vermont

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Virginia

1.5.b — Animals have different physical characteristics that perform specific functions.
1.5.c — Animals can be classified based on a variety of characteristics.
1.1.a.i — Ask questions and make predictions based on observations.
3.4.b — Adaptations may be behavioral or physical.

Washington

All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in food, water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
All animals need food in order to live and grow. They obtain their food from plants or from other animals. Plants need water and light to live and grow.
Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external inputs.

Washington, D.C.

Make observations (firsthand or from media) to collect data that can be used to make comparisons.
Make predictions based on prior experiences.
2-LS4-1 — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
K-LS1-1 — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

West Virginia

S.4.8 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
S.2.7 — Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
S.1.5 — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

Wisconsin

All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions.
Parents and offspring often engage in behaviors that help the offspring survive.
Different sense receptors are specialized for particular kinds of information; animals use their perceptions and memories to guide their actions.
There are many different kinds of living things in any area, and they exist in different places on land and in water.
Students collect, record, and share observations. This includes the following: Record information (observations, thoughts, and ideas). Use and share pictures, drawings, or writings of observations. Use observations (firsthand or from media) to describe patterns or relationships in the natural and designed worlds in order to answer scientific questions and solve problems. Compare predictions (based on prior experiences) to what occurred (observable events). Analyze data from tests of an object or tool to determine if the object or tool works as intended.

Wyoming

All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions.
Particular organisms can only survive in particular environments.
3-LS4-3 — Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.
K-ESS3-1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.
4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.