Armadillos

Ages 5–10 · 12 minutes · Science

More than just tough on the outside

Nature's little armored tanks. Armadillos have amazing digging skills, can roll into a ball, and eat up to 40,000 ants in one meal!

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.
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.

Alabama

SC23.1.5 — Use information from observations to explain how various external features help living things survive, grow, and meet their needs.
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.
SC23.K.5 — Gather information from observations and media to explain how plants and animals can provide for their needs by changing their environment.
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.

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.
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).

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.
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.
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 or animals (including humans) and the places they live.

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.
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.

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.
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).
LS2.A — Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals depend on their surroundings to get what they need, including food, water, shelter and a favorable temperature. Animals depend on plants or other animals for food. They use their senses to find food and water, and they use their body parts to gather, catch, eat and chew the food. Plants depend on air, water, minerals (in the soil) and light to grow. Animals can move around, but plants cannot, and they often depend on animals for pollination or to move their seeds around. Different plants survive better in different settings because they have varied needs for water, minerals and sunlight.
SC.K.3.2 — Plants and animals meet their needs in their habitats and impact one another; people can prepare for severe weather.
LS1.B — Growth and Development of Organisms: Plants and animals have predictable characteristics at different stages of development. Plants and animals grow and change. 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.

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.
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.
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.

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.
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.
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.

Florida

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.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.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.4.L.17.1 — Compare the seasonal changes in Florida plants and animals to those in other regions of the country.

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.
S3L1.c — Use evidence to construct an explanation of why some organisms can thrive in one habitat and not in another.
SKL2.a — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how animals can be grouped according to their features.
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.
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.
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.

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)
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. (K-LS-1.1)
Living things need water, air, and resources from the land. They live in places that have the things they need. (K-ESS-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. (1-LS-1.1)
K-ESS-2.1 — Students who demonstrate understanding can: Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals and the places they live.

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.
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.
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.
ESS2.E-P1 — Plants and animals can change their environment.

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.
3.LS.3 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
K.LS.2 — Describe and compare the physical features of common living plants and animals.
1.LS.4 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

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.
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.

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.
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.

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.
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.
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.

Louisiana

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.
4-LS1-2 — Construct an explanation to describe how animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brains, and respond to the information in different ways.
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

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-ESS2-2 — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
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.
Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain scientific and/or technical information to determine patterns in and/or evidence about the natural and designed world(s).
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.

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.

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-LS2-3(MA) — Develop and use models to compare how plants and animals depend on their surroundings and other living things to meet their needs in the places they live.
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.
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 or animals (including humans) and the places they live.

Minnesota

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)
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)

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.2.3B.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.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.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.
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.
K.ESS3.A.1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.

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;
4-LS1-2 — use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

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.
SC.K.7.2.C — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live..
SC.1.6.2.C — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in a behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive..

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.
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.

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.
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.
1-LS1-2 — Read texts and use media to determine patterns in behavior of parents and offspring that help offspring survive.

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.
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.
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.

New Mexico

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.
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 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.
Plants and animals can change their environment.

North Carolina

LS.4.1.1 — Use models to explain that plants and animals have external structures that function to support survival.
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 — Understand the effects of environmental changes, adaptations, and behaviors that enable organisms to survive in changing habitats.
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.4.1.2 — 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.
K-ESS3-1 — Represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live using a model.

Ohio

3.LS.2 — Individuals of the same kind of organism differ in their inherited traits. These differences give some individuals an advantage in surviving and/or reproducing.
K.LS.2 — Living things have physical traits and behaviors, which influence their survival.
1.LS.2 — Living things survive only in environments that meet their needs.
SL.1.2 — Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented in various media and other formats (e.g., orally).
5.LS.1 — Organisms perform a variety of roles in an ecosystem.

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)
Living things need water, air, and resources from the land, and they live in places that have the things they need. (K.ESS3.1)
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)
In many kinds of animals, parents and their offspring engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive. (1.LS1.2)

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.]
K.ESS2.2 — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. [Clarification Statement: Examples of plants and animals changing their environment could include a squirrel digs in the ground to hide its food and tree roots can break concrete.][assessment boundary: assessment is limited to a single example of a plant or animal per item or task.]

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.
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.
3.1.4.A — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
3.1.K.A — Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

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
1-LS1-1.DCI.D: — Information Processing 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. NRC Framework Link
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-ESS2-2. — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs. Clarification Statement: Examples of plants and animals changing their environment could include beavers building dams, a squirrel digging in the ground to hide its food, and tree roots breaking concrete. Humans have developed means to heat and/or cool our homes and vehicles to protect ourselves from the elements.
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, humans use soil and water to grow food, and grasses need sunlight so they often grow in meadows. Plants, animals, and their surroundings make up a system. State Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include specific habitats or biomes.

South Dakota

What is the relationship between animals and what they eat, and how does that determine where they live?
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 — Describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or designed world(s).
1-LS1-1 — 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.*

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.
K.ESS3.1 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the basic needs (shelter, food, water) of different plants and animals (including humans) and the places they live.

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;
3.13A — explore and explain how external structures and functions of animals such as the neck of a giraffe or webbed feet on a duck enable them to survive in their environment; and

Utah

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)
Students relate the shape and structure of an object or living thing to its properties and functions.
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)
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)
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)

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.
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.
Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.

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.
3.4.b — Adaptations may be behavioral or physical.
1.1.a.i — Ask questions and make predictions based on observations.
2.5.b — An animal’s habitat provides all of its basic needs.

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.
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.

Washington, D.C.

4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Read grade-appropriate texts and/or use media to obtain scientific and/or technical information to determine patterns in and/or evidence about the natural and designed world(s).
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-ESS2-2 — Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
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.

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.K.5 — Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants or animals (including humans) and the places they live.
Determining the relationships between structure and function
S.4.9 — Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

Wisconsin

All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions.
Animals sense and communicate information and respond to inputs with behaviors that help them grow and survive.
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.
Particular organisms can only survive in particular environments.

Wyoming

All organisms have external parts that they use to perform daily functions.
Animals obtain food they need from plants or other animals. Plants need water and light.
A range of different organisms lives in different places.
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.
Animals sense and communicate information and respond to inputs with behaviors that help them grow and survive.