1st grade · Science · Unit 1 of 8
Animal Survival
How animals stay safe and warm
What your child practices
Body features (thick fur, webbed feet, shells, camouflage) and behaviors (hibernating, migrating, storing food) that help animals survive.
New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 1-LS1-1 · how animals' outside parts help them survive
How we explain it
Children can open this short lesson before they practice.
- Body parts help animals live: webbed feet swim, thick fur keeps warm.
- Things animals do help too, like storing nuts.
- Some sleep all winter (hibernate). Some fly south (migrate).
Example: Many bears sleep all winter. What is that called? A long winter sleep is called hibernating. Answer: hibernating
Animal Survival in New York
In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 1 of 8 in 1st grade Science, before Light & Sound.
Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
What keeps a turtle safe?
- 🧸its fluffy fur
- 🐢its hard shell
- 👂its long ears
🐢 its hard shell
Hint: A turtle can pull its head and legs inside its hard shell to stay safe.
Question 2
Which animal has thick fur to stay warm?
- 🐻bear
- 🐟fish
- 🐸frog
🐻 bear
Hint: Thick fur is like a warm coat that an animal never takes off.
Question 3
Why do many animals grow thicker fur in the fall?
- ❄️to stay warm in winter
- 🏊to swim faster
- 🌰to hide food
❄️ to stay warm in winter
Hint: Winter is coming! Thicker fur keeps animals warm when it's cold.
Question 4
Snowshoe hares turn white in winter. How does this help?
🐇- ❄️they can hide in the snow
- 🏊they can swim
- 🧊they stay cooler
❄️ they can hide in the snow
Hint: White fur blends in with snow, so foxes can't spot them. That's camouflage!
Question 5
Is it a body part or something an animal does?
Sort into: 🦶 body part · 🏃 something it does
- 🐇long ears
- 🐦flies south in fall
- 🦉sharp beak
- 🦫builds a dam
- 🌙hunts at night
- 🐟fins
🦶 body part: long ears, sharp beak, fins · 🏃 something it does: flies south in fall, builds a dam, hunts at night
Hint: Body parts are things an animal has, like fur. Other things are what it does, like sleeping.
Question 6
What helps a duck swim?
🦆- 🐾sharp claws
- 👂long ears
- 🦶webbed feet
🦶 webbed feet
Hint: A duck's webbed feet push the water like paddles.