K-LS1-1: What Plants and Animals Need
Also called NGSS K-LS1-1 · Topic: Interdependent Relationships in Ecosystems: Animals, Plants, and Their Environment · Life Science
The Official Wording
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 do not; 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.
NGSS Lead States, 2013 · Read it on nextgenscience.org · checked October 15, 2026
What K-LS1-1 Means in Plain English
Kindergartners watch plants, animals and people over time and notice patterns in what living things need to stay alive. Every living thing needs water. Plants need light but do not eat food, while animals must eat, and different animals eat different foods.
Children describe needs from what they see, not from how a plant makes its food, which comes in middle school. This work sets up K-ESS3-1, where children connect each living thing's needs to the place it lives. Later, 2-LS2-1 tests what plants need to grow.
K-LS1-1 I Can Statements
- I can tell what plants need to stay alive.
- I can tell what animals and people need to stay alive.
- I can name one need that all living things share.
K-LS1-1 Worked Example
A two-week plant watch a class can run with two seedlings, a windowsill and a cupboard.
Does a pea seedling need light to grow well?
Set It Up: Two pea seedlings in matching cups of soil, a sunny windowsill, a dark cupboard, a small cup for pouring water, and the class goldfish to compare with.
- Put one seedling on the windowsill and one in the cupboard. Water both the same amount.Same plant, same water, different light
- Check both plants every other day for two weeks and draw what you see.Drawings in a science journal
- Compare the two plants at the end.Windowsill: green and upright. Cupboard: pale yellow and spindly
- Watch the goldfish at feeding time and talk about how it gets what it needs.The fish eats flakes. The plant never eats
The seedling in the dark turned pale and weak while the one in the light stayed green, so plants need light.
Why it works: Plants use light to make their own food, while animals like the goldfish have to eat to get theirs.
Common Mistakes with K-LS1-1
Thinking plants eat food
“Plants eat dirt.”
Try this: Plants take in water from the soil, but they do not eat. They use light to make their own food.
Leaving people out
“People aren't animals, so we need different things.”
Try this: People are animals too. Like a dog or a fish, we need water, food and air to stay alive.
Mixing up wants and needs
“My cat needs a toy.”
Try this: Ask if the living thing could stay alive without it. A cat needs food and water, but a toy is a want.
Where K-LS1-1 Fits
Practice K-LS1-1
Quick Check
- What is one thing every plant and animal needs?
- A plant is kept in a dark closet for two weeks. What happens to it?
- Does a rabbit eat the same food as a lion?