Standard Area - MST:
Math, Science & Technology
- Standard - MST4: Students will understand and apply scientific concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
- Key Idea Code - MST4.LE:
- Key Idea - MST4.LE3: Individual organisms and species change over time.
- Academic Level - MST4.E.LE3:
- Performance Indicator - MST4.E.LE3A: Students describe how the structures of plants and animals complement the environment of the plant or animal.
- Major Understandings - 3.1a : Each animal has different structures that serve different functions in growth,
survival, and reproduction.
- wings, legs, or fins enable some animals to seek shelter and escape predators
- the mouth, including teeth, jaws, and tongue, enables some animals to eat and
drink
- eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin of some animals enable the animals to sense
their surroundings
- claws, shells, spines, feathers, fur, scales, and color of body covering enable
some animals to protect themselves from predators and other environmental
conditions, or enable them to obtain food
- some animals have parts that are used to produce sounds and smells to help the
animal meet its needs
- the characteristics of some animals change as seasonal conditions change (e.g.,
fur grows and is shed to help regulate body heat; body fat is a form of stored
energy and it changes as the seasons change)
- Major Understandings - 3.1b : Each plant has different structures that serve different functions in growth,
survival, and reproduction.
- roots help support the plant and take in water and nutrients
- leaves help plants utilize sunlight to make food for the plant
- stems, stalks, trunks, and other similar structures provide support for the plant
- some plants have flowers
- flowers are reproductive structures of plants that produce fruit which contains seeds
- seeds contain stored food that aids in germination and the growth of young plants
- Major Understandings - 3.1c : In order to survive in their environment, plants and animals must be adapted to
that environment.
- seeds disperse by a plant’s own mechanism and/or in a variety of ways that can
include wind, water, and animals
- leaf, flower, stem, and root adaptations may include variations in size, shape,
thickness, color, smell, and texture
- animal adaptations include coloration for warning or attraction, camouflage,
defense mechanisms, movement, hibernation, and migration
