Changing a Place to Live In
A 45-minute Kindergarten lesson on how plants, animals and people change a place in order to get what they need.
Changing a Place to Live In is a free 45-minute Kindergarten science lesson plan for Common Core standard K-ESS2-2 — give evidence that living things change a place to get what they need. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Kindergarten
- Length:
- 45 minutes
- Standard:
- K-ESS2-2
Kindergarten · Earth and Space Science
K-ESS2-2
Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.
Objective
Students will be able to name a change a living thing makes and the need it meets.
Students are successful when they can
- Names what the living thing changed.
- Names the need that change met.
- Finds an example outside, in the school grounds.
What you need
- Photographs of a burrow, a nest, a molehill and a hedge
- Clipboards for outside
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — who made that hole?
5 min- Show a photograph of a rabbit burrow and ask what made it.
- Ask why the rabbit bothered.
Teach — the change and the need
12 min- Say both halves for the burrow: the rabbit dug the ground, to make a safe place to rest.
- Do a nest: the bird gathered twigs, to make a safe place for its eggs.
- Do a molehill: the mole pushed soil up, because it was digging for worms to eat.
- Do people: a hedge round a field, to keep the wind off the crops.
- Say the pattern: living things change a place to get something they need.
- Ask what the change would be for if the need went away.
“What did it change, and what did it need?”
Investigate — find one outside
15 min- Take the class into the grounds with clipboards.
- Pairs find one thing a living thing has changed: a worn path, a nest, a hole, a planted bed.
- They draw it and say what living thing changed it.
- Back inside, each pair says the need it met.
Independent practice
10 min- Students complete the 'Changing a Place to Live In' page.
- Check the reason names a need, not just an activity.
Close
3 min- Ask what the class has changed about the school grounds this year.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says animals change things by accident only.
Why: A molehill looks like a mess.
Fix: Ask what the mole was doing. Digging for food, and the hill is what that leaves.
Thinks only people change places.
Why: People build the visible things.
Fix: Show the burrow and the nest. Both are built, and neither by a person.
Names the change without the need.
Why: The change is what you can see.
Fix: Ask why. A change with no need named is only half the answer.
If they are not there yet
- Three photographs with the need offered as a choice of two.
- Work indoors with pictures rather than going outside.
If they finish early
- Find a change that met two needs at once.
- Say what would happen to the burrow if the rabbit left.
- Find a change a plant made rather than an animal.
Exit ticket
A bird builds a nest in a tree. What did it change, and what need did that meet?
What to look for: It gathered twigs into a nest, to make a safe place for its eggs. Only the change means the need step is missing.
Printable practice for K-ESS2-2
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Changing a Place to Live InDraw a line from each one to the reason.
Questions about Changing a Place to Live In
How long does the Changing a Place to Live In lesson take?
45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 12 min, investigate 15 min, independent practice 10 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Changing a Place to Live In teach?
K-ESS2-2 — K-ESS2-2, Earth and Space Science for Kindergarten: “Construct an argument supported by evidence for how plants and animals (including humans) can change the environment to meet their needs.” In plain terms, give evidence that living things change a place to get what they need.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Photographs of a burrow, a nest, a molehill and a hedge, clipboards for outside and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says animals change things by accident only; thinks only people change places and names the change without the need. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “A bird builds a nest in a tree. What did it change, and what need did that meet?.” It gathered twigs into a nest, to make a safe place for its eggs. Only the change means the need step is missing. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Changing a Place to Live In?
Yes — 1 printable K-ESS2-2 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Changing a Place to Live In free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-08. Aligned to K-ESS2-2 of the Next Generation Science Standards.