Use discussion, a short clip's narration, and spoken reasoning to carry the survival-needs idea.
Listen first
Play the short habitat video clip with eyes closed for the first 30 seconds — students listen for the sounds of the habitat (running water, wind, birds) and predict aloud what the animal needs from it before they see anything.
The "what if?" talk circle
Run the missing-need question as a spoken chain. Pose: "What if this habitat lost its water?" One student answers, then adds "…and that means…" passing to the next, building a spoken cause-and-effect chain around the circle.
Talk the sort
For the sorting cards, partners explain their grouping aloud — "these three belong together because they all need ___" — before recording anything.