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Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 30 minutes

Animal body parts and the jobs they do

Animals and habitats

CCSS NGSS.1-LS1-1England: KS1 Y1 Animals, including humans

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Animal body parts and the jobs they do.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians

Leads to: Inventions inspired by animals and plants; Internal and external structures of animals

Materials: Animal picture cards, Habitat maps, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which animal group does a axolotl belong to? (bird / fish / reptile / amphibian) → amphibianPrompt: What covers its body: fur, feathers, scales or moist skin?
  2. Which of these animals is a amphibian? (chameleon / tortoise / ostrich / toad) → toadPrompt: Think about what covers each animal's body.
  3. A frog's young live in water and breathe with gills, then grow lungs. What group is it? (mammals / reptiles / fish / amphibians) → amphibiansPrompt: This group lives "two lives": in water and on land.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
  • Share the objective: Animal body parts and the jobs they do. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: What job does this body part do: a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)?
  • Step 1: It uncurls like a straw to reach deep into flowers.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: to sip nectar from flowers
  • Answer: to sip nectar from flowers
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. What job does this body part do: an eagle's sharp claws (talons)? (to grip and carry prey / to keep enemies away / to breathe underwater / to feel its way in the dark) → to grip and carry preyPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal feel its way in the dark? (a fish's gills / a cat's whiskers / an eagle's sharp claws (talons) / a bird's beak) → a cat's whiskersPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which body part helps an animal pick up and eat food? (an eagle's sharp claws (talons) / a fish's gills / a bird's beak / a tortoise's shell) → a bird's beakPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  2. What job does this body part do: a duck's webbed feet? (to grip and carry prey / to breathe underwater / to protect its soft body / to paddle through water) → to paddle through waterPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians.
  • Use concrete materials: animal picture cards.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Inventions inspired by animals and plants; Internal and external structures of animals.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Animal body parts and the jobs they do

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    A parrot has a short, strong, hooked beak. What is it good for?

    • A. cracking open nuts and seeds
    • B. digging tunnels
    • C. sipping nectar
    • D. catching fish underwater

  2. Question 2

    Which body part helps an animal breathe underwater?

    • A. an eagle's sharp claws (talons)
    • B. a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)
    • C. a fish's gills
    • D. a bird's beak

  3. Question 3

    What job does this body part do: a porcupine's quills?

    • A. to pick up and eat food
    • B. to keep enemies away
    • C. to paddle through water
    • D. to breathe underwater

  4. Question 4

    A hummingbird has a long, thin beak. What does this suggest about its food?

    • A. It cracks hard nuts.
    • B. It tears meat.
    • C. It reaches deep into flowers for nectar.
    • D. It eats leaves from tall trees.

  5. Question 5

    Which body part helps an animal paddle through water?

    • A. a duck's webbed feet
    • B. an elephant's trunk
    • C. a tortoise's shell
    • D. an eagle's sharp claws (talons)

  6. Question 6

    What job does this body part do: an elephant's trunk?

    • A. to keep enemies away
    • B. to paddle through water
    • C. to grab food and suck up water
    • D. to sip nectar from flowers

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Answer key: Animal body parts and the jobs they do

  1. 1. A. cracking open nuts and seeds

  2. 2. C. a fish's gills

  3. 3. B. to keep enemies away

  4. 4. C. It reaches deep into flowers for nectar.

  5. 5. A. a duck's webbed feet

  6. 6. C. to grab food and suck up water