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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes

Internal and external structures of animals

Animals and habitats

CCSS NGSS.4-LS1-1England: KS2 Y4 Animals, including humansEngland: KS2 Y3 Animals, including humans

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Internal and external structures of animals.

  • 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 body parts and the jobs they do

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

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 body parts and the jobs they do). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. What job does this body part do: an eagle's sharp claws (talons)? (to pick up and eat food / to grip and carry prey / to protect its soft body / to sip nectar from flowers) → to grip and carry preyPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal protect its soft body? (a cat's whiskers / a duck's webbed feet / an elephant's trunk / a tortoise's shell) → a tortoise's shellPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  3. A parrot has a short, strong, hooked beak. What is it good for? (catching fish underwater / sipping nectar / cracking open nuts and seeds / digging tunnels) → cracking open nuts and seedsPrompt: Strong and short works like a nutcracker.

Hook · 3 min

  • Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
  • Share the objective: Internal and external structures of animals. 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: Is this an internal or an external structure: a turtle's shell?
  • Step 1: External structures are on the outside, where we can see them.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: external (outside the body)
  • Answer: external (outside the body)
  • 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. Is this an internal or an external structure: a bird's feathers? (external (outside the body) / internal (inside the body)) → external (outside the body)Prompt: Could you see it without looking inside the animal?
  2. What does this internal structure do: lungs? (controls the body and processes information / take in oxygen from the air / supports and protects the body / breaks down food) → take in oxygen from the airPrompt: Think about what keeps an animal alive: blood, air, food, control, support.

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. Is this an internal or an external structure: the lungs? (external (outside the body) / internal (inside the body)) → internal (inside the body)Prompt: Could you see it without looking inside the animal?
  2. Why is a skull (an internal structure) important? (It helps you breathe. / It digests food. / It protects the brain. / It pumps blood.) → It protects the brain.Prompt: What soft organ is inside your head?

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 body parts and the jobs they do.
  • 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

  • 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-4.

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

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Internal and external structures of animals

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    What does this internal structure do: gills?

    • A. pumps blood around the body
    • B. breaks down food
    • C. take in oxygen from water
    • D. controls the body and processes information

  2. Question 2

    Is this an internal or an external structure: the skeleton of a dog?

    • A. external (outside the body)
    • B. internal (inside the body)

  3. Question 3

    A crab sheds its shell as it grows. Why?

    • A. It is too hot inside.
    • B. The hard external shell cannot stretch, so it must be replaced by a bigger one.
    • C. To change colour.
    • D. Its shell is made of skin.

  4. Question 4

    What does this internal structure do: skeleton?

    • A. take in oxygen from water
    • B. pumps blood around the body
    • C. breaks down food
    • D. supports and protects the body

  5. Question 5

    Is this an internal or an external structure: an eagle's talons?

    • A. external (outside the body)
    • B. internal (inside the body)

  6. Question 6

    A shark's skeleton is made of cartilage, not bone. Is it internal or external?

    • A. external
    • B. it is made of scales
    • C. sharks have no skeleton
    • D. internal

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Answer key: Internal and external structures of animals

  1. 1. C. take in oxygen from water

  2. 2. B. internal (inside the body)

  3. 3. B. The hard external shell cannot stretch, so it must be replaced by a bigger one.

  4. 4. D. supports and protects the body

  5. 5. A. external (outside the body)

  6. 6. D. internal