Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes
Major organs and their jobs
Human body and health
CCSS NGSS.4-LS1-1England: KS2 Y4 Animals, including humansEngland: KS2 Y6 Animals, including humans
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Major organs and their jobs.
- 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: Skeleton and muscles
Leads to: Heart, blood and circulation; Cells, tissues, organs and organ systems; Human organ systems and how they work together
Materials: Stopwatches, Body diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 4 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Skeleton and muscles). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- How do muscles move bones? (by pushing them / by melting / by contracting (getting shorter) and pulling on them / by growing longer) → by contracting (getting shorter) and pulling on themPrompt: Muscles can only pull, never push.
- Skeleton and muscles: which statement is true? (Babies and adults have exactly the same number of bones. / Bones are dead, like rocks. / The spine (backbone) protects the spinal cord. / Muscles can push bones as well as pull them.) → The spine (backbone) protects the spinal cord.Prompt: Think about what happens when you break a bone.
- To bend your arm at the elbow, which muscle contracts? (the stomach / the heart / the biceps / the triceps) → the bicepsPrompt: It is on the front of your upper arm.
Hook · 3 min
- Ask everyone to find their pulse, then jump for 30 seconds and find it again.
- Share the objective: Major organs and their jobs. 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: Which organ receives messages from the senses?
- Step 1: The brain controls the body, thinking and memory.
- Step 2: So the answer is: brain
- Answer: brain
- 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.
- Which organ receives messages from the senses? (heart / brain / kidneys / lungs) → brainPrompt: Is the job about blood, air, thinking, waste or food?
- Organs: which statement is true? (The liver helps remove harmful substances from the blood. / Food goes into the lungs to be digested. / The lungs pump blood. / The heart is in the stomach.) → The liver helps remove harmful substances from the blood.Prompt: Picture where each organ sits in the body.
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.
- Which organ take in oxygen from the air? (kidneys / heart / lungs / brain) → lungsPrompt: Is the job about blood, air, thinking, waste or food?
- Organs: which statement is true? (Food goes into the lungs to be digested. / The heart is in the stomach. / The lungs pump blood. / The heart is a muscle.) → The heart is a muscle.Prompt: Picture where each organ sits in the body.
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: Skeleton and muscles.
- Use concrete materials: stopwatches.
- 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: Heart, blood and circulation; Cells, tissues, organs and organ systems; Human organ systems and how they work together.
- 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