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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: a cat's whiskers? (to feel its way in the dark / to grab food and suck up water / to sip nectar from flowers / to paddle through water) → to feel its way in the darkPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal protect its soft body? (a tortoise's shell / a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis) / a bird's beak / a fish's gills) → a tortoise's shellPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  3. A hummingbird has a long, thin beak. What does this suggest about its food? (It tears meat. / It reaches deep into flowers for nectar. / It eats leaves from tall trees. / It cracks hard nuts.) → It reaches deep into flowers for nectar.Prompt: What shape of tool would you use to reach inside a narrow tube?

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: the brain? (external (outside the body) / internal (inside the body)) → internal (inside the body)Prompt: Could you see it without looking inside the animal?
  2. What does this internal structure do: stomach? (supports and protects the body / breaks down food / take in oxygen from water / take in oxygen from the air) → breaks down foodPrompt: 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. Insects have no bones. What holds their bodies up? (a hard outer covering (exoskeleton) / nothing; they are floppy / their wings only / air inside them) → a hard outer covering (exoskeleton)Prompt: Tap a beetle's back (gently): it is hard.
  2. Is this an internal or an external structure: a turtle's shell? (external (outside the body) / internal (inside the body)) → external (outside the body)Prompt: Could you see it without looking inside the animal?

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

    Is this an internal or an external structure: the lungs?

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

  2. Question 2

    A crab sheds its shell as it grows. Why?

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

  3. Question 3

    What does this internal structure do: lungs?

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

  4. Question 4

    Is this an internal or an external structure: the stomach?

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

  5. Question 5

    Insects have no bones. What holds their bodies up?

    • A. a hard outer covering (exoskeleton)
    • B. air inside them
    • C. nothing; they are floppy
    • D. their wings only

  6. Question 6

    What does this internal structure do: gills?

    • A. supports and protects the body
    • B. take in oxygen from water
    • C. take in oxygen from the air
    • D. controls the body and processes information

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Answer key: Internal and external structures of animals

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

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

  3. 3. D. take in oxygen from the air

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

  5. 5. A. a hard outer covering (exoskeleton)

  6. 6. B. take in oxygen from water