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Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 45 minutes

Inventions inspired by animals and plants

Animals and habitats

CCSS NGSS.1-LS1-1CCSS NGSS.K-2-ETS1-2England: KS1 Y1 Animals, including humansEngland: KS1 Design and technology links

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Inventions inspired by animals and plants.

  • 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 · 5 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 tortoise's shell? (to sip nectar from flowers / to keep enemies away / to grab food and suck up water / to protect its soft body) → to protect its soft bodyPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal pick up and eat food? (a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis) / an eagle's sharp claws (talons) / a bird's beak / a tortoise's shell) → a bird's beakPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  3. A mole has big, spade-like front paws. Where does it probably live? (in tunnels underground / in the open sea / high in trees / on ice) → in tunnels undergroundPrompt: What would you use a spade for?

Hook · 5 min

  • Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
  • Share the objective: Inventions inspired by animals and plants. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which part of nature inspired this design: self-cleaning paint that rain washes clean?
  • Step 1: Water rolls off lotus leaves and carries dirt away.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: a lotus leaf
  • Answer: a lotus leaf
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 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. Which part of nature inspired this design: self-cleaning paint that rain washes clean? (a cat's eyes shining in headlights / a duck's webbed feet / burrs that stick to dog fur / a lotus leaf) → a lotus leafPrompt: Which animal or plant part does the same job?
  2. Why do engineers copy ideas from living things? (Living things are made of metal. / Plants and animals have useful features that solve problems. / It is the only way to invent anything. / Animals ask them to.) → Plants and animals have useful features that solve problems.Prompt: How long have animals been solving problems like gripping, swimming and keeping warm?

You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. True or false? Swimming flippers work a bit like webbed feet. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Think of Velcro, flippers and reflectors.
  2. Engineers want a robot hand that can grip a slippery wet bottle. Which animal should they study? (a jellyfish, which has no grip / an octopus, with its suction cups / a bird's feathers / a snail's shell) → an octopus, with its suction cupsPrompt: Which animal holds onto slippery rocks underwater?

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-1.

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

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Inventions inspired by animals and plants

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Gecko lizards can walk up walls. What have scientists made by copying their feet?

    • A. grippy pads that stick without glue
    • B. smoother ice skates
    • C. heavier boots
    • D. louder alarms

  2. Question 2

    True or false? Engineers never learn anything from animals.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  3. Question 3

    Which part of nature inspired this design: self-cleaning paint that rain washes clean?

    • A. a lotus leaf
    • B. a cat's eyes shining in headlights
    • C. a kingfisher's beak
    • D. a humpback whale's bumpy flippers

  4. Question 4

    Why do engineers copy ideas from living things?

    • A. It is the only way to invent anything.
    • B. Animals ask them to.
    • C. Living things are made of metal.
    • D. Plants and animals have useful features that solve problems.

  5. Question 5

    True or false? Velcro was invented after someone looked closely at burrs.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  6. Question 6

    Which part of nature inspired this design: wind turbine blades with bumps on the edge?

    • A. a kingfisher's beak
    • B. burrs that stick to dog fur
    • C. a lotus leaf
    • D. a humpback whale's bumpy flippers

  7. Question 7

    A team wants a coat that keeps people warm in snow. Which animal feature could they copy?

    • A. a fish's scales
    • B. a cactus's spines
    • C. a polar bear's thick fur
    • D. a frog's damp skin

  8. Question 8

    True or false? Copying ideas from nature is called biomimicry.

    • A. True
    • B. False

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Answer key: Inventions inspired by animals and plants

  1. 1. A. grippy pads that stick without glue

  2. 2. B. False

  3. 3. A. a lotus leaf

  4. 4. D. Plants and animals have useful features that solve problems.

  5. 5. A. True

  6. 6. D. a humpback whale's bumpy flippers

  7. 7. C. a polar bear's thick fur

  8. 8. A. True