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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 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 · 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 butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)? (to grab food and suck up water / to feel its way in the dark / to sip nectar from flowers / to pick up and eat food) → to sip nectar from flowersPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal paddle through water? (a fish's gills / a duck's webbed feet / an elephant's trunk / a cat's whiskers) → a duck's webbed feetPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  3. A parrot has a short, strong, hooked beak. What is it good for? (digging tunnels / catching fish underwater / cracking open nuts and seeds / sipping nectar) → cracking open nuts and seedsPrompt: Strong and short works like a nutcracker.

Hook · 5 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 · 10 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 · 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. Is this an internal or an external structure: the stomach? (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: gills? (take in oxygen from the air / take in oxygen from water / breaks down food / pumps blood around the body) → take in oxygen from waterPrompt: Think about what keeps an animal alive: blood, air, food, control, support.

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. What does this internal structure do: brain? (breaks down food / take in oxygen from water / pumps blood around the body / controls the body and processes information) → controls the body and processes informationPrompt: Think about what keeps an animal alive: blood, air, food, control, support.
  2. A crab sheds its shell as it grows. Why? (To change colour. / The hard external shell cannot stretch, so it must be replaced by a bigger one. / Its shell is made of skin. / It is too hot inside.) → The hard external shell cannot stretch, so it must be replaced by a bigger one.Prompt: Could a hard box grow with you?

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/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Insects have no bones. What holds their bodies up?

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

  2. Question 2

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

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

  3. Question 3

    What does this internal structure do: skeleton?

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

  4. Question 4

    A crab sheds its shell as it grows. Why?

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

  5. Question 5

    Is this an internal or an external structure: a hedgehog's spines?

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

  6. Question 6

    What does this internal structure do: lungs?

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

  7. Question 7

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

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

  8. Question 8

    What does this internal structure do: stomach?

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

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Answer key: Internal and external structures of animals

  1. 1. B. a hard outer covering (exoskeleton)

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

  3. 3. B. supports and protects the body

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

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

  6. 6. B. take in oxygen from the air

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

  8. 8. D. breaks down food