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Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 60 minutes

Animal body parts and the jobs they do

Animals and habitats

CCSS NGSS.1-LS1-1England: KS1 Y1 Animals, including humans

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Animal body parts and the jobs they do.

  • 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 groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians

Leads to: Inventions inspired by animals and plants; Internal and external structures of animals

Materials: Animal picture cards, Habitat maps, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which animal group does a chicken belong to? (fish / bird / mammal / reptile) → birdPrompt: What covers its body: fur, feathers, scales or moist skin?
  2. Which of these animals is a mammal? (eagle / elephant / robin / frog) → elephantPrompt: Think about what covers each animal's body.
  3. A bat flies at night. What group does it belong to? (birds / reptiles / insects / mammals) → mammalsPrompt: Bats have fur and feed their babies milk.

Hook · 6 min

  • Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
  • Share the objective: Animal body parts and the jobs they do. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: What job does this body part do: a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)?
  • Step 1: It uncurls like a straw to reach deep into flowers.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: to sip nectar from flowers
  • Answer: to sip nectar from flowers
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 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. What job does this body part do: a cat's whiskers? (to feel its way in the dark / to keep enemies away / to pick up and eat food / to protect its soft body) → to feel its way in the darkPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal grab food and suck up water? (a cat's whiskers / a duck's webbed feet / an elephant's trunk / a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)) → an elephant's trunkPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Which body part helps an animal grab food and suck up water? (an elephant's trunk / a fish's gills / a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis) / a cat's whiskers) → an elephant's trunkPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  2. A mole has big, spade-like front paws. Where does it probably live? (on ice / in the open sea / in tunnels underground / high in trees) → in tunnels undergroundPrompt: What would you use a spade for?

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 groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians.
  • 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

  • Move on to: Inventions inspired by animals and plants; Internal and external structures of animals.
  • 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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Animal body parts and the jobs they do

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    A hummingbird has a long, thin beak. What does this suggest about its food?

    • A. It cracks hard nuts.
    • B. It reaches deep into flowers for nectar.
    • C. It tears meat.
    • D. It eats leaves from tall trees.

  2. Question 2

    What job does this body part do: a bird's beak?

    • A. to sip nectar from flowers
    • B. to pick up and eat food
    • C. to paddle through water
    • D. to breathe underwater

  3. Question 3

    Which body part helps an animal grab food and suck up water?

    • A. a porcupine's quills
    • B. a fish's gills
    • C. an elephant's trunk
    • D. a tortoise's shell

  4. Question 4

    A parrot has a short, strong, hooked beak. What is it good for?

    • A. cracking open nuts and seeds
    • B. catching fish underwater
    • C. digging tunnels
    • D. sipping nectar

  5. Question 5

    What job does this body part do: a fish's gills?

    • A. to breathe underwater
    • B. to feel its way in the dark
    • C. to grip and carry prey
    • D. to paddle through water

  6. Question 6

    Which body part helps an animal protect its soft body?

    • A. an elephant's trunk
    • B. a fish's gills
    • C. a tortoise's shell
    • D. a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)

  7. Question 7

    Which body part helps an animal feel its way in the dark?

    • A. a duck's webbed feet
    • B. a cat's whiskers
    • C. an elephant's trunk
    • D. a tortoise's shell

  8. Question 8

    What job does this body part do: a butterfly's long tongue (proboscis)?

    • A. to sip nectar from flowers
    • B. to feel its way in the dark
    • C. to pick up and eat food
    • D. to grip and carry prey

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Answer key: Animal body parts and the jobs they do

  1. 1. B. It reaches deep into flowers for nectar.

  2. 2. B. to pick up and eat food

  3. 3. C. an elephant's trunk

  4. 4. A. cracking open nuts and seeds

  5. 5. A. to breathe underwater

  6. 6. C. a tortoise's shell

  7. 7. B. a cat's whiskers

  8. 8. A. to sip nectar from flowers