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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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 fish's gills? (to protect its soft body / to keep enemies away / to breathe underwater / to feel its way in the dark) → to breathe underwaterPrompt: Think about where the animal lives and what it eats.
  2. Which body part helps an animal protect its soft body? (an eagle's sharp claws (talons) / a duck's webbed feet / a bird's beak / a tortoise's shell) → a tortoise's shellPrompt: Picture the animal doing the job.
  3. 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?

Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 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. Is this an internal or an external structure: an eagle's talons? (external (outside the body) / internal (inside the body)) → external (outside the body)Prompt: Could you see it without looking inside the animal?
  2. What does this internal structure do: stomach? (pumps blood around the body / take in oxygen from water / controls the body and processes information / breaks down food) → breaks down foodPrompt: Think about what keeps an animal alive: blood, air, food, control, support.

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. Is this an internal or an external structure: a bird's feathers? (external (outside the body) / internal (inside the body)) → external (outside the body)Prompt: Could you see it without looking inside the animal?
  2. A crab sheds its shell as it grows. Why? (To change colour. / Its shell is made of skin. / The hard external shell cannot stretch, so it must be replaced by a bigger one. / 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

    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. breaks down food

  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. To change colour.
    • C. It is too hot inside.
    • D. Its shell is made of skin.

  3. Question 3

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

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

  4. Question 4

    What does this internal structure do: stomach?

    • A. pumps blood around the body
    • B. controls the body and processes information
    • C. supports and protects the body
    • D. breaks down food

  5. Question 5

    Insects have no bones. What holds their bodies up?

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

  6. Question 6

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

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

  7. Question 7

    What does this internal structure do: heart?

    • A. breaks down food
    • B. supports and protects the body
    • C. pumps blood around the body
    • D. controls the body and processes information

  8. Question 8

    Is this an internal or an external structure: a fish's fins?

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

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Answer key: Internal and external structures of animals

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

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

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

  4. 4. D. breaks down food

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

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

  7. 7. C. pumps blood around the body

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