The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Animal Structures and Functions

Animal Structures and Functions

A 3rd grade STEM lesson

Callee Escobar

January 31

Notes for teachers

This lesson spans 4-5 days.

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Materials List

Day 1: Science journals, colored pencils, Assessment Probe (p. 21) “Is it made of parts?” 1 copy for each child; a toy animal (stuffed or plastic) for each student; Find the Functions & Structures Activity page

Day 2: animal ‘pet’ for each student; My Pet’s Structure & Function activity page;

Day 3: Adapt an Animal activity page and What is on the Inside Counts activity page

Day 4: What’s on the Outside activity page and Choose Your Own Structures activity page

Day 5:

• Chart paper or Classroom Dry Erase Board

• Rubber insects—grasshoppers, ants and dragonflies (amount recommended is 20 assorted insects per group)

Magnifying lenses

• Drawing or plain white paper for each student

• Videos accompanying lesson

Copies of Insect Images Attached (per student or group)

Copies of Non-Insect Images

Buggy Bodies Handout

Photos

• Photo 1—Ants Feeding- Monster Bug Wars- Filename: 22556_MBW8_Ep_2_Greenants.jpg

• Photo 2—Ant Close Up- Monster Bug Wars- Filename: 22556_MBW5_Ep_2Trapjawant.jpg

• Photo 3—Grasshopper-FOOTT.00658.jpg

• Photo 4—(Orange) Australian Grasshopper- Filename: 33872_030.jpg

• Photo 5—Dragonfly- Wildest Middle East- Filename: 33815_ep105_003.jpg

• Photo 6—Spider eating Bug- Monster Bug Wars- Filename: 22555_MBW7_Ep_1_Waterspider.jpg

• Photo 7—Centipede- Filename: 20959_65.jpg

Standards

3.L1U1.5- Develop and use models to explain that plants and animals (including humans) have internal and external structures that serve various functions that aid in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.

3.L2U1.6- Plan and carry out investigations to demonstrate ways plants and animals react to stimuli.

3.L2U1.7: Develop and use system models to describe the flow of energy from the Sun to and among living organisms.

3.L2U1.8: Construct an argument from evidence that organisms are interdependent.

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Standards

LS1.A: Structure and Function. All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.

3-LS4-2: Use evidence to construct an explanation for how the variations in characteristics among individuals of the same species may provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing.

4-LS1-1 Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

4-LS1-2 Use a model to describe that animals receive different types of information through their senses, process the information in their brain, and respond to the information in different ways.

5-PS3-1 Use models to describe that energy in animals’ food (used for body repair, growth, motion, and to maintain body warmth) was once energy from the sun.

5-LS2-1 Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

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Objectives:

Specific Learning Outcomes (Key Concepts):

• I am learning about the different structures of animals and what the function of the structure is for the animal and how they enable life's functions. (Days 1-2)
• Students will brainstorm internal and external structures and their function and purpose.

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Performance Expectations

• Use a model to locate the structures of the toy animal and explain the function of those structures
• Adapt an animal so they will be able to survive in different environments by adding structures to the animal and explaining why or how that structure will help the animal in that new habitat.
• Design a new organism with all the attributes to survive, grow, and reproduce.

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Agenda

Day 1:

Formative Assessment Probe: “Is it Made of Parts?”

Anchor Phenomenon: STRUCTURES TO THE RESCUE

ENGAGE: “Polar Bears Are Actually Black”

EXPLORE: FIND THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

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Day 2

ENGAGE: Shrew Caravan

EXPLORE: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION MEMORY MATCHING GAME or video

EXPLAIN: MY PET'S STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS

ELABORATE: Copy Cat Challenge

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Day 3

ENGAGE: Mouthbrooding Fish video

EXPLORE: Adapt an Animal

EXPLAIN: It’s What’s on the Outside that Counts

ELABORATE: Burdock Seed Story

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Day 4

EXPLORE: It’s What’s on the Inside that Counts

EXTEND: Choose Your Own Structures

ELABORATE: Guess What We Mimicked

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Day 5

ENGAGE: Desert Beetles Harvest Water

EXPLORE #1: Bug Detectives

EXPLAIN: Physical Features

EXPLORE #2: Buggy Bodies

ELABORATE: Insect Diagram

EVALUATE: Insect Body & Structures

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Intro/Driving Question/Opening

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Students will be able to recognize that living things are made up of parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in water and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow. These parts are the structure of an organism to carry out its life functions. Some external parts of organisms are easy to see; others may be so small that magnification is needed. Some internal parts may not be obvious unless students look inside the object.

Essential Question(s):

1. How do its structures help that living thing do its functions to survive?
2. How do the structures of organisms enable life's functions?
3. Why are internal structures important to plants and animals?
4. Why are external structures important to plants and animals?

Phenomenon:

https://thewonderofscience.com/4ls11#phenomena “Polar Bears Are Not White”

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Formative Assessment Probe: “Is it Made of Parts?” p. 21 Uncovering Student Ideas in Primary Science

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Day 1 Activity Instructions

Engage: First, show students the phenomenon “Polar Bears Are Actually Black” Explore: Students can read along to learn about the different structures of animals and what the function of the structure is for the animal.. Structure & Function Story [4:20] Stop video at 3:25, in your science journal, choose any animal (or plant) to write & draw about: How do its structures help that living thing do its functions to survive? Download Structure to the Rescue PDF Story. Go and find an animal to draw in your science journal page 2.

FIND THE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION: Students will use a model to locate the structures of their toy animals and explain the function of those structures. Students will then draw and write about their findings on a worksheet to show their learning. Using colored pencils, add the pattern to each of the animals.

Download Find the Structure and Function Activity Page

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Day 2 Activity Instructions

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION MEMORY MATCHING GAME

This activity can be played several ways. Students can use the online link, print out the activity sheet, or make their own cards with paper or index cards and writing utensils.

Download Structure and Function Memory Matching Game Activity Page�Download Structure and Function Memory Matching Game Cards With Pictures

Download Structure and Function Memory Matching Game Cards Without Pictures

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Watch “Structure and Function” [8:09] stopping to define anatomy & physiology in the Science Journals. Stop the video completely at the 3 minute mark. Ask: How do the structures of organisms enable life's functions? [to grow, to survive, to reproduce, behavior]

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Day 2 continued

MY PET'S STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS

Engage: First, show students the phenomenon: Shrew Caravan and discuss as a group.

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Explore: Define structure & function in science journals. Create a 2 column chart. Students will identify the structure and function of pets. First with pictures of pets, then they will do it with their own pets.Complete the activity in the science journals. Download My Pet’s Structure and Functions Activity Page

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Day 2 continued

Copy Cat Challenge

Note: Give students a bank of animals to choose from: kangaroo, bird, fish, snake, shark, frog, mountain goat, rabbit, Use science journals. Design a 3 column graph; Obstacle Course #1, #2, #3. Say: Your challenge is to choose which structure you will copy and which function of that structure you will use. Download Copy Cat Challenge Activity Page

This is actually a slide show.

Day 3 Activities

Engage: Students watch video of mouthbrooding fish. What adaptation do we see here?MOTHER RAISING HER BABY FISH BY MOUTHBROODING

Explain: Lake Malawi contains a curious species of fish (ciclid) that hold their offspring in their mouth as they grow and develop. The eggs are fertilized and then help in the mouth until the offspring are able to survive on their own. The parents can still feed while they are taking care of the young but they will generally not feed as much. This phenomenon could be used to explore parental care and could be extended to discuss evolution of this interesting adaptation in this lake. Mouthbrooding Fish - Curious Creatures

Explore: ADAPT AN ANIMAL

Students will adapt their favorite animal so they will be able to survive in different environments. The students will add structures to their animal and then explain why that structure will help their animal in that new habitat.

Download Adapt an Animal Activity Page

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Day 3 continued

WHAT'S ON THE OUTSIDE: HOW DO I LOOK?

Students will brainstorm external structures in plants animals, the function of the structures, and the purpose of the structures. There are places for students to complete scaffolded portions of the activity and places for students to add their own ideas.

For an added challenge: have students research specific animal's external structures, such as a cat's eyes and compare how their function is different from other animals with the same structures.

Download What’s on the Outside Activity Page�Download What’s on the Outside Answer Key

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Day 4 Activities

IT'S WHAT'S ON THE INSIDE THAT COUNTS!

Ask: Why are internal structures important to plants and animals? Students will brainstorm internal structures in plants, animals, the function of the structures, and the purpose of the structures. There are places for students to complete scaffolded portions of the activity and places for students to add their own ideas.

For younger students provide them with diagrams of internal structures for them to label and determine what their functions are. For example, a flower's internal structures or the human body.

Download It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts Activity Page�Download It’s What’s on the Inside That Counts Answer Key

4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

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Day 4 continued

GUESS WHAT WE MIMICKED

Students will match the invention that humans made to the animal structure that they copied by drawing lines to the matches or numbering them.Students will need to compare the structures and functions of the inventions to the examples from nature to find the matches. At the end of the activity, students will look around their house for a tool, or invention, that they think might have been inspired by nature.

Download Guess What We Mimicked Activity Page�Download Guess What We Mimicked Answer Key

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BURDOCK SEED STORY

Students can read along with an adult or with the online reader to learn about biomimicry and how Velcro was created.

Students can pause the video and replay for help sounding out unfamiliar words.

Download Burdock Seed PDF Story

Day 5 Activities

ENGAGE:

• Watch video Desert Beetles Harvest Water
• Description: Certain species of darkling beetles that live in the Namib Desert are able to harvest water vapor using an ingenious series of tips and bumps on their wing scales. The water droplets start to form on the tips and then flow off the waxy bumps to be collected by the beetle. This structure allows the beetle to survive in an incredibly arid environment. It could also be used by engineers to develop a similar system for collecting water for humans. Students should use this and other plants and animal phenomenon to start designing their own solutions to human problems.

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EXPLORE:Divide the students in pairs.

• Tell the students you are going to give them some photos of bugs. You want them to be “bug detectives” and look at the features of the bugs.

EXPLAIN:

• Explain to them that you want them to examine the body parts of the bugs. See if they can identify ways the bugs are the same and ways they are different.
• Explain to them that some of the bugs are insects, while others are not.
• The goal is for the students to see if they can figure out how the bugs’ physical features are different.
• Tell students they are going to watch a video on insects and how they move.
• Tell students to pay attention to the insects’ body parts and how their bodies affect their motions and survival.
• Tell them to be prepared to share one fact about the body parts of the insect and one about how the insect moves. Distribute a blank sheet of paper so the students can write their facts.
• After completion of the video, give the students time to finish writing facts. Then, have them pair with another student to share one of the facts they wrote.

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Day 5 Continued

EXPLORE

• Tell the students that you are going to pass out some rubber insects. You want them to look at the insects’ body parts and evaluate their structure, size and shape. Pass out the insects to each group. Tell the students to talk to their group about what they see.
• Next, use the chart paper or dry erase board to draw a diagram of one of the insects. Demonstrate to the students how to examine the insects and draw and label its body parts.
• Pass out the Buggy Bodies Handout.
• Explain to the students that they will diagram each insect and explain how their parts help it to survive. (You may want to do this activity in groups or partners so that students can share their ideas.)
• Finally, the teacher will select a few students to share their drawings with the class.

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ELABORATE

• Now that the students have evaluated all three of the focus insects, the students will select one of the insects to create a diagram.
• The students will be given two options:
• They can illustrate their insects on black construction paper and diagram its body parts using a pencil. Then, they can trace the insect pencil drawing using white chalk.
• Or option two is to draw the insect’s body parts on white construction paper. Then, cut out each part and reassemble it onto black construction paper. After the students complete their drawings, they can write a story about a day in the life of their insects.

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Assessment

Choose Your Own Structures

Students will choose internal and external structures, define the functions for them, and combine their choices to design a new organism with all the attributes to survive, grow, and reproduce.

Download Choose Your Own Structures Activity Page

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Differentiation

Students that struggle with reading and writing will be able to draw pictures and label diagrams.

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Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students who are successful right away can plan how they could identify the names of more complex structures or apply more depth in explaining function.