Unit Plan 10 (Grade 1 Science): Animal Body Parts
Grade 1 science unit explores how animal external body parts help survival, then challenges students to design and test human solutions that mimic those structures.
Focus: Identify how animals’ external body parts (claws, tails, beaks, fur, shells, wings) help them survive, grow, and meet their needs, then design a solution to a human problem by mimicking one of those structures.
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Engineering Design • Structure & Function)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 30–45 minutes per session
I. Introduction
In this unit, students become animal structure detectives. They observe pictures, short texts, and real-life examples (feathers, fur samples, shells, etc.) to discover how animals use external body parts to help them find food, stay safe, move, and stay warm or cool. Students compare how different animals solve similar problems in different ways (e.g., beaks for eating, fur for warmth, shells for protection).
To apply their learning, students take on a simple engineering challenge: they choose a human problem (gripping, carrying, staying warm, staying dry, protecting something fragile) and design a tool or object that mimics an animal body part. The week ends with an “Animal-Inspired Solutions Showcase,” where students explain which animal part they copied and why it helps.
Essential Questions
- What are external body parts, and how do they help animals survive?
- How do different animals use different body parts to solve similar problems?
- How can we mimic an animal body part to design a solution to a human problem?
- What makes a design work well (what we want it to do) and what limits do we have (materials/time)?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify common external animal body parts (beaks, claws, tails, fur, scales, shells, wings) and describe what they do.
- Explain how at least one body part helps an animal meet a need (food, safety, movement, warmth).
- Compare two animals and describe how their body parts help them survive in different ways.
- Define a simple human problem and name basic criteria (what the solution must do) and constraints (materials, time).
- Design, build, test, and improve a simple solution that mimics an animal body part and explain how it helps.
Standards Alignment — Grade 1 (NGSS-Aligned)
- 1-LS1-1 — Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
- Example: Design a “gripper” tool inspired by claws or a “warm cover” inspired by fur/feathers.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name animal body parts and tell how they help the animal.
- I can explain how a body part helps an animal get food, stay safe, move, or stay warm/cool.
- I can compare two animals and explain how their body parts are different.
- I can describe a problem and what my design needs to do (criteria) and my limits (constraints).
- I can build a solution that mimics an animal body part and explain why it works.