Unit Plan 30 (Grade 1 Science): Structures for Protection
Grade 1 science unit where students explore animal protection structures like camouflage, shells, and spikes, then design a nature-inspired solution to protect objects.
Focus: Investigate how animals use external parts for protection (like camouflage, shells, and spikes) and design a simple solution to a human problem by mimicking those structures.
Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Engineering Design)
Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 45–60 minutes per session
I. Introduction
Students explore how animals stay safe using their external parts. They observe examples of camouflage (blending in), shells (hard coverings), and spikes/quills (sharp protection) and discuss how these structures help animals survive and meet their needs. Then students become “nature engineers” who choose one animal structure and mimic it to design a tool that solves a simple classroom problem—like protecting a fragile object, keeping something from being “caught,” or creating a safe cover. The week ends with a short Nature-Inspired Protection Showcase where students explain what they built and how it works.
Essential Questions
- How do animals use structures on their bodies to stay safe?
- How do camouflage, shells, and spikes help animals survive?
- How can we mimic an animal’s external parts to design a solution to a human problem?
II. Objectives and Standards
Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:
- Identify and describe animal external parts that help with protection (e.g., camouflage, shell, spikes).
- Explain (in simple terms) how a specific structure helps an animal survive or meet its needs.
- Choose one animal structure and describe the key feature to mimic (hard cover, blending colors, sharp “don’t touch” points).
- Build a simple nature-inspired model/tool that solves a classroom problem using available materials.
- Share an evidence-based explanation of how their design works and what animal structure it mimics.
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.
Success Criteria — Student Language
- I can name animal structures that help with protection.
- I can explain how camouflage, a shell, or spikes help an animal stay safe.
- I can build a design that mimics an animal’s external parts.
- I can explain how my design solves the problem and what it copied from nature.
- I can use words like structure, protect, camouflage, shell, spikes, and mimic.