Unit Plan 27 (Grade 4 Science): Life Science — Quarter Synthesis

Focus: Explain how structures and information processing help plants and animals survive, grow, and respond to their environment, using arguments, models, and simple designs.

Grade Level: 4

Subject Area: Science (Life Science • Engineering/Design)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this synthesis unit, students pull together what they’ve learned about plant and animal structures and sensory information processing. They review how internal and external structures support survival and growth, how sense receptors send information to the brain, and how organisms respond with behaviors. Through short investigations, modeling tasks, and a mini engineering challenge, students explain how structure and information processing work together to keep living things alive in different environments.

Essential Questions

• How do internal and external structures help plants and animals survive, grow, behave, and reproduce?
• How do sense receptors and the brain help animals detect information and respond with useful behaviors?
• How can we use models, data, and designs to explain how structures and information processing support life?
• How do engineers mimic biological structures and systems to solve human problems?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Identify and explain how key plant and animal structures (roots, leaves, beaks, claws, fur, skeletons, etc.) support survival and growth.
2. Use models and diagrams to show how sense receptors (eyes, ears, skin, nose, tongue) send information to the brain, which then triggers responses.
3. Construct an argument using evidence from observations, readings, and models that links structures and behaviors to survival in specific environments.
4. Analyze simple data tables or charts comparing traits and responses among organisms and explain how these support life.
5. Design, test, and revise a small bio-inspired model or device that imitates a plant/animal structure or sensory system to solve a simple problem.

Standards Alignment — 4th Grade (NGSS-Aligned)

• 4-LS1-1 — Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
  • Example: Explain how a cactus’s thick stem and spines help it survive in a dry desert.
• 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 in different ways.
  • Example: Model how a rabbit sees a predator, the brain processes the danger, and the rabbit runs away.
• 3-5-ETS1-1 — Define a simple design problem with specified criteria and constraints.
  • Example: “Design a model that imitates an animal structure to protect something fragile.”
• 3-5-ETS1-2 — Generate and compare multiple solutions based on how well they meet the criteria and constraints.
  • Example: Compare two “protective shell” designs based on how well they prevent damage.
• 3-5-ETS1-3 — Plan and carry out fair tests with controlled variables to identify improvements to a design.
  • Example: Test two versions of a sensory alarm model and adjust to make the response more reliable.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can name and explain how plant and animal structures help them survive, grow, and behave in their environment.
• I can use a model (diagram, flow chart, or physical model) to show how senses and the brain work together to create a response.
• I can write or share an argument that uses evidence to connect structures or behaviors to survival.
• I can read charts or data comparing traits and explain how they help organisms live in their habitats.
• I can design and improve a small model that imitates a biological structure or system and explain how it helps solve a problem.