Structure, Function, and Information Processing
Unit description: In this unit, students will spend time observing plants and animals to gather evidence that organisms are living systems. They will develop an understanding that plants and animals have external and internal structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior and reproduction. Students use the concept of systems to understand that every animal has internal and external structures that allow it to take in information from the environment in which it lives, process that information, and respond in ways that increase its chances to grow, reproduce, and survive.
Download the complete Grade 4 Science Unit 3 framework to customize for your own planning.
Standards
4-PS4-2. Develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eye allows objects to be seen.
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.
Essential Questions and Big Ideas
How do we see objects?
- An object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eyes. (4-PS4-2)
How do plants and animals process information and respond to things?
- Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)
- Different sense receptors are specialized for particular kinds of information, which may be then processed by the animal’s brain. Animals are able to use their perceptions and memories to guide their actions. (4-LS1-2)