Grade Level: 1st Grade

Duration: 4-6 weeks

Unit of Discovery: Meeting Survival Needs

Unit Overview
Standards

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.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of human problems
that can be solved by mimicking plant or animal solutions could include designing clothing or equipment to protect bicyclists by
mimicking turtle shells, acorn shells, and animal scales; stabilizing structures by mimicking animal tails and roots on plants;
keeping out intruders by mimicking thorns on branches and animal quills; and, detecting intruders by mimicking eyes and ears.]

Content

Brief Summary
All organisms have external parts that they can use to capture and convey information to help them survive and grow.
DCI Addressed
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 taking in food, water and air. Plants have
different parts that help them survive and grow. (1-LS1-1)
Information processing- Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth
and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Plants also respond to some external
inputs. (1-LS1-1)

Practices &
CCC

Use materials to design a device that solves a specific problem or a solution to a specific problem. (1-LS1- 1)
The shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their function(s). (1-LS1-1)
Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
o Every human-made product is designed by applying some knowledge of the natural world and is built using
materials derived from the natural world. (1-LS1-1)

Unit Resources

Teacher Resources:

Parts of Animals
What Do You Do With a Mouth Like This; by: Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
What If You Had Animal Teeth; by: Sandra Markle and Howard McWilliam
Birds Use Their Beaks; by: Elaine Pascoe
Parts of Plants
Seeds; by: Ken Robbins
Oh Say Can you Seed? All About Flowering Plants; by: Bonnie Worth
Leaves, Leaves, Leaves; by: Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Animal Survival
I Wonder Why Camels Have Humps: and Other Questions About Animals; by: Anita Ganeri
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This; by: Steve Jenkins and Robin Page
Stellaluna; by: Janell Cannon
Plant Survival
How Plants Grow; by: Angela Royston
Hungry Plants; by: Mary Batten
A Seed In Need; by: Sam Godwin
Activity: What if you had animal teeth
TED Talk: Biomimicry in action
RAZ Kids: Biomimicry
Smithsonian Video: How Biomimicry is Inspiring Human Innovation
Youtube: Biomimicry

Unit Description
Unit Summary(include student role,
issue, problem or challenge, action
taken, and purpose/beneficiary)

Students are shown multiple examples to develop models that allow them to build
understanding (describe and explain) how the specific shape of external body parts of an
animal or plant can be used to help them survive.
PBL: student groups will create/design a bed for an animal that provides comfort and
safety. The students create a model of the bed using materials that can be found in the
animal's habitat.

Driving Question(s)

How do plants and animals (including humans) use their senses and their external parts
and features to aid in their survival and growth?
How do plants and animals depend on one another for survival?
How do humans mimic animal or plant features in an objects they design?

Managing the Process

Phase 1: Engage
Opening Activity- Access Prior Learning/ Stimulate Interest/ Generate Questions:
Hook: Biomimicry
Students watch a video about biomimicry. You then discuss how the idea of
velcro came from a plant and animal interaction to create a new invention.
Students will then brainstorm other examples they see in real life (ie. turtle
shell and helmet, elephant trunk and moveable shower head). Teacher will
create anchor chart that showcases students ideas.

Phase 2: Explore
Allow students to observe, record data, isolate variables, design and plan experiments,

create graphs, interpret results, develop hypotheses, and organize their findings.
Parts of Animals: Do 3 - Activity
In this activity, students look at how inventors and engineers have studied these helpful
animal parts and have figured out ways to help humans solve problems, too.
Parts of Plants: Do 3 - Engineering Solutions
Using what they have learned about plant and animal parts, students design an item
that will help people.

Phase 3: Explain
Introduce laws, models, theories, and vocabulary. Guide students toward coherent
generalizations, and help students understand and use scientific vocabulary to explain
the results of their explorations
Plant Survival: Do 2 - Engineering Solutions
Solar Energy - Students design a solution that helps maximize the collection of
solar energy for a building using solar panels.

Phase 4: Elaborate
Provide students opportunity to apply their knowledge to new domains, raise new
questions, and explore new hypotheses. May also include related problems for
students to solve.
Animal Survival: Do 2 - PBL
Build a Bed: This Project Based Learning Challenge is to design a bed for an
animal that provides comfort and safety. The students create a model of the bed
using materials that can be found in the animals habitat.
The presentation should include a design of the bed with information about the
actual size the bed would be if constructed by the animal. Students should also
share information about the materials selected and an explanation of the scientific
reasoning for their selections. The presentation will include a model of the bed
constructed by the students in a shoebox.

Phase 5: Evaluate
How will you assess student understanding?
Teacher Assessment:
Individual:

Specific content and success skills to be assessed:

Critical Thinking Rubric

for PBL; BIE

Use materials to design a device that solves a specific

problem or a solution to a specific problem.

Presentation Rubric;
BIE

Connections to Engineering, Technology, and Applications

of Science
o Every human-made product is designed by
applying some knowledge of the natural world and
is built using materials derived from the natural
world.

Assessment: ArgueClaim-EvidenceReasoning;

STEMScope

Assessment Rubric;
StemScopes
Team:

Specific content and success skills to be assessed:

Teamwork Rubric; BIE

Career and Life Skills

Communication
Collaboration
Critical Thinking
Creativity

Student Reflection:
(how individual, team, and/or whole class will reflect during/at end of project)
STREAM Journal
iMovie or Educreations
Blog
Making Products Public(include how
the products will be made public and
who students will engage with
during/at end of project)

Educreations or iMovie will be hosted online and shared.

Photos from PBL and engineering unit will be shared.

Materials/Resources Needed

On-site people, facilities: STREAM Lab

Equipment: iPads
Materials: See STEMScope for printed material by lesson
Community Resources: