4-LS1-1 lessons
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. (Plants only: flower parts, fruits and seed structures that support reproduction.)
The Next Generation Science Standards code 4-LS1-1 asks students to: “Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. (Plants only: flower parts, fruits and seed structures that support reproduction.)” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Flowers, Fruit and Seeds: How Plants Make More Plants Grades 3–5 · partly supports this standard
- What is a flower really for? 50–60 min
Teams take a real flower apart, find the petals, the pollen-making stamens and the seed-making pistil, and use a cotton bud as a model bee to test why fuzzy carriers move pollen well. They explain what pollination is, what it is not, and why a flower looks the way it does.
- Is a tomato a fruit? 50–60 min
Teams cut open thirteen foods to find where the seeds are, sort them with a scientist's rule instead of a cook's, and follow a flower into a fruit. They find that tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are fruits, that a carrot is a root, and that a banana is a fruit with almost no seeds.
- How can a seed travel without legs? 60–75 min
Teams build a model seed for wind, water or animals, carrying the same clay seed, and test every model with a fair drop, fan, float and wool test. They find that no design wins every test, and explain how real seeds are shaped for the way they travel.
How Your Body Works Grades 3–5
- Why does your heart beat faster when you run? 45–60 min
Students find their pulse, count it at rest, after a minute of star jumps and every minute while it comes back down, then graph the recovery. They use the pattern to explain the heart as a pump that sends oxygen and food to working muscles.
- What happens to your lunch? 45–60 min
Teams build a working model of the gut: teeth (a fork), a stomach (a bag with water and vinegar) and an intestine (a stocking squeezed over a tray), and follow a cracker through it. They check their own teeth in a mirror and put the parts of the digestive system in order, with a job for each.
- How does your arm bend? 45–60 min
Teams build an elbow from card, a paper fastener and two strings, and find that it will only bend if one string pulls while the other goes slack. They feel their own biceps and triceps swap jobs while lifting a bag of rice, and explain why muscles always work in pairs.
Keep It Cool: Ice, Insulation and Staying Comfortable Grades 3–5
- How do animals stay warm in the sea and cool in the desert? 50–60 min
Students put a hand into ice water inside a 'blubber glove' made of fat between two bags, then cool a thermometer with a wet cloth in front of a fan. They use both results to argue how fur, blubber, big ears and panting help animals keep a steady body temperature.
Your Senses: How Does Your Body Know? Grade 4
- How do animals sense what we can't? 60 min
Students read about whiskers, echolocation and owl ears, build a paper cone 'owl ear' and test whether it helps them find where a sound comes from. Then they define a problem and invent a sensor or tool inspired by an animal.
Winter Science: Ice, Snow and Staying Warm Grades 3–5
- How do animals stay warm in winter? 50–60 min
Students put a hand into ice water inside a 'blubber glove' made of shortening between two zip bags, measure the difference with thermometers, and compare a lone cup of warm water with a huddle. Then they argue how blubber, fur, feathers and huddling help animals survive the cold.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code 4-LS1-1 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for Grade 4
All standards we teach · Curriculum alignment by state and province
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