• Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)
• Use models 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. (4-LS1-2)

Concepts and Skills

* Power Standard Content

LS1.A: Structure and Function

• * Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)

LS1.D: Information Processing

• * 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)

Language Usage

• A student in fourth grade can demonstrate the ability to apply and comprehend critical language by constructing arguments to describe the internal and external structures of living things (plants and animals).
• A student in fourth grade can demonstrate the ability to apply and comprehend critical language by  using models to describe how animals receive different types of information, process this information and then respond to this information.

Content-Specific Vocabulary

• Organisms
• Structures
• Function
• Survival
• Migration
• Respond (response)
• Specialized
• Camouflage
• Growth
• Behavior
• Reproduction
• Sense receptors
• Perception
• Environment
• Predator/prey
• Stimulus (stimuli)
• Interaction
• Transfer
• Internal structures
• External structures
• Adapt (adaptation)
• Mimicry
• Instinct
• Habitat

Process-Specific Vocabulary

• Construct
• Model
• Arguement
• Adapt
• Process
• Cause and effect

Essential Understandings

• Organisms have structures that allow for growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
• Interaction between an animal’s sense receptors and brain transfers information that guides actions.

Factual Guiding Questions

• What are some internal and external structures of plants?
• What are some internal and external structures of animals?  
• What are the sense receptors in animals?
• How does an organism’s structures help it to survive?
• How do some animals know how and when to migrate?
• How does the habitat affect how an animal looks/acts?

Conceptual Guiding Questions

• Give a real life example of how animals’ brains take in information from the sense receptors and how the brain will transfer it to actions?
• What are some adaptations of animals and plants that allow them to grow, survive, behave and reproduce?
• How does captivity affect the development of their natural instincts?  
• How can animal senses be beneficial to humans (ie animals sense earthquakes or other natural disasters)?

Engaging/Debatable Guiding Questions

• Should animals that are kept in captivity be released into the wild?
• Can an animal born in captivity be taught to survive in the wild?
• Does human interaction disrupt the natural process of adaption (plants and animals)?