A 13-question knowledge check for 1st grade science that links four inventions to the plants and animals behind them. Students match swim fins to duck feet, a bike helmet to a hard nutshell, an umbrella to a turtle shell, and Velcro to sticky burrs. They fill blanks with dry, head, stick, and swim, explain two of the ideas in full sentences, and then invent something of their own. The answer key suggests design ideas such as bear fur for staying warm.
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.*”
Questions 11 to 13 in Section 4 are the design task. Questions 9 and 10 show the thinking first with two finished examples.
Four multiple-choice questions with three options each. Students pick what inspired swim fins, a hard bike helmet, a waterproof umbrella, and Velcro straps on shoes.
Questions 5 to 8 are sentence blanks, one per invention, using the word bank dry, head, stick, and swim.
Two sentence starters. Students finish how an umbrella that copies a turtle shell helps us and how swim fins that copy webbed feet help us.
Students check one problem (staying warm in the snow, hiding in the woods, or carrying heavy things), draw an invention that copies an animal or plant part, and name the part.
With real objects
Pass around a burr or a Velcro strap before question 4. Students feel the tiny hooks and see where the idea came from.
Small group
Read the Section 3 starters aloud for students still building reading fluency. Both sentences share the same shape, so the second goes faster.
Gallery walk
Display the Section 4 inventions in three groups by problem: snow, woods, and heavy things. Students walk the room and name the animal part behind each one.
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