From a duck's webbed feet to a polar bear's thick fur, six plant and animal structures appear on this three-page 4th grade science worksheet. Students match each one to its function from a word bank. The work follows NGSS 4-LS1-1 on how structures support survival. A desert section then describes camels in hot, dry places with blowing sand. Students pick either the hump or the extra long eyelashes and explain how it helps the camel survive.
4-LS1-1
“Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.”
The six-picture match and the camel answer, where students argue how one structure helps an animal survive in the desert.
Six pictures show a duck's webbed feet, cactus spines, a monkey's long tail, a woodpecker's beak, an elephant's trunk, and a polar bear's fur. Students write a function such as drilling into wood or keeping warm under each one.
Students choose one camel structure and explain its job in a desert with very little food or water.
Picture warm-up
Show the six pictures on the board before the lesson. See which functions students can name before they see the word bank.
Partner talk
Before the camel answer, have partners each take one structure and explain it aloud. The written answer then comes more easily.
Extension
After the match, ask students to add a seventh animal with one structure and its function.
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