One of the Virginia Science Standards of Learning (SOLs) is all about how animal and plant structures aid in growth, development, and survival. Some of the concepts covered in this SOL include:
- the main structures of plants and the purpose of each structure
- the process of photosynthesis and plant structures involved in photosynthesis
- the process of pollination and plant structures involved in pollination
- internal and external animal structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior and reproduction
Most kids love learning about plants and animals, so your animal and plant structures lessons can easily grow students’ love for science. Let’s explore some fun, interactive activities that you can incorporate into these science lessons!
Plant Structure Dissection
One of the most hands-on ways to explore plant structures and functions is through a flower dissection activity.
For this activity, give each student a flower and tools that they can use to dissect the flower such as tweezers and a kid-friendly cutting tool. Walk students through taking the flower apart with their tools. As they explore each plant structure, discuss what it is used for.
TIP: To save money, ask a local flower shop to donate unused flowers.
Pollination Model
I know teachers have long hated Cheetos. Their dust gets all over everything in the classroom. But, Cheeto dust just might become your new best friend when it comes to teaching pollination!
For this easy pollination model, give each student a paper bag filled with Cheetos. Set a timer for 1 minute. Students should go around the room, taking Cheetos from other students’ bags and eating them. During that time, students should NOT lick or wipe their fingers.
When the timer goes off, they should wipe their hands on the outsides of their paper bags.
In this pollination model, the paper bags represent flowers, the Cheetos represent pollen, and the students represent bees.
The “bees” went from “flower” to “flower.” By wiping their hands on the paper bag at the end of the activity, students can see how the “pollen” spread as they traveled from “flower” to “flower.”
You can learn more information about this activity and find materials to help in my Animal and Plant Structures Unit Plans.
TIP: Make sure students thoroughly wash their hands before completing this pollination model.
Plant Structures Centers
My animal and plant structures unit plans come with a variety of simple experiments and models that can be set up at centers around a classroom.
One of my favorite simple experiments to show the structures and functions of plants uses water, food coloring, and a stalk of celery.
Put several drops of food coloring into a glass of water and mix well. Cut the end off a stalk of celery and sit it in the glass of water to illustrate the purpose of a plant’s stem.
Photosynthesis and Animals Game
Most people just think of plants when they hear “photosynthesis.” But, the animal and plant structures SOL also requires students to explain how animals depend on photosynthesis for survival. A simple game that your students will ask to play over and over will help them to understand this concept in minutes.
For this photosynthesis and animals game, cut green construction paper into about 50 squares. Scatter the green squares around your classroom or outside.
Divide the students into three groups—grasshoppers, mice, and snakes.
To play the game:
• Set a timer for 30 seconds. Give the grasshoppers that time to collect as many green squares as possible.
• After 30 seconds, send the mice into the game. The mice should catch the grasshoppers. When a mouse catches a grasshopper, the grasshopper must pass all their green cards to that student.
• After another 30 seconds, send the snakes into the game. The snakes can catch mice or grasshoppers. Whenever a snake catches another animal, that animal must give all of its green cards to that snake.
The game will help students to quickly see how energy from plants is transferred to everything else in an ecosystem.
Animal Structures Research Project
An easy way to incorporate ELA skills into your science lessons is by having students complete a research project.
As part of my animal and plant structures lessons, I like to have students select any animal to research. Then, they research the internal and external structures the animal has that support its growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.
Students create a visual presentation of their research and share their findings with the class. By allowing students to present their findings, you will cover the ELA communication SOLs and students will learn about the internal and external structures of many different animals.
Animal and Plant Structures Review Games
Every science unit should end with fun review games to help students practice what they have learned. I have listed the review activities I use with my animal and plant structures lessons below.
Jeopardy Game
A Jeopardy game is always a fun way for students to review information, whether at the end of a unit or before science SOL testing at the end of the school year. Students can play a digital, self-checking Jeopardy game independently, against a partner, or as teams.
My Animal and Plant Structures Jeopardy game features five categories, totaling 25 questions. The presentation is coded so that students can easily navigate between the category board, questions, and answers. They can also type points into a scoreboard, even when in presentation mode. The resource comes with two versions—one for PowerPoint and one for Google Slides.
The following video is a short tutorial that shows how my science Jeopardy games work.
Escape Room
I’ve shared a lot about classroom escape rooms here on this blog. Classroom escape rooms get students up and moving, incorporate critical thinking skills, and always get students excited about learning.
In my Animal and Plant Structures Escape Room, students find themselves trapped! The only way to escape is for students to successfully complete six challenges that require them to use critical thinking skills as they review science concepts.
Some of the activities included involve:
- using coordinates to review vocabulary and solve riddles
- decoding information about photosynthesis
- identifying true statements about plant and animal structures
- solving math problems to find a code
- labeling a plant model
Task Cards
Task cards are my all-time favorite review activity for any subject! I love that they are no-prep, can model the types of questions students will see on the science SOL test, and can be used to play a variety of different games.
My Animal and Plant Structures Task Cards come with 28 task cards that help students review every part of the animal and plant structures SOL. The task cards are presented in PDF format to use as a scoot activity or game in the classroom and in a self-checking, digital format that can even be used as an assessment.
Animal and Plant Structures Test Prep
After you have taught all your animal and plant structures lessons and played review games, it’s time to take a summative test.
Remember to send home a study guide so that students can continue reviewing on their own before testing. My Animal and Plant Structures Study Guide defines terms, provides visual aids, and explains important concepts related to the science SOL. It also comes with two pages of review questions.
Often, I hear parents don’t help their students study at home because they don’t understand the science concepts. My study guide breaks the SOL down into small, easy-to-understand pieces and provides a list of comprehension questions with answers that parents can ask.
Conclusion
I hope you found lots of exciting ideas and activities in this post for teaching your animal and plant structures lessons!
If you’re looking to save time with low-prep, pre-made lessons and activities that are aligned to the animal and plant structures SOL, you can find the following resources in my store:
- Animal and Plant Structures Unit Plans
- Animal and Plant Structures Jeopardy Game
- Animal and Plant Structures Escape Room
- Animal and Plant Structures Task Cards
- Animal and Plant Structures Study Guide
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