Structures and Functions Activities for 4th Grade Science

Streamline your lesson planning with the Kesler Science Structures and Functions 4th Grade Complete 5E Lesson. This comprehensive, low-prep resource offers everything you need to teach an engaging, multi-day lesson that supports student-led learning, while ensuring that each student has the opportunity to succeed. 

Students will explore how both plant and animal structures and functions enable survival in their environments by answering essential questions like, "What plant structures and functions allow plants to survive?" and "What animal structures and functions enable animals to thrive?" With differentiated materials for various learning needs, and flexible formats for both printable and digital use, this resource is adaptable to any classroom setting. 

The lesson follows the 5E Model: Engagement, Exploration, Explanation, Elaboration, and Evaluation. Students will engage with vocabulary, explore concepts through nine differentiated stations, and have opportunities to demonstrate their understanding in a variety of ways. Extension activities, editable PowerPoints, and interactive notebooks make this lesson perfect for in-person and virtual learning, while ensuring that students are actively involved in the learning process every step of the way.

The Kesler Science Structures and Functions Station Lab offers a modular, student-led approach that keeps 4th grade students engaged in their learning while minimizing prep time. Students explore how structures and functions enable organisms to survive in their environments, with eight differentiated activities and a challenge station for early finishers. The teacher’s role is to facilitate, while students take charge of their learning.

The nine stations include all the necessary signage, resources, and task cards for students to work independently or in small groups. The lab provides multimodal learning experiences with activities like reading, research, experiments, and video analysis. Teachers can adapt the stations for both in-person and virtual classrooms, using readily available materials like paper, markers, and scissors.

The output stations allow students to demonstrate their understanding through hands-on activities, drawing, writing, and assessments. The challenge station offers extension activities to keep advanced students engaged, like creating board games or other creative projects. This flexible and dynamic lab supports a variety of learning needs and promotes independent exploration.

The Kesler Science Structures and Functions Student Choice Projects give 4th grade students the flexibility to select a project that aligns with their preferred output style. With six different project options and a "design your own" project, students can express their understanding in creative ways. Teachers can customize the grading rubric for assessments by themselves, peers, or the students, offering both flexibility and dynamic learning opportunities.

The projects are designed to cater to a variety of learning needs, with differentiated versions available for students requiring additional support. Advanced students can take on multiple projects, still using the same rubric for consistency. Each project encourages critical thinking and creativity, allowing students to explore structures and functions in a meaningful, hands-on way.

The Student Choice Projects are designed to be accessible with standard classroom materials like paper, markers, and scissors, but also support digital work. Craft supplies may be needed for some model-based projects, ensuring that students can adapt their projects to their learning environment.