Plant & Animal Structure and Function | 5-Day Science Lesson | Grade 4

Help students discover how plants and animals use specialized structures and systems to survive!

Bring life science to life with this engaging, five-day investigation designed for fourth-grade students. Through hands-on exploration, scientific observations, informational reading, class discussions, and an interactive review game, students investigate how plants transport water and how animal circulatory systems move important materials throughout the body.

Students begin with a colorful celery investigation that allows them to observe how water travels through a plant. They then explore the roles of roots, stems, and leaves, learn about the function of xylem, and compare plant water transport with the circulatory systems of animals.

The week concludes with System Showdown, a fun interactive review game that challenges students to identify structures and functions found in plants, animals, or both.

What's Included?

• Five-Day Teacher Guide with a structured teaching sequence and instructional support

• Science Presentation available in PowerPoint, PDF, and MP4 formats, plus a Canva access link

• Celery Water Transport Investigation with student recording worksheet and teacher rubric

• Plant and Animal Water Transport Comparison with student entry ticket and teacher answer key

• Animal Circulatory System Reading Passage with accompanying worksheet and answer key

• System Showdown Review Game with teacher instructions and student reflection activity

Students Will Learn To:

• Identify important plant structures and explain their functions.

• Investigate how water moves through a plant.

• Use observations and evidence to support scientific explanations.

• Describe how the animal circulatory system transports materials.

• Compare the ways plants and animals move materials needed for survival.

• Explain how different structures and systems work together to help living organisms survive.

Why Teachers Will Love This Resource

Hands-on learning: Students investigate a real scientific phenomenon using a simple celery experiment.

Meaningful connections: Lessons build from plant structures to animal systems, helping students recognize similarities and differences.

Variety of activities: Investigations, reading, writing, discussion, and an interactive game keep students engaged throughout the week.

Teacher-friendly materials: Organized lesson guidance, printable worksheets, answer keys, and multiple presentation formats help simplify preparation.

Flexible instruction: Use the complete five-day sequence or select individual activities to supplement your existing life science unit.

Perfect For

• Fourth-grade life science units

• Upper elementary science instruction

• Plant and animal structures and functions

• Hands-on science investigations

• Science centers and small-group learning

• Review and enrichment activities

Format: Digital download containing 13 files, including printable PDFs, a PowerPoint presentation, and an MP4 presentation.

Please Note: This is a digital educational resource. No physical materials will be shipped. Basic classroom supplies for the celery investigation are not included.

Make science meaningful as students explore an important question: How do the structures and systems of plants and animals help them survive?