- Science
- Grade 4
- Organisms and environments
explore and explain how structures and functions of plants such as waxy leaves and deep roots enable them to survive in their environment; and
In grade 2, students looked at how plant structures helped them meet their basic needs. In grade 4, students study plant structures in context of their environment. This is parallel to the grade 3 standard (3.13.A) about animals. In grade 5, students will analyze structures and functions to compare how organisms survive in the same environment.
Research
Ashbrook, Peggy. “The Early Years: Discovering Through Deconstruction.” Science and Children 53, no. 9 (Summer 2016): 22–23. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24721771.
Summary: Deconstructing objects can help young students to understand how they work and the functions of their parts. In this article, students can start exploring plants in their area and examine their different parts and how they use them. Teachers can connect to how the human body uses its parts to function, similar to plant parts (humans using arms to climb a ladder). As students use their senses to explore and describe the plants, teachers should ask students what they think each part might do. Students can draw and explain their findings.