Unit 3 — Mimicking Organisms to Solve Problems
Description
Students learn how plants and animals use their external parts to help them survive and grow, then apply this knowledge to design solutions to human problems by mimicking how these organisms work. Students engage in the engineering design process, including brainstorming, sketching designs, building prototypes, and testing solutions. The unit emphasizes the relationship between the shape and stability of structures and their functions. Examples of problems students might solve include designing protective equipment by mimicking turtle shells, stabilizing structures by mimicking animal tails and plant roots, or keeping out intruders by mimicking thorns and quills.
Essential Questions
- How can humans mimic how plants and animals use their external parts to help them survive and grow?
Learning Objectives
- Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs
- Observe and describe how the shape and stability of structures of natural and designed objects are related to their functions
- Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem
- Use materials to design a device that solves a specific problem or design a solution to a specific problem
Supplemental Resources
- Markers and colored pencils for sketching design ideas
- Construction paper and craft materials for building prototypes
- Scissors, glue sticks, and tape for creating models
- Chart paper for brainstorming and planning design solutions
Life Sciences
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Students participate in shared research and writing projects across all units. In Unit 1, students create books describing patterns of change in the sky and write journal entries relating daylight to seasons, aligned to W.1.7 and W.1.8. In Unit 2, students read informational texts to identify main topics, retell key details, and ask and answer questions about organism traits and parent-offspring behaviors, aligned to RI.CR.1.1, RI.CI.1.2, and W.RW.1.7. In Unit 3, students conduct shared research and produce writing about how humans mimic organisms to solve problems, aligned to W.RW.1.7. In Unit 4, students read informational texts about light and sound, write informative texts naming facts about topics, and participate in collaborative conversations, aligned to W.IW.1.2, W.RW.1.7, W.SE.1.6, and SL.PE.1.1. In Unit 5, students gather information from texts and media about communication devices, write how-to books describing their engineering design solutions, and add drawings to clarify ideas, aligned to W.RW.1.7, W.SE.1.6, and SL.PE.1.1.
Formative Assessments
- Observe and describe how the shape and stability of structures are related to their functions
- Use materials to design a device that solves a specific problem
- Develop a simple model based on evidence to represent a proposed object or tool
- Create sketches or drawings showing how the shape of an object helps it function to solve a given problem
Summative Assessment
Design a tool that is useful and that mimics how a plant or animal uses its external parts
Benchmark Assessment
Draw and tell a story about how an animal uses its senses to get the things it needs from its environment
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a hands-on building activity with simplified materials and teacher guidance, rather than an independent design project. Visual models of plant and animal structures, verbal explanations of how their design works, or a teacher-supported sketch with labels may be used in place of a written or complex design document.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During observation and design activities, provide visual supports such as labeled diagrams and photographs of plants and animals alongside their human-inspired counterparts to help students make connections between natural structures and their functions. Allow students to demonstrate understanding through oral explanation, pointing, or physical manipulation of materials rather than relying on written output. Break the engineering design process into clearly sequenced steps with visual cues for each stage, and offer teacher or peer support during sketching to help students represent their ideas. Providing sentence frames or picture-supported recording sheets will help students document their observations and design thinking in an accessible way.
Section 504
Ensure students have access to a distraction-reduced workspace during hands-on building and design tasks, as the active nature of engineering activities can make focus challenging. Allow additional time during observation, sketching, and prototype-building phases so students can process and demonstrate their understanding at a comfortable pace. Preferential seating near the teacher during whole-group instruction on organism structures will support attention and comprehension.
ELL / MLL
Introduce and consistently reinforce unit vocabulary — such as the names of animal and plant external parts and related engineering terms — using photographs, real objects, and simple labeled diagrams before and throughout the unit. Give directions for design tasks in short, clear steps and check for understanding by asking students to restate the task in their own words or point to relevant materials. Where possible, encourage students to discuss their design ideas in their home language before sharing with the group, supporting concept development alongside English language use.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect new content to familiar experiences by beginning with animals and plants students are likely to know, helping them build confidence before moving into the design challenge. Offer simplified design tasks with a focused problem and a limited set of materials so students can experience early success in the engineering process. Provide additional guided practice during observation activities, using think-alouds and side-by-side comparisons to help students notice the relationship between structure and function before applying it independently.
Gifted & Talented
Encourage students to investigate multiple organisms and identify patterns across several examples of how external structures serve protective, structural, or functional purposes before settling on a single design solution. Challenge students to refine and improve their prototype through multiple testing cycles, documenting changes and explaining their reasoning for each revision. Students may also explore how their design solution connects to real-world biomimicry innovations, deepening their understanding of the relationship between natural structures and human-designed technology.