--- title: Investigating Bird Beak Structure & Function | 1st Grade Science description: In this lesson, students explore how the external structures of plants and animals help them survive. Download a sample unit today. --- More Lessons for Your State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other NGSS # Bird Beak Structure and Function In the last unit, students explored how animals have body parts that help them survive and grow. In this unit, students apply what they have learned about the structures of plants and animals to mimic those structures to solve problems facing people. This page showcases the components of the first lesson in this unit, in which students continue to explore the phenomena of how plants and animals have different body parts to help them get what they need to survive and grow. Students analyze different shapes of animal claws, bird beaks, and plant thorns, and then investigate how the shape of a bird’s beak affects the type of food it can collect. 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It helps teachers understand the “why” and “how” of the topics being explored. Biomimicry begins with the idea that nature has already solved many of the problems facing society today, and we can use these solutions as inspiration for human-designed technologies. Technology is anything that people make to meet their needs and wants. This is where the term biomimicry comes from; bio means life, while to mimic means to copy or imitate. Engineering is one field that uses biomimicry in some of its solutions. Engineers use scientific knowledge and mathematics to solve a problem by creating new technologies. For example, Japanese engineers were intrigued by the structure of the mosquito’s mouth, which allowed it to pierce another animal’s skin, often without the animal feeling it. They used the structure of the mosquito’s mouth as inspiration for a needle that could be used in medicine and could painlessly penetrate the skin. #### Supports Grade 1 ![Sneak Peek Seal with Arrow](https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Sneak%20Peek%20Seal%20with%20Arrow.svg) ## Science Title: Investigating Bird Beak Structure and Function In this lesson, students explore how the external structures of plants and animals help them get what they need to survive. They investigate how the shape of a bird beak determines what the bird can pick up and eat. [Download a Sample Unit ](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum#state) ## Science Big Ideas - All animals have different body parts that help them get what they need to survive in their environment.  - Bird beaks come in different shapes, and the shape determines what a bird can eat. ![sample unit-k8 science curriculum-knowatom](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Sample%20Unit%20CTA-2.png?width=327&height=264&name=Sample%20Unit%20CTA-2.png) ###### Discover Complete Hands-on Screens-off Core Science Curriculum for K-8 Classrooms Prepared hands-on materials, full year grade-specific curriculum, and personalized live professional development designed to support mastery of current state science standards. [Click Here to Learn More](https://www.knowatom.com/talk-to-knowatom-sales) ## Science Essential Questions - Why do some animals have claws?  - What animals have beaks?  - How do birds use their beaks?  - Why do some plants have thorns?  - Why do birds need to eat? - How might the different beaks affect the kind of food a bird can eat? ## Common Science Misconceptions ![close-circle-red](https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Icon%20ionic-ios-close-circle-red-1.svg) **Misconception:** All bird beaks have the same shape. ![checkmark-circle-green](https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Icon%20ionic-ios-checkmark-circle-green.svg) **Fact:** There are many different kinds of bird beaks, with many different shapes. ## Science Vocabulary **Beak:** the hard, pointed body part that sticks out of a bird’s face **Claw:** a body part at the end of an animal’s toes that is sharp and curved **Engineer:** anyone who uses scientific knowledge and mathematics to solve a problem by creating new technologies **Mimic:** to copy **Prototype: ** a smaller version of what will be engineered **Thorn:** a hard, sharp part of a plant that sticks out of a plant’s roots, stem, or leaves ## Lexile(R) Certified Non-Fiction Science Reading (Excerpt) **Using Claws** Many animals have claws. A claw is a body part that is sharp and curved. Claws are at the end of an animal’s toes. Birds such as eagles have claws. Tigers have claws. Cats have claws. Bears have claws. Animals use their claws in different ways. Many lizards have claws. They use their claws to help them climb. Cats also use their claws to climb. They protect themselves with their claws. And they use their claws to hold animals they will eat. Birds use their claws for many things. They use them to carry sticks to build a nest. They use them to hold onto branches. They also use them to catch and carry animals they will eat. **Bird Beaks** Birds don’t only use their claws to catch food. They also use their beaks. A beak is the hard, pointed body part that sticks out of a bird’s face. Birds use their beaks to pick up and eat food. Not all bird beaks are the same. Some are narrow. Others are wide. Some are pointy. Others are curved. ![bird-beak-structure-and-function](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bird-beak-structure-and-function.jpg?width=261&height=340&name=bird-beak-structure-and-function.jpg) ![bird1](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bird1.jpg?width=256&height=340&name=bird1.jpg) ![bird2](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/bird2.jpg?width=260&height=340&name=bird2.jpg) ## Hands-on Science Activity For the hands-on investigation, students compare bird beak types to investigate whether or not the structure of the beak affects the type of food it eats. Students use different objects that represent different beak shapes such as a toothpick, a spoon, or tweezers and try to pick up various materials (e.g. paper for leaves, pompoms for insects, and rubber bands for worms) that represent food items that birds would eat. They collect the data and analyze them to draw an evidence-based conclusion about how beak structure affects what a bird eats. [ Learn More About KnowAtom ](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum) ## Science Assessments KnowAtom incorporates formative and summative assessments designed to make students thinking visible for deeper student-centered learning. - Vocabulary Check - Lab Checkpoints - Concept Check Assessment  - Concept Map Assessment  - And More... [Download a Sample Unit ](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum#state) ![mimicimg](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/mimicimg.jpg?width=361&height=506&name=mimicimg.jpg) ![alabama state standard](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Alabama-State-Standards-Alignment-1.png?width=540&height=402&name=Alabama-State-Standards-Alignment-1.png) ###### See How KnowAtom Aligns to NGSS Science Standards Discover hands-on screens-off core science curriculum for student centered K-8 classrooms. KnowAtom supports classrooms with all hands-on materials, curriculum, and professional development to support mastery of the standards. [Download the Alignment to NGSS](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum) ** Standards Tags: ** [1-LS1-1](https://www.knowatom.com/1-ls1-1) , [1.2.2](https://www.knowatom.com/1.2.2) , [K.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ls1.1) , [K.LS3.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ls3.1) , [1.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls1.1) , [1.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls1.1) , [1.LS2.3](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls2.3) , [2.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls1.1) , [2.LS1.3](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls1.3) , [2.LS2.1](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls2.1) , [2.LS2.2](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls2.2) , [S1L1](https://www.knowatom.com/s1l1) , [S2L1](https://www.knowatom.com/s2l1) , [K.L1U1.6](https://www.knowatom.com/k.l1u1.6) , [K.L1U1.7](https://www.knowatom.com/k.l1u1.7) , [1L.3.1.1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1l.3.1.1.1) , [1.LS1.A.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls1.a.1) , [3.1.1.A](https://www.knowatom.com/3.1.1.a) , [3.5.K-2.L](https://www.knowatom.com/3.5.k-2.l) , [3.5.K-2.K](https://www.knowatom.com/3.5.k-2.k) , [1.LS.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls.1) , [1.LS.2](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls.2) , [Asking questions and defining problems](https://www.knowatom.com/asking-questions-and-defining-problems) , [Developing and using models](https://www.knowatom.com/developing-and-using-models) , [Planning and carrying out investigations](https://www.knowatom.com/planning-and-carrying-out-investigations) , [Analyzing and interpreting data](https://www.knowatom.com/analyzing-and-interpreting-data) , [Constructing explanations and designing solutions](https://www.knowatom.com/constructing-explanations-and-designing-solutions) , [Engaging in argument from evidence](https://www.knowatom.com/engaging-in-argument-from-evidence) , [Obtaining evaluating and communicating information](https://www.knowatom.com/obtaining-evaluating-and-communicating-information) , [Structure and Function](https://www.knowatom.com/structure-and-function) , [Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 7](https://www.knowatom.com/heredity-inheritance-and-variation-of-traits-7) , ### Supports Grade 1 #### Science Standards - [1-LS1-1](https://www.knowatom.com/1-ls1-1) - [1.2.2](https://www.knowatom.com/1.2.2) - [K.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ls1.1) - [K.LS3.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ls3.1) - [1.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls1.1) - [1.LS2.3](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls2.3) - [2.LS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls1.1) - [2.LS1.3](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls1.3) - [2.LS2.1](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls2.1) - [2.LS2.2](https://www.knowatom.com/2.ls2.2) - [S1L1](https://www.knowatom.com/s1l1) - [S2L1](https://www.knowatom.com/s2l1) - [K.L1U1.6](https://www.knowatom.com/k.l1u1.6) - [K.L1U1.7](https://www.knowatom.com/k.l1u1.7) - [1L.3.1.1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1l.3.1.1.1) - [1.LS1.A.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls1.a.1) - [3.1.1.A](https://www.knowatom.com/3.1.1.a) - [3.5.K-2.L](https://www.knowatom.com/3.5.k-2.l) - [3.5.K-2.K](https://www.knowatom.com/3.5.k-2.k) - [1.LS.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls.1) - [1.LS.2](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ls.2) - [Asking questions and defining problems](https://www.knowatom.com/asking-questions-and-defining-problems) - [Developing and using models](https://www.knowatom.com/developing-and-using-models) - [Planning and carrying out investigations](https://www.knowatom.com/planning-and-carrying-out-investigations) - [Analyzing and interpreting data](https://www.knowatom.com/analyzing-and-interpreting-data) - [Constructing explanations and designing solutions](https://www.knowatom.com/constructing-explanations-and-designing-solutions) - [Engaging in argument from evidence](https://www.knowatom.com/engaging-in-argument-from-evidence) - [Obtaining evaluating and communicating information](https://www.knowatom.com/obtaining-evaluating-and-communicating-information) - [Structure and Function](https://www.knowatom.com/structure-and-function) - [Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits 7](https://www.knowatom.com/heredity-inheritance-and-variation-of-traits-7) [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/347944/b5a1446e-d782-4a5f-a019-0b3b98c8304f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/347944/b5a1446e-d782-4a5f-a019-0b3b98c8304f) Standards citation: NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. 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