Students will launch the investigation by examining real and pictured plant and animal structures, sorting them by possible functions, recording first observations in a Structure Sleuth Research Notebook, and making an initial evidence-based claim that will lead into question writing and investigation planning.

Students will refine an investigable question about a plant or animal structure in a habitat, compare possible ways to gather evidence, and build a peer-reviewed observation and argument plan in their Structure Sleuth Research Notebook before moving into full investigation work.

Students will analyze evidence from their habitat investigations, turn notes into charts and visuals, construct a claim about how internal and external structures work together, revise their explanation through peer critique, and prepare a class-ready investigation poster with limitations and next-step questions.

Students will present their final Structure and Survival Investigation Showcase Poster to an authentic audience, defend their evidence-based claim about how internal and external structures work together in a habitat, and complete a brief honest reflection about what their investigation showed, what it did not show, and what they would study next.