Skip to content
Start My 3 Free Days $0 today · cancel anytime

4th Grade Animals Resources

27 4th grade animals resources: 13 worksheets, 8 assessments, 6 activities and more. How teachers use these

4th Grade Animals Resources

27 4th grade animals resources: 13 worksheets, 8 assessments, 6 activities and more. How teachers use these

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeAdaptation Worksheet

This adaptation worksheet has 4th graders sort seven animal traits into physical and behavioral adaptations, then explain how one helps an animal survive. Answer key included for fast, no-prep life science practice.

Video
Video4th GradeAnimal Song (Animated Music Video)

Using this Animal Song (Animated Music Video), your students learn about different types of animals and their sounds by watching this fun, catchy video.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeExtinction Worksheet

Students read a three-animal research table on this Extinction Worksheet, then explain how people helped the bald eagle, giant panda, and sea otter. Built for 4th grade and includes an answer key, so science research practice takes no prep.

Assessment
Assessment4th GradeKiller Whales Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Killer Whales Reading Comprehension Worksheet gives 4th grade students a two-page nonfiction passage about orcas plus six text-evidence questions. Answer key included, so learning about the ocean stays easy to check.

Flash Cards
Flash Cards4th GradeInsect Flash Cards

Using these Insect Flash Cards, students improve their Insect vocabulary by having a complete set of insect names they can use in their writing and discussions.

Flash Cards
Flash Cards4th GradeLand Animal Flash Cards

Using these Land Animal Flash Cards, students improve their Insect vocabulary by having a complete set of animal names they can use in their writing and discussions.

Assessment
Assessment4th GradeThe Stray Puppy Reading Comprehension Worksheet

The Stray Puppy Reading Comprehension Worksheet follows two kids who take in a muddy stray and learn how found pets get back to their owners. Built for 4th grade, answer key included, and strong practice for longer passages.

Workbook
Workbook4th GradeAnimals Mini Pack

Using thisAnimals Mini Pack, students learn about animals through ten fun worksheets and three activities.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeMatching Animal Needs Worksheet

This matching animal needs worksheet has 4th grade students link five animals to the food and shelter they need, sort six needs and write one explanation. Answer key included.

4th GradeAmphibians and Reptiles Clip Art

This Amphibians and Reptiles Clip Art is a perfect addition to any bulletin board, flyer, or other printable that you create to teach the amphibians and reptiles.

Flash Cards
Flash Cards4th GradeMammals Real Life Flash Cards

Mammals real life flash cards for kindergarten to 4th grade with 30 lifelike animal pictures, names and fun facts, plus a practice page and answer key included, to grow science vocabulary.

Assessment
Assessment4th GradeWelcome to the Oasis Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Welcome to the Oasis reading comprehension worksheet gives 4th grade students a two-page passage about desert oases, four multiple-choice questions and a written response. An answer key is included.

Worksheet
Worksheet4th GradeGreat Banana - Reading Comprehension Worksheet

This Great Banana reading comprehension worksheet helps 4th graders read a two-page passage about how banana plants grow, answer text-based questions and check their work with the answer key.

Assessment
Assessment4th GradeWatching Penguins Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Follow London and Maxwell into a new aquarium penguin habitat with this Watching Penguins reading comprehension worksheet for 4th grade. A two-page story, comprehension questions, and a complete answer key are included, so reading practice is ready to print.

Activity
Activity4th GradeSurvivor Desert Edition Activity

Using this Survivor Desert Edition Activity, students play the survivor board game to test your knowledge of animals and their habitats.

Activity
Activity4th GradeFlorida Wildlife Animal Project

Using this Florida Wildlife Animal Project, students research, design a poster, create a model and give a presentation to learn about the animals that live in Florida.

Assessment
Assessment4th GradeHousebreaking Herschel Reading Comprehension Worksheet

The Housebreaking Herschel reading comprehension worksheet follows a boy who patiently trains his giant Great Dane puppy. Made for 4th grade, it includes an answer key and builds text evidence skills.

Assessment
Assessment4th GradeThe Heron and the Flamingo Reading Comprehension Worksheet

The Heron and the Flamingo Reading Comprehension Worksheet has 4th graders read a nonfiction passage comparing two wading birds, then answer questions using text evidence. An answer key is included.

4th GradeFarm Clip Art

This Farm Clip Art is a perfect addition to any bulletin board, flyer, or other printable that you use in your classroom when you are learning about farms.

Activity
Activity4th GradeBrazil Wildlife Animal Project

This Brazil wildlife animal project activity has students sort ten rainforest animals by layer, then research one animal and share it. Made for 3rd to 5th grade, answer key included.

From our teachers' playbook

Fins, fur, feathers and survival skills.

What do 4th graders learn about animals?

In 4th grade, kids look at how animals' bodies help them survive. They study structures inside and outside the body, like a turtle's shell, an owl's eyes or a fish's gills, and explain what job each one does. They learn about adaptations: a camel's hump stores fat for long desert trips, and a polar bear's thick fur keeps it warm. Kids also explore how animals use their senses to gather information and respond, and why some animals become endangered or extinct when their habitats change. The click moment is when kids look at any animal and start asking "What is that part for?"

Our favorite ways to teach animal adaptations

Animals are a natural hook. These moves turn kids' curiosity into real science thinking.

Look closely

Show real photos of mammals and have kids list three body parts and guess what each one helps the animal do. A close look at a photo leads to better questions than any definition.

Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).

Mammals Real Life Flash CardsTry it withMammals Real Life Flash CardsFlash CardsOpen it →

Design a survivor

Give each group a habitat, like the desert, and have them design an animal that could survive there. They must explain every adaptation they add. It's creative, silly and surprisingly deep science.

Why it works: the U.S. Department of Education's guide for teaching elementary math recommends moving from hands-on objects to drawings to numbers.

Survivor Desert Edition ActivityTry it withSurvivor Desert Edition ActivityActivitiesOpen it →

Adaptation check-ins

Start class with a quick question: "Why does a duck have webbed feet?" Have kids answer in one sentence that names the structure and its job. Short daily checks build the habit of explaining, not just naming.

Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).

Adaptation WorksheetTry it withAdaptation WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →

Questions parents and teachers ask us

What do 4th graders learn about animals in science?

Fourth graders study animal structures, adaptations and senses. They learn how body parts help animals survive, grow and reproduce, and why some animals become endangered.

What is an animal adaptation?

An adaptation is a body part or behavior that helps an animal survive in its habitat. Thick fur, sharp claws, camouflage and migration are all adaptations.

What is the difference between endangered and extinct?

An endangered animal is at risk of disappearing. An extinct animal has completely disappeared. Habitat loss is one of the main reasons animals become endangered.

How can I teach animal adaptations at home?

Visit a zoo, aquarium or park and ask your child to pick an animal and explain one way its body helps it survive. Nature shows work well too.