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Copying What Already Works is a free printable Grade 1 science worksheet on solving a human problem by mimicking a plant or animal part, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 1-LS1-1. It prints 2 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

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All 25 sets ask different questions.

Copying What Already Works

1-LS1-1

NameDate

Draw a line from each living thing to what it inspired.

1.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • A bird's wing
  • A leaf that sheds rain
  • A mole's wide front paws
  • A beetle's hard shell
  • A.A hard hat that protects your head
  • B.A raincoat that water runs off
  • C.A digging spade with a broad blade
  • D.The curved wing of an airplane
2.Draw a line from each one to its match.
  • A gecko's sticky toes
  • A burr that sticks to fur
  • A cactus spine
  • A duck's webbed foot
  • A.A pad that grips a smooth wall
  • B.Hook-and-loop fastening on a shoe
  • C.Barbed wire that keeps animals out
  • D.Swimming flippers, to push more water

LessonPrint · 1-LS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Copying What Already Works

Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.1. A bird's wing — D (The curved wing of an airplane) 2. A leaf that sheds rain — B (A raincoat that water runs off) 3. A mole's wide front paws — C (A digging spade with a broad blade) 4. A beetle's hard shell — A (A hard hat that protects your head)
  2. 2.1. A gecko's sticky toes — A (A pad that grips a smooth wall) 2. A burr that sticks to fur — B (Hook-and-loop fastening on a shoe) 3. A cactus spine — C (Barbed wire that keeps animals out) 4. A duck's webbed foot — D (Swimming flippers, to push more water)

Questions about Copying What Already Works

What does the Copying What Already Works worksheet cover?

It practices solving a human problem by mimicking a plant or animal part — 2 questions for Grade 1, all on NGSS 1-LS1-1: Solve a human problem by copying a body part that helps a plant or animal survive. The instruction to students is “Draw a line from each living thing to what it inspired”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.

Which NGSS performance expectation does Copying What Already Works practice?

1-LS1-1, under Life Science for Grade 1. The published performance expectation reads: “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.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.

What age or grade is this worksheet for?

Copying What Already Works is written for Grade 1, typically ages 6-7. It is one of the sheets on 1-LS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.

Does Copying What Already Works come with an answer key?

Yes. All 2 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.

How many different versions of Copying What Already Works can I print?

25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.

Is Copying What Already Works free to print and photocopy?

Yes. Copying What Already Works, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.

Is there a lesson plan to teach 1-LS1-1?

Yes — “Copying What Already Works” is a 50-minute Grade 1 plan for 1-LS1-1, timed section by section, with the misconceptions to expect and an exit ticket. Copying What Already Works is the practice that follows it.

More practice for 1-LS1-1

Solve a human problem by copying a body part that helps a plant or animal survive.

Teaching this next? Copying What Already Works is the 50-minute plan for it, with the misconceptions to expect.

All Grade 1 worksheets

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to 1-LS1-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.