Grouping animals | Science | Quizalize & Oak National Academy

Starter quiz

Why do we sort objects into groups?
- To help us organise them. ✓
- To find out how old they are.
- To help us identify them. ✓
- To help us to know how much they cost.
Look at Alex, which groups of pupils does he have something in common with?
- Pupils with black hair.
- Pupils with curly hair. ✓
- Pupils with long hair.
- Pupils with freckles. ✓
An ______ characteristic is a feature or property of a living thing that we can see or use our other senses to notice.
- 'observable' ✓
Which of these descriptions are observable characteristics of the whale in the image?
- I am 23 metres long. ✓
- I swim thousands of miles to find food.
- I live in the ocean.
- I have a tail fin. ✓
- I am 30 years old.
Match the characteristic to the observation of an animal.
- colour
  
  ⇔
  
  The animal has black and white stripes on its body. ✓
- shape
  
  ⇔
  
  The animal has a long body to help it move through water. ✓
- structure
  
  ⇔
  
  The animal has two legs and wings. ✓
Which of these might a scientist use to help identify and group objects?
- sorting hoops ✓
- graphs
- Venn diagram ✓
- a plan
- Carroll diagram ✓

Exit quiz

Many animals have similar features that allow us to sort them into ______.
- 'groups' ✓
Match the animal with their correct classification group.
- bird
  
  ⇔
  
  seagull ✓
- mammal
  
  ⇔
  
  horse ✓
- reptile
  
  ⇔
  
  crocodile ✓
- amphibian
  
  ⇔
  
  toad ✓
- fish
  
  ⇔
  
  shark ✓
Which of these are observable characteristics that we could use to group animals?
- their size ✓
- their habitat
- their shape ✓
- their structure ✓
- their name
Based on observable characteristics, which animal would you put into the same group as a zebra?
- arowana fish
- horse ✓
- penguin
- crocodile
The process of grouping animals based on their similarities and differences is called ______.
- 'classification' ✓
Match the observable characteristic to the animal.
- covered in fur
  
  ⇔
  
  dog ✓
- covered in feathers
  
  ⇔
  
  budgie ✓
- smooth skin
  
  ⇔
  
  frog ✓
- body covered in scales and has fins
  
  ⇔
  
  goldfish ✓
- tough, dry, scaly skin and has no fins
  
  ⇔
  
  tortoise ✓

Worksheet

Loading worksheet ...

Presentation

Loading presentation ...

Lesson Details

Key learning points

Although animals can be very different from each other many have similar features that allow us to put them into groups.
Animals can be grouped by their observable characteristics.
Observable characteristics can include information about colour, size, shape and structure.
The process of grouping animals based on their similarities and differences is called classification.
Animals can be classified into mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and birds by observing body covering and structure.

Common misconception

Pupils may have a limited view of what an animal is: mammal with fur and four legs. This can affect the way they classify animals. Also, that its habitat is an observable characteristic.

Use a wide range of animals including invertebrates and vertebrates, and those that live on land and in the sea, to help them look at observable characteristics when grouping.

Keywords

Observe - To observe is to look very closely and use other senses too.
Groups - Groups contain similar objects according to their features.
Observable characteristics - An observable characteristic is a feature or property of a living thing that we can see or use our other senses to observe.
Classify - To classify is to sort objects into groups based on their similarities and differences