Starter quiz
- Vertebrates and invertebrates are types of animals. What do all vertebrates have that invertebrates do not have?
- legs
- tails
- spines ✓
- brains
- fur
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- Which of these are not observable characteristics of a living thing?
- the type of body covering it has
- the shape of its body
- its name ✓
- the number of legs it has
- where it was born ✓
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- Which of these is another word for an animal’s spine?
- skull
- brain
- backbone ✓
- ribs
- skeleton
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- What does ‘internal’ mean?
- inside ✓
- outside
- around the edge
- underneath
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- Match the animal type to its characteristics.
- mammal⇔warm-blooded, gives birth to live young, has hair or fur ✓
- fish⇔cold-blooded, most lay eggs, has scales ✓
- reptile⇔cold-blooded, dry, scaly skin, lays eggs ✓
- amphibian⇔cold-blooded, moist skin, lays eggs ✓
- bird⇔warm-blooded, has feathers, lays eggs, has wings and a beak ✓
- What do we do when we classify things?
- put them in order
- sort them into groups ✓
- count them
- carry out research about them
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Exit quiz
- Animals can be divided into groups by looking at ______ and differences between them.
- 'similarities' ✓
- What are the two main groups that scientists classify animals into?
- vertebrates and invertebrates ✓
- land animals and sea animals
- carnivores and herbivores
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- Molluscs, insects, crustaceans and arachnids are all examples of ______ animals.
- 'invertebrate' ✓
- Why do scientists group animals?
- to help them discover more animals
- to prevent animals from becoming endangered
- to make it easier to identify, name and learn about them ✓
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- Match the animal to the correct group.
- frog⇔amphibian ✓
- alligator⇔reptile ✓
- crab⇔crustacean ✓
- wasp⇔insect ✓
- spider⇔arachnid ✓
- slug⇔mollusc ✓
- How do we create classification keys?
- plotting information on a graph
- asking a series of yes/no questions ✓
- sorting animals into vertebrates and invertebrates
- counting the total number of animals we have
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Worksheet
Presentation
Video
Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Scientists group animals to make it easier to identify, name and learn about them.
- Animals can be divided into groups or 'classified' by looking at the similarities and differences between them.
- Animals are divided into two main groups: vertebrates (with a spine) and invertebrates (without a spine).
- Vertebrate and invertebrate groups can be divided further.
- We can create classification keys by asking a series of yes/no questions about the observable characteristics of things.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that animals with soft, flexible bodies such as snakes or fish are invertebrates, or that any animal with a hard shell is a vertebrate.
Explain that the external appearance of an animal does not always give us enough information to classify it as a vertebrate or an invertebrate; the presence or absence of a backbone and internal skeleton is the only characteristic that matters.
Keywords
Classify - To classify things is to sort them into groups.
Identify - To identify something is to be able to name it correctly.
Vertebrate - A vertebrate is an animal with an internal skeleton, including a spine.
Invertebrate - Animals that do not have bones, including a spine, on the inside of their bodies are invertebrates.
Classification key - Classification keys are diagrams which help us sort things into different groups.