Mammals Birds Fish Reptiles Amphibian
In the following unit, students will get the opportunity to categorize, classify, and record information. Students will learn the different animal classes and be able to identify characteristics and animals in each class by the end of the unit. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about science through through inquiry and research.
Animal Classes – Mammals Birds Fish Reptiles Amphibian Lesson Plan PDF
Unit: Animal Classes (to be completed in 6 class periods)
Grade: 2-4
Objectives:
1. The students will know the different animal classes
2. The students will be able to identify characteristics of each animal class
3. The students will be able to identify animals in each class
Materials Needed:
Animal magazines like Zoobooks and National Geographic)
Encyclopedias
Pre-picked books with many pictures of animals in them
Computer/s hooked up to the Internet
Pieces of paper with the different classes listed on them
Pencils
Procedure:
Day One:
1. Talk to the students about classifying and ask them why it is easier to put things into groups. Animals are placed into classes to make them easier to study.
2. Introduce the students to the animal class of mammals. Mammals have the following characteristics:
A. they have hair and/or fur on their body
B. they drink milk when they are babies
C. they are warm blooded
3. Allow them to think of other examples of mammals to place in the last line. (For example, instead of owl, use cat)
4. Allow the students to sing the “new” song with their different examples.
Day Two:
1. Review the animal class of mammals for a few brief minutes.
2. Tell the students that they are going to be learning about a new class of animals today. Introduce the students to the animal class of birds. Birds have the following characteristics:
A. They have feathers
B. They have a beak
C. They have two feet
D. They are born from an egg with a hard shell
3. Allow them to think of other examples to place in the last line.
Day Three:
1. Review the mammal and bird classes for a few minutes.
2. Introduce the students to the animal class of fish. Fish have the following
characteristics:
A. They have gills
B. They have fins
C. They have scales
D. They live in the water
3. Allow them to think of other examples to place in the last line.
Day Four:
1. Review the mammal, bird and fish classes.
2. Introduce the students to the reptile class of animals. Reptiles have the following characteristics:
A. They have scaly skin
B. They are born on the land
C. They are
3. Allow them to think of other examples to place in the last line.
Day Five:
1. Review the mammal, bird, fish and reptile classes.
2. Introduce the students to the amphibian class of animals. Amphibians have the following characteristics:
A. they have gills
B. they are born in the water
C. they swim in the water
D. they usually live on land when they grow up
3. Allow them to think of other examples to place in the last line.
Day Six:
1. Spread the research materials out on a table and have the students look and browse through them.
3. Have the students write down the different animals they find on the piece of paper with the classes listed under which class the animal belongs to.
Evaluation:
The students will demonstrate their understanding by finding different animals within the research material and placing them in the correct class on the sheet of paper given to them. I will also be able to evaluate their knowledge by their participation and ideas and examples of different kinds of animals for each class.