Animal groups
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can name and group a wide variety of common animals, including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
Key learning points
- Different animals have different characteristics and these can be used to group them into broad categories
- Some common animal groups are fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals
- Animals can be identified and grouped using classification skills
Keywords
Mammal - A mammal is a warm-blooded animal that gives birth to live young and has hair or fur.
Fish - A fish is a cold-blooded animal that has fins and a tail and uses gills to breathe underwater.
Bird - A bird is a warm-blooded animal that lays hard shelled eggs and has feathers.
Reptile - A reptile is a cold-blooded animal that lays eggs and has dry, scaly skin.
Amphibian - An amphibian is a cold-blooded animal that has moist skin, lays eggs and can live on land and in water.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that all sea-dwelling animals are fish or that only birds can fly.
Explain, with examples from the lesson, that animals are classified based on their physical features, not where they live or how they move.
Teacher tip
Encourage children to think about how their favourite animals or pets would be classified using the criteria covered in the lesson.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Vertebrates and invertebrates are different types of animals. What do vertebrates have that invertebrates do not have?
Q2.Some animals give birth to live young and some animals lay .
Q3.Match the words to the correct descriptions.
Q4.Match the animal to their body covering.
Q5.What do fish use gills for?
Q6.What does 'having things in common' mean?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How do scientists decide which group an animal belongs in?
Q2.The different vertebrate groups are called birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and .
Q3.This word means to place things, such as animals, into broad groups.
Q4.Match the animal type to its characteristics.
Q5.Which of these animals is not a mammal?
Q6.Which of these characteristics is not common for all birds?
To help you plan your 5 science lesson on: Animal groups, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 5 science lesson on: Animal groups, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Reproduction and life cycles: animals unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.