Discovering Zoo Animals: Classifying by Species

Discovering Zoo Animals: Classifying by Species

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to classify animals into different species categories such as mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects.

What do you already know about classifying animals by species?

Understanding Animal Classifications

Animals are classified into different groups based on their characteristics and features. This helps us understand their similarities and differences.

Mammals

Mammals are warm-blooded animals that have fur or hair. They also give birth to live young and feed them with milk.

Birds

Birds have feathers, lay hard-shelled eggs, and have wings for flying. They are warm-blooded like mammals.

Reptiles

Reptiles are cold-blooded animals with dry scales or skin. They lay soft-shelled eggs and some have a protective shell.

Amphibians

Amphibians have moist, permeable skin and lay jelly-covered eggs. They undergo metamorphosis from water-breathing larvae to air-breathing adults.

Insects

Insects have three body segments, six legs, and often have wings. They are the largest group of animals on Earth.

Fish

Fish are aquatic animals with gills for breathing and fins for swimming. They lay eggs and have scales covering their bodies.

Interactive Zoo Visit

Students will walk around the zoo, observe different animals, and classify them into the appropriate species categories. They will note down their observations and discuss them later.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.