How and why we group animals
I can explain how animals can be grouped using observable characteristics.
How and why we group animals
I can explain how animals can be grouped using observable characteristics.
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.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
warm-blooded, gives birth to live young, has hair or fur
cold-blooded, most lay eggs, has scales
cold-blooded, dry, scaly skin, lays eggs
cold-blooded, moist skin, lays eggs
warm-blooded, has feathers, lays eggs, has wings and a beak
Exit quiz
6 Questions
amphibian
reptile
crustacean
insect
arachnid
mollusc