Objectives
Illustrate that objects and people can be classified according to various
shared characteristics.
Classify the students in the class according to shoe color.
Identify three major characteristics scientists use to classify animals.
Describe the differences between ectothermic and endothermic animals.
Materials
Two glass bottles and two glass jars of different sizes and shapes:
one jar containing rice, one jar containing salt or sugar, one bottle containing
fruit juice and one bottle containing water.
Pictures of animals (including the Komodo dragon) from animal encyclopedias
listed in Suggested Books
Suggested Books
Attmore, Stephen. Animal Encyclopedia. New York: Checkerboard
Press, 1989. On front end papers of this oversized book is a chart of the
various animal groups. Includes illustration and short informative paragraph
on each animal.
Diagram Group. Comparisons. New York: St. Martins, 1980. Compares
different animals, plants and objects in a Guinness Book of World Records
style.
Few, Roger. Macmillan Animal Encyclopedia for Children. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. Organizes animals by habitat. Illustrated
with lovely color drawings.
Lerner, Carol. A Forest Year. New York: Morrow, 1987. Follows
the activities of common mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and insects
during each season in an eastern forest habitat.
Goor, Ron and Nancy. All About Feet. New York: Crowell, 1984.
A photo survey of animal feet.
________, Ron and Nancy. Heads. New York: Atheneum, 1988. More
comparative anatomy in irresistible black and white photos.
Hemsley, William. Fins to Wings. New York: Gloucester Press,
1992. In-depth information about how animals move..
Rauzon, Mark. Feet, Flippers, Hooves, and Hands. New York: Lothrop,
1994. Takes a look at animal's feet and hands as a way of comparing and
classifying them. Very good color photos.
Schafer, Susan. Komodo Dragon. New York: Dillon Publishing,
1994.
Yount, Lisa. Too Hot, Too Cold, Just Right: How Animals Control
Their Temperatures. New York: Walker, 1981. Endothermic and exothermic
strategies clearly explained.
Teacher Resources
Pictures of animals can be found in magazines such as Ranger Rick
and National Wildlife from the National Wildlife Federation as well
as in National Geographic and the Zoobooks series of monthly
booklets on wildlife.
Unit Background Information
Scientists classify animals according to shared characteristics. By
looking at an animal's skeletal structure, reproduction, body covering
and means of maintaining its body temperature, scientists organize the
ten million species in the animal kingdom in groups to be compared and
studied. Scientists who study animals are called zoologists.
Warm-blooded and cold-blooded, terms often used to describe
how an animal maintains its body temperature, tend to give the false impression
that a cold-blooded animal has cold blood. Better terms for identifying
these two groups are endothermic and ectothermic. Endo
means inside; ecto means outside. Therm means heat.
Ectothermic animals, such as snakes, lizards, fish, frogs and insects,
must gain heat for activity from outside their bodies. They depend on the
sun to heat up their bodies and allow any activity. If the environment
is cold, ectothermic animals are slow-moving and sluggish. That is why
a snake must bask in the sun before it can move about to hunt for food.
If the temperature gets too hot, a snake must find shade or burrow in the
ground to keep its body cool or die. (See Reading Mastery 3, Lesson 57)
Endothermic animals, on the other hand, make their own heat. The heat they
produce inside their bodies comes from energy from food. An endothermic
animal's body engine works hard to keep its body the right temperature
for activity all the time. When the outside temperature is too hot, an
endothermic animal can cool off by sweating or panting. The cost an endothermic
animal pays for this inside body heat system is that it must eat much more
often than an ectothermic animal. For example, a lion (endothermic) eats
its weight in food every seven to ten days. A ten-foot-long, ectothermic
reptile, the Komodo dragon, eats its weight in food every sixty days.
The animal kingdom can also be organized according to skeletal structure.
Animals with backbones (spinal columns) and craniums (hard, bony cases
around their brains) are in a group called vertebrates (VER-teh-brits).
The name comes from vertebrae (VER-teh-bree), small bones that form the
spinal column. Another name scientists use for this group is chordates.
Animals without backbones, such as snails, starfish, jellyfish, insects,
spiders, squid and earthworms, are called invertebrates.
The vertebrate group is broken down into five classes: mammals, birds,
fish, reptiles and amphibians. Each class has its own characteristics.
Mammals and birds are endothermic. Fish, reptiles and amphibians are ectothermic.
Procedure
Show the students the four bottles and jars and ask: How are these
objects alike? (They are all made of glass. They are all containers-- jars
or bottles.) Ask: How are these objects different from each other? (They
each contain something different. They are different shapes and sizes.)
Show the students the two bottles. Ask the students to compare these objects
and say how they are alike and how they are different from each other.
(Accept all reasonable answers.) If not already stated by the students,
point out that the bottles are alike in that they are both bottles and
they both contain liquids. They are different in that they contain liquids
of different colors and are different sizes and shapes. Ask a student to
come up and smell the contents of each bottle and report whether they are
different or the same in smell (different). Show the students the two jars.
Ask: How are these like each other and how are they different? (Accept
all reasonable answers.) Point out, if not already stated, that they are
alike in that they are both jars and both contain something white. They
are different in that they are different sizes and shapes and the white
substances inside are different. Tell the students that they have been
comparing things and putting them in groups according to likenesses in
size, shape, color and smell. Comparing and organizing things in groups
is called classifying and is something scientists do when they look
at plants and animals.
Have all the students stand up and have two students come to the front.
Tell the two their assignment is to classify the students in the class--organize
them by likenesses--according to shoe color. Help the class cooperate with
the classifiers. When the students have assembled in groups of brown shoes,
black shoes, white shoes, gray shoes, etc., point out that the classifiers
have grouped them according to the color of their shoes. Ask the students
to look around at the other students in their group. Are some of them taller
or shorter than others in the group? Are some of them boys and some girls?
Do some of them like peanut butter and others do not? Tell the students
that they can be organized into other groups according to many other characteristics
they share--by height, by boy/girl, by whether they like peanut butter
or not, or by where they live or how old they are. Have the students return
to their seats.
Tell the students that in the month ahead, they will be studying ways
to classify animals according to the characteristics the animals share.
By classifying animals, scientists and young scientists like themselves,
can compare and study how animals are alike and how they are different.
Ask the students to brainstorm with you and write the names of six animals
across the board. Remind the students that people belong to the animal
kingdom, too. Show the students pictures of the animals they have named
from animal encyclopedias listed in Suggested Books or from magazines.
On the board beneath each animal's name, have the students help you list
characteristics of that animal--what each looks like, where it lives, what
it eats and how it behaves. For example, under lion might be listed
meat eater (remind the students that in first grade they learned
that a meat eater is called a carnivore), four legs, lives in Africa,
brown and tan, hairy mane and tail. Have the students compare the lists
and see what shared characteristics they can find among the listed animals.
Group these animals at the bottom of the board under their shared characteristics.
For example, the students might include lion, wolf and snake under carnivores
or goldfish and snake under scaly. Write the word move
on the board. Ask: Which animals belong on this list? (all of them) Ask:
Do all animals move? (yes)
Point out to the students that they have been classifying animals according
to what they look like, what they eat, where they live and how they behave.
Write these four ways of classifying on the board. Tell the students that
one characteristic scientists use to classify animals is whether they make
their own body heat inside their bodies or not. Animals that need to get
body heat from their surroundings are ectothermic. Write this word
on the board and underline ecto. Tell the students that ecto
means outside and therm means heat--outside heat.
Tell the students that ectothermic animals are sometimes called cold-blooded.
Animals such as snakes, alligators, fish and frogs are ectothermic. They
need to get heat from their surroundings to be active. When the air or
water around them is cold, ectothermic animals are slow-moving and sluggish.
Ask: Has anyone seen a snake sunning itself on a warm rock? (Accept all
answers.) Ask: Why do you think a snake does that? (to get body heat from
the warm rock) Tell the students that the snake needs to warm up its body
before it can move about to hunt for food. Alligators warm up their bodies
by floating on the surface of the water in the sunshine or crawling up
on a warm beach.
Ask: Are people ectothermic animals? (no) How do you know? (People
do not have to lie in the sunshine the way snakes or alligators do to be
active.) Tell the students that people make their own body heat. So do
mice, birds, cats, dogs, squirrels, monkeys and many other animals. Animals
that make their own body heat are called endothermic animals. Write
this word on the board and underline endo. Ask: If endo means
inside, what does endothermic mean? (inside heat) Tell the
students that another name for endothermic is warm-blooded. Endothermic
animals make body heat with the fuel from the food they eat. Their bodies
change the food energy into heat energy to keep their bodies warm. They
can be active anytime, even when it is cold. To keep their body at the
right temperature for action, endothermic animals need to refuel often.
They need to eat much more often than ectotherms. Some snakes eat only
once a week or once a month.
If you have one from Suggested Books, show the students a picture of
a Komodo dragon, the largest lizard in the world. Tell the students that
when this ten-foot-long lizard has a meal, it eats a whole goat but it
only eats every two months. Ask: How often do people eat? (every day) Tell
the students that more than half of what they eat goes toward keeping their
bodies warm. Ask: How often do you think birds eat? (many times a day)
Tell the students that endothermic animals such as people and birds, lions
and mice need to eat more often than ectothermic animals so they can keep
their bodies at the right temperature for action.
Possible Homework
Find out more about alligators or Komodo dragons. Try to discover what
they eat and how they catch their food.
Create a zoo. Make a map of the zoo showing the different areas and
how the animals might be grouped by likenesses.
Additional Activity
Objective
Devise ways to classify a collection of objects.
Materials
For each group of five students: a collection of objects (large
wooden beads of different shapes, colors and sizes, a collection of seashells
or rocks, a box of vari-colored, differently-shaped pasta, a package of
15-bean soup mix, etc.), an egg carton and a marker
Procedure
Divide the class into teams of five and tell the students that the
game they are going to play is called the Classifying Game. The idea of
the game is to find a way to organize their objects according to a likeness,
a shared characteristic. Tell them to write the shared characteristic or
likeness on the inside top of the egg carton and use the egg compartments
for sorting into groups. Distribute a collection of objects, an egg carton
and marker to each group. When the students have finished classifying,
have a member of each group bring its egg carton to the front of the room
and report what likeness was used for organizing. List on the board the
shared characteristics used to classify.
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 2 - Classification of Animals
Objectives
Identify backbones in illustrations of human and animal skeletons.
Compare characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates.
Classify animals in an aquarium and place them on an animal kingdom
chart.
Materials
String of large wooden beads as a model of vertebrae
Transparencies of vertebrates and invertebrates (see attached)
Turkey or chicken neck bones, optional (see Teacher Notes for preparation
suggestions)
Picture of human backbone and fish backbone from the book Skeleton,
optional (see Suggested Books)
Animal Kingdom sheet for each child (see attached)
Aquarium with a few goldfish and six or seven snails (see Teacher Notes
for suggestions on setup)
Suggested Books
Doris, Ellen. Invertebrate Zoology: Animals Without Backbones.
New York: Thames and Hudson, 1993. This book, co-published with the Children's
School of Science in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, is for the advanced reader
but contains photos of children taking part in invertebrate research.
Fichter, George. Starfish, Seashells, and Crabs. New York: Golden
Book, 1993. Especially good sections on sea snails and how they move and
on hermit crabs.
Gowell, Elizabeth. Sea Jellies: Rainbows in the Sea. New York:
Franklin Watts, 1993. This book from the New England Aquarium has stunning
color photos of all types of jellyfish from moon jellies to man-of-wars
and in-depth information on jellyfish life cycles and means of locomotion.
Johnson, Jimmy. Skeletons: An Inside Look at Animals. New York:
Reader's Digest, 1994. Includes illustrations of eighteen skeletons of
animals with comparisons to the human skeleton.
Landau, Elaine. Interesting Invertebrates: A Look at Animals Without
Backbones. New York: Franklin Watts, 1991. Good color photos and chapters
on starfish, sponges, earthworms and sea urchins among others.
Loewer, Peter. The Inside-Outside Stomach: An Introduction to Animals
Without Backbones. New York: Atheneum, 1990. Outlines ways invertebrates
are able to protect their soft bodies. The title refers to the eating habits
of starfish.
Ross, Michael Elsohn. Snailology. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda, 1996.
Includes many activities for the study of snails: snail races, snail sketching,
snail movement, even "snail kissing."
Steve Parker. Skeleton. New York: Knopf, 1988. Outstanding photos
of various animal skeletons. Full-page photograph of human spine shows
how vertebrae fit together.
Stidworthy, John. Simple Animals. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
Text is advanced but includes color photos of a wide range of invertebrates
with informative captions.
Waters, John. A Jellyfish Is Not a Fish. New York: Crowell,
1979.
Teacher Notes
This lesson on comparative anatomy introduces some information that
will be built upon in November's lesson on the human skeletal system. Material
is mentioned in Vertebrates,
Level 3 Openers.
It is suggested that children keep folders for classifying chart (see
attached), worksheets on the characteristics of the various animal classes
and animal reports that they write.
To prepare chicken or turkey bones for this lesson and later lesson
on birds: Boil neck and wing bones until all meat falls away. Lay on a
paper towel until thoroughly dry. Store in a ziplock bag.
Aquarium setup: Pour at least an inch of aquarium gravel on the bottom
of the fish tank. Allow tap water to sit overnight in a container before
adding it to the fish tank. Goldfish and snails are available at pet stores,
large discount stores with pet sections and at some garden centers that
carry pond equipment. Purchasing a small floating plant will add oxygen
to the water. Pet stores and pet sections of supermarkets carry flake fish
food. Snails eat the algae that forms on the glass of the aquarium and
help keep the tank clean. They reproduce by laying eggs, which look like
clear jelly bubbles, on the glass.
Procedure
Review with the students the difference between endothermic and ectothermic
animals. Remind them that one way to classify animals, to group them by
likenesses, is to look at how they warm their bodies--from inside or outside.
Tell the students that another way to classify an animal is to look at
its bones, its skeleton. The most important part of the skeleton to look
at is the backbone. Ask: Do people have backbones? (yes) Ask the students
to put their fingers on the backs of their necks. Ask: What do you feel?
(bumps) Do the bumps go down your back? (yes) Show the students the picture
of the human skeleton on the vertebrates transparency and ask a student
to come up and point out the backbone. Ask: Do these other animals have
backbones, too? (yes) Have students come up and point out the backbones
on the other animals.
Ask one of the students to touch his or her knees and then stand upright.
Ask: Do our backbones bend? (yes) Demonstrate by twisting left and right
at the waist. Ask: If bone is hard, how do you think the backbone bends?
(Accept all answers.) Show the students the string of large wooden beads.
Tell them that the backbone is made up of many bones called vertebrae
(VER-teh-bree) lined up and connected like beads on a string. Demonstrate
the flexibility of the string. Write vertebrae on the board and
have the students repeat it. If you have them, show the students vertebrae
of a chicken or turkey. Point out the hole in the center through which
a string of nerves called the spinal cord passes on its way to the animal's
brain. If you have it, show the students the closeup of a human backbone
and vertebrae on pages 38-39 and the human spine illustration on the title
page from Skeleton (the Eyewitness series book listed in Suggested
Books) so they can see how vertebrae fit together.
Show the students the transparency of animals with backbones again.
Tell the students that animals with backbones are called vertebrates.
Write this word on the board. Point out that the name comes from the name
of the small bones in backbones. Vertebrates are one group of animals in
the animal kingdom. Ask: Are humans vertebrates? (yes) Why? (We have backbones.)
Point out that all of the animals with backbones have skeletons on
the insides of their bodies. Ask: Can you think of any animals that have
skeletons on the outsides of their bodies, that have exoskeletons?
Remind the students that last year they may have studied some that have
exoskeletons. (insects) Ask: Are there other animals that have exoskeletons?
(crabs,lobsters, spiders, scorpions) Ask: Do you think there are animals
with no hard skeletons at all? (Accept all answers.) Ask: What would you
be like if you had no skeleton? (Accept all answers.)
Show the students the transparency of invertebrates. Ask: Do you think
any of these animals have backbones? (no) Tell the students that some of
the animals without backbones have soft bodies. Point out the earthworm,
slug, squid and jellyfish. Ask the students if they are familiar with slugs.
Tell them that other animals without backbones have soft bodies but hard
shells to protect them. Ask a student to come up and point out the animals
with protective shells (snail, crab and clam). Tell the students that this
other group of animals in the animal kingdom is called invertebrates
because these animals have no backbones. Write this word on the board.
Ask: Do you think most of the animals in the world are vertebrates
or invertebrates? (Accept all answers.) Tell the students that most of
the animals on Earth are invertebrates. Vertebrates like ourselves make
up only 1/20th of the animal life on Earth. Ask: Do you think dinosaurs
were vertebrates or invertebrates? (They were vertebrates. They had backbones.)
Show the students the aquarium with goldfish and snails and tell them
that the job is to classify animal life in the aquarium. Ask the students
to look carefully at the animals in the aquarium. Ask: Do you think any
of the animals in the aquarium are vertebrates? (The goldfish have backbones
and are vertebrates.) Remind the students that if they have ever eaten
fish other than tuna fish from a can, they know that they have to watch
out for bones. If available, show them a fish skeleton on pages 20-21 of
Skeleton from Suggested Books. Ask a student to point out the fish's
backbone in the photo. Ask: Are there any invertebrates in the aquarium?
(Snails are invertebrates. They have no bones at all.) Point out that a
snail has a soft body like a slug's and a hard shell to protect it. Ask
the students to take a tally of the vertebrates and invertebrates in the
fish tank and write the results on the board. Are there any other animals
in the aquarium? Tell the students there may be some microscopic life in
the aquarium that is too small to see without a microscope. These tiny
creatures are classified in a special kingdom of their own outside the
animal kingdom.
Hand out the animal kingdom sheet (see attached). Tell the students
that scientists who study animals are called zoologists (zoo-OL-oh-jists).
Write this word on the board and have the students say it. Tell them that
a person who studies animals with backbones is called a vertebrate zoologist.
One who studies animals without backbones is called an invertebrate
zoologist. Ask the students to look at their sheets. Say: Imagine you
are working at the National Aquarium in Baltimore studying the life cycles
of starfish, would you be a vertebrate zoologist or an invertebrate zoologist?
(invertebrate zoologist because starfish have no backbones) Say: Imagine
you are on an expedition in the rain forest of Costa Rica, South America.
You are part of a team that is looking for a rare parrot with scarlet wings
and bright blue feet. You want to find this bird in its habitat and watch
it through powerful binoculars. You want to know what this parrot eats.
Are you a vertebrate zoologist or an invertebrate zoologist? (vertebrate
zoologist) Imagine you are on a boat in the Caribbean Ocean. You've just
put on your scuba diving gear and are preparing to dive down to some underwater
caves where sharks gather. You want to know what it is about the caves
that attracts the sharks. You want to know why animals that usually swim
alone get together in groups only in these special caves? Are you a vertebrate
zoologist or an invertebrate zoologist? (vertebrate zoologist)
Refer to the sheet and point out to the students that this zoologist's
classifying begins with animal kingdom divided into the two groups:
vertebrates and invertebrates. Under vertebrates there are
five groups called classes of animals--fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds
and mammals. They will be studying animals in each of these classes. Ask:
On this chart, where would you put goldfish? (under vertebrates, under
class fish) Where would you put snails? (under
invertebrates with clams and mussels) Ask them to write goldfish
in the proper place on the chart.
Tell the students that next time they will be taking a much closer
look at one class of vertebrates--fish. Ask the students, in the meantime,
to observe the goldfish in the aquarium. Watch how they move, what they
eat, how they breathe. Tell the students that the question to think about
is: How is a goldfish like a shark?
Possible Field Trip
The National Aquarium at Baltimore has exhibits that include many invertebrates
including jellyfish, crabs and crayfish, and starfish. This trip could
also serve as a classifying adventure--the Aquarium has exhibits of amphibians
(poison arrow frogs), reptiles (rainforest snakes), mammals (dolphins and
a sloth), birds and of course, fish (sharks, rays and piranha!)
Possible Speaker
Invite a vertebrate or invertebrate zoologist from the National Aquarium,
Columbus Center or a local university to speak to the class about his or
her area of interest.
Additional Activity
Objective
Identify characteristics of an invertebrate.
Materials
Oyster, clam or mussel available from supermarket fish sections or
fish markets (keep refrigerated until class time)
Sharp knife
Plastic tray
Teacher Note
To open a clam, oyster or mussel, hold the shell over a plastic tray
and slide the knife between the two half shells. Cut the muscle that connects
the two halves together. This process takes a little experience and one
must be careful with the sharp knife.
Procedure
Ask the students to take a look at the creature on the tray. Ask: Is
this animal a vertebrate or an invertebrate? (invertebrate) Ask: Does anyone
know what the name of this invertebrate is? (oyster, clam or mussel) Ask:
Where do these animals live? (in oceans or bays like the Chesapeake Bay)
Point out to the students that the animal has two shells fitted together.
Ask: Why do you think this creature has a hard shell? (to protect its soft
body) Tell the students that oysters, clams and mussels are molluscs.
They suck water into their shells and through their gills. The gills work
as nets to strain out tiny plant particles and also to take oxygen from
the water. Then the water is spit out. This kind of feeding is called filter
feeding. Oysters and other filter feeders clean the water of the Chesapeake
Bay. People would like to see a lot more oysters in the Bay to help keep
it cleaner. Ask: Has anyone ever eaten one of these animals? Tell the students
that oysters from the Chesapeake Bay are famous and served in restaurants
around the world.
Open the mollusc and show the students the soft body inside the shell.
Show them the muscle on the back of the shells that held the two halves
together. Remind them that they watched snails in the aquarium slide across
the glass using a fleshy foot. Molluscs do not move around very much. Oysters
and mussels cement themselves to surfaces and stay put. Mussels use strong
threads they make to attach themselves to rocks and pilings along the edge
of the water.
Tell the students that there is another world famous invertebrate that
lives in the Chesapeake Bay. It is often served in Maryland with a spicy
seasoning. Ask: What is the name of this invertebrate? (blue crab)
Ask the students to write a paragraph expressing their opinions on
which they think should be the official invertebrate of the State of Maryland--the
Maryland Crab or the Maryland Oyster? Why?
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 3 - Classification of Animals
Objectives
Observe live goldfish and label a fish's body parts on a diagram.
Compare characteristics of a goldfish and a shark.
Materials
Aquarium and goldfish from last lesson
Fish facts sheet (see attached)
A book on sharks for every group of five students (see Suggested Books)
Suggested Books
Arnosky, Jim. Freshwater Fish and Fishing: A Guide for Beginners.
New York: Scholastic, 1982. Arnosky shares his love of nature and the joys
of fishing. Includes a diagram of a typical fish and beautifully written
descriptions of favorite fishing spots, the fish that live there and how
to catch them.
________, Jim. Twenty-five Fish Every Child Should Know. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1993. Twelve fresh water fish and thirteen
marine fish are featured with color illustration and facts about each.
Bailey, Jill. Fish. New York: Facts on File, 1990.
________, Jill. How Fish Swim. New York: Marshall Cavendish,
1997.
Banister, Keith. Sharks and Rays: A Look Inside. New York: Readers
Digest, 1995.
Berman, Ruth. Sharks (a Nature Watch book). Minneapolis: Carolrhoda,
1995. Informative and filled with great photos of whale sharks, hammerheads,
nurse sharks and shark birth.
Cole, Joanna. Hungry, Hungry Sharks. New York: Random House,
1987. This popular book is at a first grade reading level, but has excellent
information on a variety of sharks.
Freedman, Russell. Killer Fish. New York: Holiday House, 1982. Black
and white photos accompany chapters on Biters (sharks, barracuda), Stingers
(stingrays) Shockers (electric eels) and Grabbers (octopus and jellyfish).
________, Russell. Sharks. New York: Holiday House, 1985. An
outstanding book from an award-winning nonfiction writer.
Gibbons, Gail. Sharks. New York: Holiday House, 1993.
Greenberg, Keith Elliot. Marine Biologist: Swimming with the Sharks.
Woodbridge, CT: Blackbirch, 1995.
Hirschfeld, Robert. Goldfish. New York: Grolier, 1997.
Ling, Mary. Amazing Fish (Eyewitness Juniors series). New York:
Knopf, 1991. Presents a variety of fish while emphasizing characteristics
common to all fish.
MacQuitty, Miranda. Sharks (Eyewitness series). New York: Knopf,
1992. As expected in books from this series, the photos are dramatic, however,
as in all the books, the text is limited to captions.
Markle, Sandra. Outside and Inside Sharks. New York: Atheneum,
1996. Markle's books in the Outside and Inside series are always appealing
and this is no exception. This clearly written introduction to sharks,
particularly the section on shark senses, is highly recommended. Also includes
a photo of a blue shark with fins labeled.
McGovern, Ann. Shark Lady. New York: Apple, 1994. Follows the
career and studies of Dr. Eugenie Clark, shark expert from University of
Maryland.
Parker, Steve. Fish (Eyewitness series). New York: Knopf, 1990.
Illustrates the amazing
diversity of fish in both color and shape but points out the similarities
in design that make them all members of this class of vertebrates.
________, Steve. Sharks (What If series). New York: Millbrook,
1996. Features life cycle of sharks but also includes other fish.
Resnick, Jane. All About Sharks. New York: Third Story Books,
1994. Co-published with Sea World.
Richardson, Joy. Fish. New York: Franklin Watts, 1993.
Tinkelman, Murray. Sharks. New York: Scholastic, 1996. Easy-to-read
questions and answers about sharks.
Simon, Seymour. Sharks. New York: Harpercrest, 1995.
Snedden, Robert. What Is a Fish? Boston: Little Brown, 1997.
Examines what sharks and minnows have in common.
Stratton, Barbara. What Is a Fish? New York: Franklin Watts,
1991. This book was co- published with the New England Aquarium and contains
color photos of their exhibits. Text is for the advanced reader but illustrations
of how fish move and breathe are detailed and easy to comprehend.
Welsbacher, Anne. Hammerhead Sharks. Minneapolis: Capstone,
1995.
Wu, Norbert. Fish Faces. New York: Owlet, 1997. A diver tells
stories of fish he has encountered accompanied by stunning color photos.
Teacher Resources
National Geographic Society video. Sharks. Stamford, CT: Vestron
(distributor), 1987. Features Dr. Eugenie Clark, world-renown shark expert
who teaches at the University of Maryland College Park. Dr. Clark has dispelled
a lot of shark myths, particularly about the shark's vicious nature.
Background Information
The class fish is actually made up of three groups: 1. jawless
fish, 2. sharks and rays and 3. bony fish. Fish in all three groups share
some basic fish characteristics: they live in water, are ecothermic, use
gills to breathe, use tails to swim and fins to steer, and usually have
scales. Many fish lay eggs, but a minority bear live young, for example
guppies and some sharks.
Sharks differ from goldfish in that they have skeletons of cartilage,
a tough gristly substance, instead of bone. Some sharks have teeth.
While most fish, such as goldfish, have air bladders that enable them to
remain level in water, sharks do not have them. Shark scales resemble bumps
rather than flat overlapping goldfish scales. Goldfish live in fresh
water while sharks are marine animals. (Reading Mastery IV, Lesson
100) Goldfish food contains fish, crab and soy protein as well as oatmeal.
Many shark species eat other fish and crabs while whale sharks and basking
sharks eat plankton (microscopic plant and animal life).
Procedure
Remind the students that last time they looked at vertebrates and invertebrates
in an aquarium. Ask: If you were studying the goldfish in the aquarium,
what kind of zoologist would you be--an invertebrate or a vertebrate zoologist?
(vertebrate zoologist) Why? (because fish have backbones) Tell the students
that fish were the first creatures on Earth to have backbones. Show the
students pictures of a variety of fish with varying shapes and colors from
Suggested Books. (The cover of Fish, in the Eyewitness series shows
an array that highlights their diversity.) Point out that while fish can
be as different in shape as eels and pufferfish or swordfish and stingrays,
they all share some characteristics.
Distribute the sheet on Fish Facts (see attached). Point out that the
first characteristic of fish is that they live in water. Ask: Can people
breathe underwater without any equipment? (no) How do you think fish breathe
underwater? (Accept all answers.) Have the students observe the goldfish
in the aquarium. Ask: What do you notice about the slits on the sides of
the fish's head? (They open and close as the fish opens and closes its
mouth.) Have the students find the gill slits on the fish in the fish fact
sheet. Write gills on the board and have the students label the
gills on the sheet. Explain to the students that water flows through a
fish's mouth and out the gill openings in the sides of its head. As the
water flows over them, the gills take oxygen from the water. This is how
the fish can breathe underwater.
Remind the students that they learned about ectothermic and endothermic
animals. Ask: Do fish get their body heat from inside or from outside?
Are they endothermic animals or exothermic animals? (exothermic) Point
out that a fish's body is streamlined and a good shape for sliding through
water. Ask a child to look closely at the goldfish and describe how it
moves. Ask: How does a fish push itself through the water? (It uses its
tail fin. By moving it from side to side, it propels its body forward.)
Write tail fin on the board and have the students label the tail
fin on their sheets. Ask a child to look closely at the goldfish and describe
where other fins are located on its body (on its back, on the sides behind
the gills and on the bottom). Tell the students that these fins help the
fish to steer. Have the students label the fins on their sheets. Ask: Has
anyone ever touched a fish before? What does a fish's skin feel like? (Accept
all answers.) Point out to the students that most fish have slimy scales.
If you try to pick them up, they are very slippery. Being slippery helps
them slide more easily through the water. Scales help protect their bodies.
Review with the students the characteristics most fish share: they live
in water, are ectothermic (get body heat from the environment), use gills
to breathe, use tails to swim and fins to steer through the water and have
slimy scales that protect their bodies. Tell the students that goldfish
lay many eggs that look like floating jelly clumps. They are fertilized
by male goldfish. When the eggs hatch, out swim small, dark-colored fish
that grow and gradually become gold colored.
Tell the students that today they will be comparing two fish--a
goldfish and a shark--to see how they are alike and how they are different.
Point out that while they can observe goldfish in the classroom, sharks
are a different story. Unfortunately, there is no way to have a live one
in the classroom. Instead they will have to read about sharks and look
at pictures (or videos if available). Have the students add shark
to their animal kingdom chart.
Divide the class into groups of five. Distribute the shark books. Tell
the students that each group should pick a kind of shark from the books
that they want to know more about, for example, great white shark or whale
shark or tiger shark. Ask them to write the name of the shark at the top
of a paper. Below it, write three ways the shark is like a goldfish and
three ways it is not. Be sure to write complete sentences. Remind the students
that when doing research on a shark, look at body design, where it lives,
how it breathes, what it eats, how it swims and how it has babies. Finally,
they may want to add an illustration of the shark. When the students have
completed their research papers, invite groups to share them.
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 3 - Classification of Animals
Possible Field Trips
Stores that sell tropical fish have large aquariums with both fresh
water and salt water specimens of all shapes and colors. Occasionally,
these stores have nurse sharks--blue-eyed sharks that bear a resemblance
to catfish--as well as seahorses, rays, crabs and eels. Sales people are
usually well-informed about all the fish in their stores and can answer
most questions the students may pose.
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 4 - Classification of Animals
Objectives
Describe characteristics of amphibians.
Compare characteristics of salamanders and lizards.
Identify amphibians and reptiles by their characteristics.
Materials
Pictures from Suggested Books
I Live a Double Life transparency (attached sheet)
4 slips of paper, each with the name of an amphibian or reptile written
on it (examples: rattlesnake, sea turtle, poison dart frog, spotted salamander,
box turtle, alligator, Komodo dragon, American toad)
4 pieces of masking tape
Suggested Books
Arnold, Caroline. Sea Turtles. New York: Scholastic, 1996. Aquatic
reptiles return to land to lay their eggs.
________, Caroline. Snake. New York: Morrow, 1991. An excellent
introduction to snakes with an emphasis on pythons and boas.
Clarke, Barry. Amazing Frogs and Toads (Eyewitness Juniors).
New York: Knopf, 1990.
________, Barry. Amphibian. New York: Knopf, 1993. Frogs, toads,
newts, salamanders are presented in stunning photos. The importance of
water to amphibians is discussed as are strategies amphibians use to stay
moist in habitats as diverse as treetops and deserts
Collard, Sneed. Sea Snakes. New York: Boyd Mills, 1993. An unusual
book on ocean-going reptiles.
Johnson, Sylvia and Jane Dallinger. The World of Frogs and Toads.
Minneapolis: Lerner, 1994. Kaufman, Joe. Slimy, Creepy, Crawly Creatures.
Racine, WI: Western Publishing, 1985. Kaufman does a good job of dispelling
aversion to creatures one might find repulsive by presenting interesting
facts about them. Sections are conveniently divided into amphibian, reptile,
fish, etc. and illustrations are appealing.
Ling, Mary and Mary Atkinson. The Snake Book. New York: Dorling
Kindersley, 1997. Spectacular full page, nearly life-size photos and information
about various species of snakes including a fold-out of a reticulated python.
Markle, Sandra. Inside and Outside Snakes. New York: Simon &
Schuster, 1995. Markle provides an excellent explanation of why snakes
need to sun themselves to be active. The color photographs of snake organs
are fascinating.
Mazer, Anne. The Salamander Room. New York: Knopf, 1991. A boy
brings home an orange salamander and proceeds to change his room into the
ideal salamander habitat.
Murray, Peter. Frogs. Chicago: Child's World, 1993. Despite
the overuse of exclamation points, this is an extremely well written overview
of frogs with great photos.
Parker, Nancy Winslow and Joan Wright. Frogs, Toads, Lizards and
Salamanders. New York: Greenwillow, 1990.
Simon, Seymour. Snakes. New York: HarperCollins, 1993. Color
photographs illustrate this well-known author's text on the locomotion,
habits and anatomy of snakes.
Smith, Trevor. Amazing Lizards (Eyewitness Juniors). New York:
Knopf, 1990.
Spellerberg, Ian and Marit McKerchar. Mysteries and Marvels of the
Reptile World. London: Usborne, 1984. Packed with eye-catching illustrations,
this book celebrates the diversity of reptile life and focuses on remarkable
features of particular reptile species.
Stidworthy, John. Reptiles and Amphibians. New York: Facts on
File, 1989. Includes sections on What is An Amphibian? and What
is a Reptile? plus illustrations and information on habitat, diet and
life cycles of many species in each class.
Zim, Herbert and Hobart Smith. Reptiles and Amphibians. Racine,
WI: Western Publishing, 1987. These ever-popular Golden Guides have good
illustrations and concise, accurate information.
Teacher Resource
Special Frog issue: March 1991. Ranger Rick Magazine. Washington,
DC: National Wildlife Federation. Contains articles on frog and toad anatomy,
frogs and myths, metamorphosis and even frog jokes: "How many frogs would
fit in your glass of water? Toadily too many. What do you get when
you cross a frog and a french fry? A potatoad. What do frogs say
after telling jokes? Git-it? Git-it?"
Prescott, Lyle. "Caring for Crocs". Ranger Rick Magazine, August,
1995.
Background Information
Amphibians are a class of vertebrates that includes frogs, toads, salamanders,
newts and caecilians (legless amphibians which resemble worms). Most amphibians
live part of their lives in water and the rest on land. The word amphibian
is from the Greek word amphibios which means to live a double life.
Amphibians begin life in the water as larvae. They change form in a process
called metamorphosis (met-uh-MOR-foe-sis) in which they lose their gills,
grow limbs and leave water to live on land. Most return to the water to
spawn. Some adult amphibians use lungs to breathe but a certain amount
of oxygen enters through the skin and the lining of the mouth. Many salamanders
have no lungs but breathe exclusively through their skins. Holding a salamander
in the hand can transfer oils to its skin that will impair its ability
to get oxygen. Amphibians are ectothermic animals.
The ancestors of amphibians were fish that pulled themselves up on
land with bony fins. This allowed them to exploit insect life on the edges
of swamps and escape predators in the water. Early amphibians lived 360
million years ago.
Reptiles--snakes, lizards, turtles, alligators, crocodiles and tuataras
(a lizard-like species)
--evolved from amphibians 315 million years ago. Certain features of
reptiles make them more suited to life on land than amphibians. A reptile's
skin is thick with scales to hold in moisture and keep the animal from
drying out. A reptile egg is surrounded by a hard or leathery shell that
protects the embryo inside. Some reptiles, such as garter snakes, bear
live young. Since reptiles have internal fertilization, they do not need
to find water in order to lay eggs as amphibians do. Like amphibians, reptiles
are ectothermic. Dinosaurs are classified as reptiles. Many scientists
support the theory that from a line of dinosaurs, came the ancestors of
birds.
Procedure
Ask the students if they can solve this riddle and answer the question:
Who Am I?
I hatched from an egg and swam before,
I breathed through my gills, but not anymore.
I grew four legs, my tail it shrank.
So I left the pond, hopped out on the bank.
Now I dine all day on gnats and flies,
Jump back in the water if trouble arrives.
(frog)
Remind the students that they learned about the life cycle of frogs
last year and about how frogs change shape as they grow. Ask: Does anyone
remember the long word that means changing in form? (metamorphosis) Remind
the students that frogs go through a metamorphosis when they start as eggs,
hatch into tadpoles with gills for breathing underwater, and over time,
develop into frogs with four legs, no tail, and lungs for breathing air.
Show the students pictures of frogs from Suggested Books. Ask: Are frogs
vertebrates or invertebrates? (They are vertebrates because they have backbones.)
Tell them that frogs belong to the class of vertebrates called amphibians.
Write this word on the board and have the students say it. Tell the students
that amphibian comes from a Greek word that means living a double
life. Ask: Does a frog live a double life? How? (It starts out living
in the water like a fish and then changes form and lives on land.)
Ask: Has anyone ever held a frog? What did its skin feel like? (soft,
wet, slimy) Tell the students that frogs and other amphibians use their
lungs to breathe but also breathe through their skins. Their skins are
not waterproof like a raincoat. Special glands make a frog or salamander
slimy to keep its skin moist so its body will not dry out. Some amphibians
have glands that make their skin bad tasting or even poisonous. Ask: Why
would poison in its skin be helpful to an amphibian? (Other animals wouldn't
want to eat it.) Show the students pictures of poison dart frogs (on pages
56-57 of Eyewitness Amphibians or pages 23 and 24 of Amazing
Frogs and Toads). Point out that the frogs are bright colors. The bright
colors are like a warning label to predators that says: beware, I am poisonous.
Ask: Why do you think these are called poison dart frogs? (Accept all answers.)
Tell the students that South American Indians use the poison from frogs'
skins to put on the tips of their blow pipe darts. When they go hunting
for food, the Indians shoot game with the poison darts and the game animals
die quickly and don't run away into the rainforest.
Tell the students there are other amphibians besides frogs--animals
that live part of their lives in water and the rest on land. Show them
pictures of toads, salamanders and newts from Suggested Books. If available,
read aloud The Salamander Room by Anne Mazer.
Tell the students that there are black salamanders with yellow polka
dots living in Maryland that are so good at hiding under logs and rocks
that people only see them one time a year. That is in early spring when
they come out and crawl long distances to ponds where they mate and lay
eggs.
Show the students the transparency: I Live a Double Life (see
attached). Point out that this polka-dotted amphibian, the spotted salamander,
lays eggs in clusters at the edges of ponds. When the eggs hatch, out come
larvae that look a lot like frog tadpoles. Ask the students to take a good
look at the salamander larva. Ask: How is this larva different from a frog
larva, a tadpole? (It has frills around its head. Its longer than a frog
tadpole.) Tell the students that the frills are the salamander's gills
for breathing underwater. Ask: What changes does the salamander larva go
through to prepare it for adult life on land? (First it grows two front
legs, then two back legs for walking. It loses its gills.) Tell the students
that spotted salamanders have glands on the backs of their necks that make
them taste horrible to predators. The yellow polka dots are their advertisement,
just like the bright colors on the poison dart frogs.
Write frog, newt, salamander, toad on the board. Ask the students
to place these animals under the correct class name on their animal kingdom
charts.
Ask: Do salamanders look like another kind of animal? (lizards) Show
the students pictures of lizards from Suggested Books. Write salamander
and lizard on the board. Tell them that there is one way lizards
and salamanders are alike. They are ectothermic animals. Review the meaning
of ectothermic and write it under both salamander and lizard.
Ask: Are lizards amphibians? Do they go through metamorphosis and live
part of their lives in water with gills and part of their lives on land?
(no) Write metamorphosis under salamander and no metamorphosis
under lizard. Tell the students that there are other ways that lizards
and salamanders are different. Ask: What is a salamander's skin like? (soft,
wet, slimy) Write this under salamander on the board. Tell the children
that a lizard's skin is dry. Write dry skin under lizard.
Ask: Do salamanders have scales? (no) Do lizards have scales? (yes) Write
no scales and scales under the appropriate animals. Ask: Where
do salamanders lay their jelly-covered eggs? (in water) Tell the students
that lizards don't need water to lay their eggs. They make nests of plant
material or dig holes in dirt or sand and lay eggs with leathery shells.
The shells protect the developing babies inside and keep them from drying
out. A few lizards keep the eggs inside their bodies and give birth to
developed babies. Write jelly eggs in water and leathery eggs
on land under the appropriate animals. Review the characteristics of
lizards and salamanders on the board. Ask: Which animal is better adapted
to living on land? (lizard) Why? (It doesn't need to stay wet or lay its
eggs in water.) Ask: What class of vertebrates do you think lizards belong
to? (reptiles)
Brainstorm with the students and make a list of reptiles (snakes, alligators,
crocodiles, turtles, tortoises, and lizards). The list might include rattlesnake,
snapping turtle, Gila monster, alligator, water moccasin, chameleon, Komodo
dragon, box turtle, iguana, sea turtles, etc. Point out that dinosaurs
were reptiles, too. In the time of the dinosaurs, some reptiles had wings
and could fly. Ask: Are there any flying reptiles today? (There is a lizard
called the flying gecko but it can't fly, it can only glide from
tree to tree. There are no reptiles today that can really fly.) If available,
show the students the photo of the flying gecko pages 18-19 in Amazing
Lizards from Suggested Books. Ask: Are there reptiles that swim? (Yes,
crocodiles, alligators, turtles, water snakes and sea snakes swim.)
Tell the students you need four contestants to come up and play the
Reptile-Amphibian Game. Without letting them see the slips of paper, tape
one to each contestant's back. Tell the students that you have taped the
name of a reptile or amphibian on each one of them. Have the first contestant
turn around and show the class the name of the animal on his or her back
then turn and face them. Tell the contestant he or she may walk around
the classroom and ask questions to determine whether the animal is a reptile
or amphibian. Sample questions: Does this animal have scales? What do its
eggs look like? Is its skin wet or dry? Refer the students to the salamander-lizard
list on the board for characteristics of amphibians and reptiles. Once
the contestant has identified the animal's class, he or she might want
to continue asking questions to determine what particular animal it is
such as: Does this animal have lots of sharp teeth? (alligator or crocodile)
Does it have any legs? (snake) Does it hop? (frog or toad) Continue the
game with the other contestants. When the game is over, have the students
pick some of their favorite reptiles and amphibians and list them under
the appropriate classes on their animal kingdom charts.
Possible Field Trip
The Reptile House at the Baltimore Zoo is separate from the main zoo
and has no admission charge. Exhibits include caymans (crocodiles), a python,
lizards and some very colorful snakes.
Possible Speakers
Contact a herpetologist from a local university to come and speak about
his or her job. These reptile experts will probably bring live specimens.
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 5 - Classification of Animals
Adapted from Naturescope: Birds, Birds, Birds! National Wildlife Federation
Objectives
Describe some physical changes in the evolution from reptile to bird.
Examine a feather and draw its structure.
Examine and identify bird bones.
Compare bird beaks, predict birds' diets and design a bird beak for
a particular food.
Measure and chart wingspans of birds.
Materials
Pictures of bird skeletons from Skeletons in Suggested Books,
page 18-19.
Transparency of small dinosaur (Compsognathus), Archaeopteryx (dinosaur/bird
connection) and a crow (see attached)
Group One: Feather Facts sheet for each member (see attached), hand
lenses, bird feathers
Group Two: Chicken Skeleton sheet for each member (see attached), hand
lenses, chicken bones (clean and dry), beef, lamb or pork bones (clean
and dry)
Group Three: Bird Beak sheet for each member (see attached)
Group Four: Wingspans sheet for each member (see attached), measuring
tape
Suggested Books
Bash, Barbara. Urban Roosts: Where Birds Nest in the City. Boston:
Little Brown, 1990.
Burnie, David. Bird. New York: Knopf, 1988.
Cole, Joanna. A Bird's Body. New York: Morrow, 1982. Excellent material
on bird anatomy.
Cohen, Daniel. Prehistoric Animals. New York: Yearling, 1993.
Good pictures of fossil birds.
George, Jean Craighead. The Moon of the Winter Bird. New York:
Crowell, 1969. Follows a sparrow through the winter.
Gerstein, Mordecai. Arnold of the Ducks. New York: Harper, 1983.
A human baby is accidentally kidnaped by a passing pelican and is raised
by a duck mother. He is covered with feathers by his duck brothers and
sisters and learns to fly and live like a duck.
Helmsley, William. Fins to Wings. New York: Gloucester Press,
1991. Examines how animals move and includes a section on bird flight.
Parker, Steve. Skeleton, New York: Knopf, 1988.
Parsons, Alexandra. Amazing Birds (Eyewitness Junior book).
New York: Knopf, 1990.
Ricciuti, Edward. Birds. Woodbridge, CT: Blackbirch Press, 1993.
Contains sections on evolution of birds and bird senses.
Taylor, Barbara. The Bird Atlas. New York: Dorling Kindersley,
1993. Three hundred birds by continent including physical characteristics
and information on habitat. Also a section on the evolution of birds.
Teacher Resources
Naturescope: Birds, Birds, Birds! Washington, D.C.: National
Wildlife Federation, 1985.
"Take a Peak at That Beak," Ranger Rick Magazine, Jan 1985,
pages 10-14.
Short, Lester. The Lives of Birds. New York: Henry Holt, 1993.Highly
readable book by the curator of birds for the American Museum of Natural
History. The chapter on the bird-reptile connection is fascinating.
Teacher Note
You can prepare the chicken bones yourself or have children bring in
clean, dry chicken bones from home and make a collection for Group Two.
If unable to find feathers for Group One, they are available by the bag
at craft and hobby stores.
Background Information
Birds, class Aves, share characteristics related to the ability
to fly. Although some birds are flightless, their bodies show the adaptations
necessary for flight. For instance, birds have lightweight bones. The bones
are thin-walled and honeycombed with air spaces. Their beaks are lighter
than are jaws full of teeth. Their digestive systems work on food very
quickly so waste material does not stay in the body long as extra weight.
The forelimbs of early birds evolved into wings. A bird's breastbone is
large with strong flight muscles attached. Most remarkable is the evolution
of scales into feathers. Birds are the only animals with feathers. As mentioned
in the last lesson, many scientists support the theory that birds are the
descendants of certain small, insect-eating dinosaurs.
Birds, of course, come in all shapes, colors, and sizes from man-sized
ostriches to tiny hummingbirds, from broad-winged hawks to black and white
waddling penguins. There are at least 8,500 species of birds. All birds
are endothermic (warm-blooded) and lay eggs to reproduce. Nesting habits
vary widely and depend on a bird's adaptation to its habitat. Beak shape
is also a reflection of adaptation to diet. For instance, ducks and geese
have wide bills for nibbling aquatic plants. Hummingbirds have long, needle-like
beaks for sipping nectar from flowers. A parakeet's beak is short, strong
and sharp for cracking through the husks of seeds.
Procedure
Write this question on the board: Are dinosaurs really extinct? Tell
the students that for many years scientists believed that sixty-five million
years ago, the last dinosaur lay down and died. No more baby dinosaurs
were born or hatched. Dinosaurs became extinct. When a kind of animal
becomes extinct it means that there will never be any more of that kind
of animal on Earth. All are dead and no more young will ever be born. Ask:
Are all dinosaurs really extinct? (Accept all answers.)
Tell the students that because dinosaur detectives kept looking for
dinosaur bones and studying them, they found new evidence that dinosaurs
may be alive today. In fact, we see these dinosaurs every day walking around,
perched in trees, singing, building nests, flying through the sky. Tell
them that some scientists think that over many millions of years, dinosaur
ancestors changed into birds. By adapting to new environments, their bodies
changed and they survived. Show the students the picture of Compsognathus,
Archaeopteryx and a crow. Tell them that the first animal is a small, insect-eating
dinosaur. The second is either a dinosaur with feathers or an early bird,
scientists aren't sure which. The last picture is a modern-day crow. Ask
the students to look at the bird's body. Ask: What changes do you see in
the bird's body compared to the reptile's? (Front legs or arms are wings;
beak instead of teeth; feathers instead of scales.) Point out that birds
have scaly legs and claws like the dinosaur. Ask: Do reptiles lay eggs?
(yes) Point out that birds lay eggs, too. Ask: Are reptiles ectothermic
or endothermic? (ectothermic. They get body heat from outside.) Ask: Do
you think birds are ectothermic or endothermic? Why? (endothermic.
Birds are always active. They eat often.)
Tell the students that many of the body changes from reptile to bird
prepared birds forflying. For example, lightweight bones. Show the students
some chicken bones and point out that they are strong but light. The walls
of the bones are thin and inside they are honeycombed with air spaces.
Write bones on the board. If available, show the students pictures
of bird skeletons from Skeleton in Suggested Books. Point out that
birds don't have arms; they have wings. Attached to a bird's breastbone
are very strong flight muscles to move its wings. Write wings on
the board. Tell the students that thick skin and heavy scales of the reptile
ancestor over time changed into lightweight feathers. Write feathers
on the board. Tell the students that instead of heavy jaw bones full of
teeth, birds have lightweight beaks. Write beaks on the board. Point
out that different birds have differently shaped beaks. For example, ducks
and geese have wide bills for nibbling underwater plants. Hummingbirds
have long, needle-like beaks for sipping nectar from flowers. A parakeet's
beak is short, strong and sharp for cracking through the husks of seeds.
Divide the class into four groups and point out that each group will
be studying one of the bird features listed on the board: bones,
wings, feathers or beaks. When they are finished,
groups will share their study results with the class. Distribute the materials.
Be sure the members of the group studying wings have access to the board
where they will record their results. If available, give the Skeleton
book to Group Two.
When the groups are finished their projects, have representatives come
to the front of the room and report on findings. Have the students list
the names of some birds in the appropriate place on their animal kingdom
charts.
Possible Speakers
Have an adult or child with a pet bird bring it to class and discuss
its habits and care. Have the students observe the bird and write a paragraph
describing it and what characteristics it shares with all birds.
Invite a member of the Baltimore Bird Club (Audubon Society) to the
classroom to share a presentation on local birds. The group's headquarters
is at Cylburn Mansion where there are bird exhibits open to the public.
Baltimore Bird Club: (410) 467-0653.
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 6 - Classification of Animals
Vertebrate Truth or Lie game adapted from Naturescope: Amazing Mammals,
page 15.
Objectives
Describe what characteristics are common to all mammals.
Recognize some ways mammals have adapted to their habitats.
Review the five classes of vertebrates.
Materials
Ten copies of Good Morning, Mammals script
Ten name tags with string or yarn attached to wear around the neck:
Dr. Vertebrate, Dog, Elephant, Chimpanzee, Bat, Flying Squirrel, Tiger,
Blue Whale, Kangaroo, Mole
Bowtie, necktie, glasses, scarf, hat or some other piece of costume
for Dr. Vertebrate
Vertebrate sheet for each student (see attached)
Suggested Books
Berger, Melvin. A Whale is Not a Fish and other Animal Mixups.
New York: Scholastic, 1996. Brownell, M. Barbara. Mammals. Washington,
DC: National Geographic Society, 1993. A breezy, light-hearted look at
each mammalian order from primates and rodents to whales and bats.
Carwardine, Mark. Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises. New
York: Dorling Kindersley, 1993.
Creagh, Carson. Mammals. New York: Time Life, 1996. While it
includes animals from all over the world, this book was first published
in Australia and has some fascinating information about Australian marsupials
and the platypus. Other sections include Grazers and Browsers, Burrowers
and Chewers and Mammals of the Sea,
Few, Roger. Macmillan Animal Encyclopedia for Children. New
York: Simon & Schuster, 1991. All kinds of animals including mammals,
organized by habitat.
Gibbons, Gail. Whales. New York: Holiday House, 1991. A comprehensive
look at whales including their evolution from land dwelling to sea going
mammals.
Hansen, Roseanna. Wolves and Coyotes. New York: Platt &
Munk, 1981.
MacDonald, David. The Encyclopedia of Mammals. New York: Facts
on File, 1984.
Matthews, Downs. Harp Seal Pups. New York: Simon & Schuster,
1997. Shows how baby mammals are born and survive in the harsh environment
of the Arctic. Good way to introduce Arctic habitat for next month's unit
on ecosystems.
McNulty, Faith. Dancing with Manatees. New York: Scholastic,
1996. Easy-to-read text and appealing illustrations explore the world of
these endangered marine mammals.
Milton, Joyce. Whales, the Gentle Giants. New York: Random,
1989.
Moss, Cynthia. Little Big Ears. New York: Simon & Schuster,
1997. Written by the director of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project
in Kenya, this is the true story of a baby elephant born unable to stand
and nurse. Mother and sister elephant work to save the baby. This story
was part of the public television documentary "Echo of Elephants."
Parker, Steve. Mammal (Eyewitness series). New York: Knopf,
1989. Besides the outstanding photos one has come to expect from Eyewitness
books, this one also has a thought- provoking text. It emphasizes the diversity
of mammalian adaptation and deals with what makes these adaptations successful.
Patent, Dorothy Hinshaw. Why Mammals Have Fur. New York: Cobblehill,
1995. Fur makes it possible for mammals to keep body heat in and live in
cold places. Patent examines how fur evolved and how it serves animals
throughout the world.
Simon, Seymour. Animal Fact/Animal Fable. New York: Crown,
1979. Elephants are afraid of mice. A cat has nine lives. Dogs talk with
their tails. Simon explores these and other assertions in a fascinating
book with facts that will probably surprise readers.
Zim, Herbert and Donald Hoffmeister. Mammals: A Guide to Familiar
American Species (A Golden Nature Guide). New York: Golden Press, 1955.
This book in the classic series includes illustrations and short descriptions
of North American mammals highlighting range and habitats, feeding habits,
physical features and family trees.
Teacher Resources
Mammals and their Characteristics.(video) Simon and Schuster
Communications, Film Service Center, 429 Academy Dr., Northbrook, IL 60062.
I'm a Mammal and So Are You. (video) Benchmark Films, Inc. P.O.
Box 315, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417. A musical about mammalian characteristics.
Naturescope: Amazing Mammals (a teaching guide). Washington,
DC: (Ranger Rick Magazine )
National Wildlife Federation, 1986.
Teacher Notes
For the Good Morning, Mammals skit, the nine roles can be assigned
ahead of time and actors given an opportunity to read over their parts
before science class.
Procedure
Ask the students to name the classes of vertebrates they have studied
so far. Tell them that today they will be studying the fifth class of vertebrates--mammals.
Ask: How many mammals are there in the classroom? (Count the number of
people in the classroom plus any mammal classroom pets.) Point out that
people are mammals.
Ask the nine preselected students to come up to the front with their
chairs and scripts. Tell the other students that the nine will be playing
the roles of other mammals in a brand new program on the Animal Channel
called Good Morning, Mammals. Have them be seated. To launch the
performance, turn away from the students and put on the Dr. Vertebrate
costume and then turn back and introduce yourself as the host of the show
(See attached script).
When the performance is over, have the actors take their bows. Distribute
the Vertebrate sheet (attached) and tell the students that it will help
them in the Vertebrate Truth or Lie Game. Tell them you will read a statement
and they are to say whether it is the truth or a lie and why. Following
are some statements for the Truth or Lie Game.
1. Amphibians lay leathery eggs in sand. (Lie--Amphibians lay jellylike
eggs in water.)
2. Birds have hollow bones. (Truth)
3. Only birds can fly. (Lie--Bats fly and they are mammals.)
4. Fish are endothermic. (Lie--Fish are ectothermic or cold-blooded.)
5. Amphibians have scales. (Lie--Amphibians have no scales.)
6. Reptiles have scales. (Truth--Fish have scales, too.)
7. Reptiles go through a larva stage. (Lie--Reptiles do not go through
metamorphosis.)
8. Snakes and lizards are slimy. (Lie--Snakes and lizards have thick,
dry, scaly skin.)
9. Fish nurse their babies. (Lie--Fish do not nurse. They have no mammary
glands and don't make milk.)
10. Mammals have mammary glands and nurse their babies. (Truth)
11. Fish breathe through gills. (Truth)
12. Only birds and mammals have feathers. (Lie--Only birds have feathers.)
13. Reptiles and mammals have lungs and breathe air. (Truth)
14. Frogs and toads are reptiles. (Lie--They are amphibians.)
15. Birds have hair, breathe air, do lots of baby care. (Lie--Birds
do baby care and breathe air but they do not have hair.)
Possible Field Trip
A trip to the Baltimore Zoo makes a good classifying expedition. Have
the students carry journals and write what they observe about each animal,
as well as noting something about its habitat and its vertebrate class.
Third Grade - Science - Lesson 6 - Classification of Animals
Script for
Good Morning, Mammals
DR. VERTEBRATE: Welcome! Welcome, studio audience and viewers at home
to Good Morning, Mammals the only show on the Animal Channel to
explore the life of mammals. I am your host Dr. Vertebrate. Now, I know
all you amphibians out there have enjoyed the reruns of Bill Nye the
Salamander Guy and we've received a lot of fan mail from turtles raving
about the show Hanging with Mr.Tortoise, but today we're going to
get up close and personal with a group of real live mammals. The topic
for our show is: Mammals--How are we alike? How are we different?
Let me introduce you to our guests. First, from the windy city, Chicago,
Illinois, we have Pepper, the Dog. Tell us a little about yourself, Pepper.
DOG: Sure, Dr. Vertebrate. I'm a canine, a member of the same family
as wolves, coyotes and foxes. Of course, I'm not a wild canine. I don't
live in a pack the way wolves do. I'm a domestic dog. I live with humans--they're
my pack. They feed me every day.
DR. VERTEBRATE: Yes, indeed. We mammals have good appetites. We have
to eat often because we're endotherms. (Write endothermic on the
board.)
DR. VERTEBRATE: Now to our next guest, from the grasslands and forests
of Asia--Tiger. Can't help noticing your marvelous fur coat, Tiger.
TIGER: Thanks, Dr. Vertebrate. I try to keep my coat nice. Fur is important
to me. In fact, hair is important to mammals because it keeps us warm.
We're the only animals with hair. Birds don't have it. Reptiles don't have
it. Amphibians don't have it. Fish don't have it. Let's hear it for hair!
(Grrrrowl)
(Mammals applaud. Dr. Vertebrate writes hair on the board.)
BLUE WHALE: Well, I only have a few little whiskers, but I'll tell you what's really important to mammals--air! If you lived in my habitat, you wouldn't take it for granted. We all need air, don't we? We all breathe with our lungs.
(Dr. Vertebrate writes air on the board.)
BAT: That's true. When I'm hanging upside down in the cave with my gang
all day, we're all breathing air. But what I'd like to talk about is...baby
care.
ELEPHANT: Don't get me started! I know I'm the biggest land mammal
on Earth, but do you know I carried my baby for almost two years before
it was born? And then I took care of that 250 pound baby, nursed him with
my milk for another two years. His name is Wilbur. Little Wilbur stays
with me and I protect him and his brother and sister. Raising mammal babies
is hard work.
BLUE WHALE: A 250-pound baby? Honey, my baby was 16,000 pounds and
23 feet long! She drank 160 gallons of milk a day.
DR. VERTEBRATE: Do all mammals nurse their babies? Let's have a show
of hands.
(All guests raise their hands. Dr Vertebrate writes baby care on the board.)
CHIMPANZEE: The name mammals comes from the name of the glands
that make milk. They're called mammary glands. What I'd like to
know is, are there any mammals that lay eggs? I mean, mammals are born
not hatched, right?
KANGAROO: Good question, mate! In Australia, where I come from, live
the only mammals that lay eggs--platypus and echidna. They also nurse their
young, though. The rest of the 4,000 kinds of mammals are born, not hatched.
(Dr. Vertebrate writes most born, not hatched on the board.)
FLYING SQUIRREL: Four thousand kinds of mammals. But I can tell you a way we're different from each other. Everybody smile.
(All mammals smile and show their teeth.)
FLYING SQUIRREL: See? We all have different kinds of teeth. Tiger has
those big sharp ones. Don't take this personally, Tiger, but I'm glad you
don't live in my habitat.
TIGER: No offense taken. I need these sharp teeth. I'm a hunter, you
know. A carnivore.
BAT: Look at Elephant's teeth. They're really flat.
ELEPHANT: I'm a vegetarian. I need flat teeth to grind up grass, branches
and fruit.
DOG: I understand carnivores like myself need sharp teeth for biting
and herbivores (or vegetarians) like Elephant need flat teeth for grinding,
but what do you eat, Blue Whale. I've never seen teeth like yours.
BLUE WHALE: Well, I don't really have teeth. This row of plates in
my mouth is called baleen. It works like a strainer. Water and tiny shrimp
come in, I spit the water out through my baleen and sift out the shrimp.
Then I lick the shrimp off my baleen. It's really a very tidy way to eat.
DR. VERTEBRATE: Mole, you've been awfully quiet. Do you have anything
to share about how we are alike and how we are different?
MOLE: I can't really see everybody's teeth or fur because my eyesight
is pretty bad. Where I live, underground, its always dark. I dig tunnels
with my claws and feel around with my nose and whiskers.
BLUE WHALE: So your habitat is underground. How very interesting. My
habitat is the ocean.
ELEPHANT: My neighborhood is flat and grassy. Not a bit like the ocean
or underground.
FLYING SQUIRREL: My habitat is up in the trees.
CHIMPANZEE: Even though we're all mammals, it's no wonder we don't
all look alike. It's because we each have to survive in a different habitat.
DR. VERTEBRATE: I am sorry but we are going to have to wrap up this
fascinating discussion, but just to recap. Mammals have hair, breathe air
and do lots of baby care.
ALL MAMMALS (chant over and over together): We have hair, breathe air,
do lots of baby care!
DR. VERTEBRATE (While the animals are chanting): That's all the time
we have. We hope you've enjoyed our show. This is Dr. Vertebrate saying
Good Morning, Mammals!
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Teacher Resources
I'm a Mammal and So Are You. (video) Benchmark Films, Inc. P.O.
Box 315, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417.
Mammals and their Characteristics.(video) Simon and Schuster
Communications, Film Service Center, 429 Academy Dr. Northbrook, IL 60062.
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* Required or strongly recommended