GRADE: Fourth

CONTENT STANDARDS: Life Science

CONTENT TOPIC: Animals

CONCEPT: Animals differ in many ways.

CONTENT OBJECTIVE: 4E1.00 To understand distinguishing characteristics of selected vertebrates and invertebrates

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: The learner will:

1.01 define vertebrate.
1.02 list general characteristics.
1.03 identify the vertebrate groups of animals.
1.04 define cold-blooded vertebrate animals and give an example.
1.05 define warm-blooded vertebrate animals and give an example.
1.06 define invertebrate.
1.07 list general characteristics of invertebrates.
1.08 name the groups of invertebrates and an example list the general characteristics of insects.
1.09 define "social insect"
1.10 list some social insects.
1.11 discuss the ant as a social insect.

I. Characteristics of vertebrates
II. Cold-blooded vertebrates
A. Fish
B. Amphibian
C. Reptile
III. Warm-blooded vertebrate
A. Bird
B. Mammals
IV. Characteristics of invertebrates
V. Groups of invertebrates
A. Sponges
B. Hollow-bodied animals
C. Worms
D. Mollusks
E. Arthropods
F. Spiny-skinned animals
VI. Insects
A. Characteristics
B. Behavior

TN COMPONENT OF SCIENCE: Unifying Concepts of Science

TN GOAL:

To enable students to acquire scientific knowledge by applying concepts, theories, principles and laws from life/environmental, physical, and earth/space science.

2.3 ORGANIZATION - Everything is organized as related systems within systems.

2.3a Natural phenomena display a wide variety of similarities and differences.

BENCHMARK: There are variations among individuals within all systems.

BENCHMARK: Things can be sorted into groups according to their similarities and differences.

2.3b Groupings are based on similarities related to structure and function.

BENCHMARK: Organisms are separated into groups according to identifying characteristics.

BENCHMARK: Some individuals operate independently of the system, while others operate as a collective group.

TIME REQUIRED:

Four weeks

Pictures of vertebrate and invertebrate animals, chart for groups of invertebrates, their habitat and an example, sample of the animals that are available. Filmstrips on the classification of vertebrate, fish from fish market or picture of a fish with parts identified, safe reptile, live mammal pets, aquarium and supplies, school/public library, hand lens, pictures and posters of insects, resource books on bees, ants, and other social insects, film or filmstrip on bees and ants, ant colony kit (optional)

This Classroom Connector addresses Instructional Objectives 2.02, 2.03, 2.04, and 2.05.

SET:

Name an animal for me. (response) There are many different animals in our world. Scientists classify animals into groups to make it easier for people to identify them. Animals are classified into two groups, vertebrate and invertebrates. We will talk about vertebrates and their characteristics.

Scientists use a characteristic to classify animals into two groups. The characteristic is a backbone. Animals with backbones are called vertebrates. You are a vertebrate because you have a backbone. Stand up and feel your backbone. Place your hand on your lower back. Feel your backbone. Bend over and straighten up. Do this several times. Feel how your backbone moves as you move. Now feel the vertebrae in your neck. Now, which is the other group of animals? (response) Yes, all of us are vertebrates, not invertebrates because we have backbones.

Scientists classify vertebrates into five main groups: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Each group has characteristics different from the other groups, and each group is more complex than the previous group. Turn to your neighbor and name the five groups of vertebrate animals. Now, please name the five groups for me. The first group of vertebrates is fish which is also the simplest group and the largest group. (During the discussion on fish, it would be a good idea to have a fish from a fish market or a picture of a fish with parts identified.) (If a fish from a fish market is being used, scrape off some scales for the next activity.)

I want you to use your hand lens and examine the scales. How are the scales like a coat of armor? (They are hard and overlap for protection.) These scales help protect fish. Where do fish live? (response) Yes, they live in water and would die if they were kept out of water for very long. (If an aquarium is available, allow students to observe the fish.) How do fish breathe? (response) Yes, they breathe through gills. The gills are on the side of the fish's head. Near the gills are the fins. Count the fins on the fish. How many does it have? (response) How does the fish use the fins? (response) Yes, fins are used to propel and guide the fish through the water. Fish are also cold-blooded, which means that they have a body temperature the same as their environment. Raise your hand if you think you can name one of the characteristics of a fish. I will write them on the board and, when I am finished, we will decide if we have named all of the characteristics.

The next group of vertebrates is amphibians. Amphibians live part of their lives in water and part on land. Can you name an amphibian? (response) Yes, frogs are perhaps the most obvious one. When frogs begin life, what are they called? (response) Yes, they are tadpoles. Tadpoles change and become adult amphibians and are able to live on land and breathe air. They also look quite different from the tadpoles of the early phase of the life cycle. Can you name other amphibians? (Salamanders, toads) Amphibians are also cold-blooded. Describe the life cycle of an amphibian. (response) Make a list of the characteristics of each stage, and be prepared to help me list these characteristics on the blackboard. (pause, then seek responses)

Another group of vertebrates is the reptiles. Reptiles have dry scaly skin and spend all of their lives on land. Like fish and amphibians, reptiles are cold-blooded animals. Unlike fish and amphibians, reptiles lay their eggs on land. Can you name some reptiles? (Alligators, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, turtles) Reptiles have well-developed lungs. Reptiles are different in many ways. How are lizards different from snakes? (Lizards have legs and feet, snakes do not.) How is an alligator different from a turtle? (An alligator does not have a shell like a turtle.)

Birds are more advanced than fish, amphibians or reptiles. (Display pictures of several different kinds of birds.) The body covering on birds is called feathers. How are birds like fish, amphibians, and reptiles? (All are vertebrates and lay eggs.) In almost every other way, birds are different from any of the vertebrates we have seen so far. They are also the first warm-blooded vertebrates so far. In other words, a bird's body temperature stays the same, no matter how cold or hot the air may be. A bird's feathers help to keep the bird warm. What can most birds do that other vertebrates cannot do? (Fly)

The most complex animals are mammals. Mammals are vertebrates with fur or hair. Female mammals can produce milk for their young and give live birth. Mammals are also warm-blooded. Mammals are adapted to live in every environment on earth - ice, desert, prairie, jungle, mountain, ocean, fresh water. There are many kinds of mammals. They range from mice to elephants and whales. Bats are mammals that fly. Monkeys and squirrels live in trees. Whales and dolphins live their lives in water. Moles and gophers spend their lives underground.

(The following activities are suggested: Show a filmstrip that deals with how animals are classified into the five groups of vertebrate animals.) We are going to see a film on how animals are grouped according to certain characteristics. Be prepared to name the groups and the characteristics of each group, starting with simple groups of fish to the most complex group of mammals.

(Set up an aquarium. It is best to follow the directions that come with the aquarium.)

I want you to draw a picture of the life cycle of a frog or toad. It should include the egg, tadpole, immature adult, and adult phases. You may have to use resources available at the school or local library. Describe the life cycle of an amphibian. Make a list of the characteristics of each stage, and be prepared to help me list these characteristics on the blackboard.

(If a safe reptile is readily available, bring one into the classroom. Demonstrate safe handling techniques. Allow the students to observe the physical structure and characteristics. After the demonstration, list the characteristics that the students tell you on the blackboard.) Now, I want you to compare alligators with snakes, snakes with turtles, and lizards with alligators.

(The students may want to go on a bird walk. It would be helpful to invite an experienced bird-watcher to go along. The students could research and write on a certain bird, such as ones that do not fly (Penguins, Ostriches, Emus) or birds that can swim (Penguins, Pelicans, Ducks, Geese, Swans.)

(Bring some live mammal pets to class. Have the students observe and list the characteristics of each mammal. Also, construct a chart using the following headings: large mammals, small mammals, tree mammals, water mammals, flying mammals, underground mammals, pouch mammals. For each column, either have the students list or find pictures to use under each column.)

Who can define vertebrates? (Animals with backbones) Who can name the five groups of vertebrates and give at least two characteristics of each group? (response)

(Students may want to write reports on a particular vertebrate animal, telling its characteristics and to which group it belongs.) Another alternative might be computer research.

This Classroom Connector addresses Instructional Objectives 2.06, 2.07, and 2.08.

SET:

Remember when we talked about vertebrates? (pause for responses) What made these animals vertebrates? (Backbones) Today, we will begin to talk about the other large group of animals called invertebrates.

An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone or a skeleton inside its body. Some invertebrates have a soft body, while others have a hard outside covering. Scientists classify invertebrates from simple to complex, according to characteristics of the body parts. The simplest of the groups is the sponges. Sponges live in the ocean. How do we use sponges? The next group is the hollow-bodied animals. This group includes jellyfish, hydra and coral. The animals live in the water, they have a hollow center, and only one opening. The third group is the worms. They are soft-bodied animals that live on land or in water. Flatworms and earthworms are examples of this group. The fourth group is called mollusks. Mollusks have soft bodies, but some have a hard outer shell. Some live on land and some live in water. Examples of this group are snails, clams, oysters, slugs, squids and octopus.

The next group is the arthropods. These animals have an outside skeleton, jointed legs and segmented bodies. Three-fourths of all the animals are arthropods. Some live on land, and some live in water, and some can fly. Some arthropods are bees, crabs, shrimp, spiders, beetles and millipedes. The last group is called the spiny-skinned animals. This group has sharp spines on the outside of their bodies, which form a skeleton for protection. Spiny-skinned animals have tube feet and live in the ocean. Some examples of this group are starfish, sand dollars, and sea urchins.

1. Review all six groups) Now, on a sheet of paper, write the six groups of invertebrates. Swap lists with your desk partner to check.

2. (Give students a chart to fill in, showing the six groups of invertebrates, their habitat and examples of each.)

Altogether now, let us name the six groups of invertebrates. (pause, then response) (Sponges, hollow-bodied animals, worms, mollusks, arthropods, spiny-skinned animals)

(Let each student pick one invertebrate and do a report on it, telling its group, characteristics, habitat, etc.) (Non-readers or very poor readers might be allowed to draw an invertebrate in its environment.)

This Classroom Connector addresses Instructional Objective 2.09.

SET:

Look around the room at your classmates. Do they all look alike? (No) Are there some characteristics that you could say are true of all your classmates? (Yes, legs, arms, etc.) If you compared your classmate to a bird would there be some characteristics that would be the same for both? (Yes) Would there be some characteristics that are true only of your classmates? (Yes) Today we are going to learn some of the characteristics of insects.

(Have posters or pictures of insects that show the parts of the insect, the head, thorax, and abdomen. Write these words on the chalkboard with their definitions: head, thorax, abdomen.) The fourth and largest group of arthropods is made up of insects. There are more different kinds of insects than all other animals and plants. An insect is an arthropod that has three pairs of legs and a body that is divided into three parts. The three parts of the body are the head, the abdomen, and the thorax.

(Have a picture available showing a grasshopper or other insect and let the students draw and label the main parts. Insects have very unusual sense organs. Most adult insects have compound eyes. An insect's head has two feelers, or antennae. The antennae are used to smell, taste, and touch.)

(Write these two questions on the chalkboard and have students write the answer in their journals: Name the three body parts of an insect. How does an insect use its antennae?) (pause)

This Classroom Connector addresses Instructional Objectives 2.10, and 2.11.

SET:

If you needed a new bicycle would you make it? (No) If you decided to go to a movie would you have more fun going by yourself or with a friend? (Friend) Why? (response) Yes, we find that we depend on each other a great deal of the time for products and for enjoyment. Our lesson today involves talking about some insects that tend to work together.

The behavior of animals living together in an organized way is called social behavior. Social behavior is an inborn behavior. These animals live in colonies and have a definite caste system. Some examples of social animals are ants, bees, termites, and wasps.

(Ask students to lists ways social insect's behavior is like some human behavior. Show educational film or filmstrip which shows the social behavior of bees or ants. Encourage students to research queen bees, worker bees, and drones. The students should then compile a report for the class about social classes of bees. Suggest that some students report on kinds of bees other than honeybees.)

(Ask students to define social behavior to their neighbor.)

This Classroom Connector addresses Instructional Objective 2.12.

SET:

Yesterday we talked about some insects that carried out their lives similar to us. Today we want to talk about one particular kind of insect; ants.

An ant colony is a good example of social behavior. The most important member of the colony is the queen. Her task is to lay eggs. There are ants who feed and clean the queen. Other ants take care of the eggs in a kind of nursery. There are members who collect and store food. Some colonies have soldier ants. Some dig tunnels and repair old ones.

(Ask students to answer this question in their journals and share their answers: What do you think soldier ants do in a colony?) (pause)

(Start an ant colony in your classroom. Kits are available commercially. Observe ant's behavior and have students keep a log on observation of the different parts of the caste system.)

(Take students on a walk on the school to find an anthill on the school grounds. If you cannot find one, ask the students to try to find an anthill in their yard and observe the behavior of the ants.)

(Ask students to list three different jobs ants do as members of their colony.)

This is the time this file has been accessed since 07/01/97.

The University of Tennessee at Martin is not responsible for the information or views expressed here.

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