UNIT 2 : Distinguishing Characteristics of Vertebrales

Animals are multicellular living organisms that grow, reproduce, are capable of movement, respire and give off wastes. They cannot make their own food, like plants.
Although some of the finer points of animal classification are still being disputed, children can benefit from learning that animals can be grouped together if they share enough characteristics. Animals are divided into two main groups: vertebrates (with internal backbones) and invertebrates (without internal backbones). The main divisions of vertebrates are fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Fish have fins and scales. They live in water whether fresh or salty and breathe oxygen through their gills.
Reptiles are air breathing that have internal fertilization and scaly bodies. Reptiles include snakes, lizards, crocodiles, alligators, and turtles. Amphibians have smooth, moist skin and breathe through lungs as adults. When they are young, they breathe through gills. Amphibians must lay eggs in water and must keep their skin moist at all times.
Birds have feathers. Their front limbs are modified to form wings and their eggs are protected by a shell.
Mammals have fur or hair. Mammals usually have young that develop in the mother's body. The only exceptions to these generalities are the platypus and spiny anteater which lay eggs. Mammals all have glands in the mother's body that produce milk for their young.

Activity

Instruct the students to cut out the 18 different animals in the worksheet. Have students sort them into the different vertebrates including mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. You may want to go over each picture to make sure students know what each picture is depicting. (1. elephant - mammal; 2. turtle - reptile; 3. fish; 4. salamander - amphibian; 5. sea - mammals; 6. chicken - bird; 7. horse - mammal; 8. kangaroo - mammal; 9. camel - mammal; 10. frog - amphibian; 11. newt - amphibian; 12. deer - mammal; 13. bear - mammal; 14. duck - bird; 15. sea horse - fish; 16. snake - reptile; 17. bat - mammal; 18. monkey- mammal

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Unit 1. Living and non-living

LIVING AND NON- LIVING THINGS

DISCOVERING CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS:
Living things are sensitive to their environment. Non-living objects are not. For example, let us suppose that a grain of sand and a seed lie side by side in the ground. Let's now suppose that the earth becomes warmed by the Sun and moistened by the rain. The seed will respond by sprouting and in time will become a plant or a tree. The grain of sand however, remains the same. It may have moved a bit by wind or rain, but it hasn't changed in appearance in any way. The seed, unlike the grain of sand has reacted to the environment by growing.
Living things also respond to internal changes. For example, you quickly pull your hand away from a hot iron because of an impulse or feeling.
Living things are able to reproduce. People, snakes, insects, fish, or any other organisms have young which in time develop into adults. Trees produce seeds which will grow into an adult tree. Non-living things do not have this ability. Viruses cannot reproduce on their own and therefore are not living organisms.

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Unit 1. Habitats

A habitat is an environment that provides an animal with the food, water, temperature, and protection it needs. A habitan is where an organism lives.There are large habitats. Large habitats would include coral reefs, deserts, forest, islands lakes, mangroves, oceans ans coast, parairies, rangeland, rivers and wetlands. Hower ther are samlls habitats, including organism within an aquarium.
It is the place where the animal is naturally found. Examples of habitats are jungles, forests, deserts, oceans, and lakes. A habitat can be described by listing the climate, the terrain, and the plants and animals that live there .

1. Answers the following questions:

1. What is a habitat?

2. What different kinds of habitats can you name?

3. What characteristics do you have to mention to describe a habitat?

4. Describe the habitat of a dolphin. Underline every adjective you use.

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