Developed by: Kelsey Criswell

University of Richmond
Introduction
• Life Processes: Classifying Animals
• Length of Lesson: 35 minutes
• SOL: VA Standards of Learning: Science 1.5: The students will investigate and
understand that animals, including humans, have basic needs and certain
distinguishing characteristics. Key concepts include:
a) basic needs include adequate air, food, water, shelter and space (habitat);
b) animals, including humans, have many different physical characteristics;
and
c) animals can be classified according to a variety of characteristics.

Cognitive Objectives
The students will:
• identify different physical characteristics of animals.
• distinguish between animals based on their characteristics.
• create a chart to organize characteristics of animals.

Materials/Technology and Advanced Preparation

• Chickens Aren’t The Only Ones by Ruth Heller
• Chart Paper
• Markers
• White Board
• Chart Key
• Animal Images for Class Charts with magnets on back (5 sets)
o Human, beaver, dog, bird, fish, snail
• Animal Characteristics Worksheet
• Pencils
• Crayons

Advanced Preparation: Draw the five different charts on the white board with dry
erase markers.

Teaching and Learning Sequence

Introduction/Anticipatory Set:
• Call all of the students to the rug informing them that we are going to start
a new lesson.
• Ask students if they have ever been to the zoo, or an aquarium, or to a
farm that had lots of different animals?
• Ask the students what kinds of animals they saw at these places and list
their answers on a piece of chart paper or on the board.
• Ask the students what makes these animals different from each other. If
the students are having a difficult time, ask them guiding questions such
as: how do they move or where do they live?
• Tell the students that today we are going to talk about many different ways
that animals are different from one another.
Developed by: Kelsey Criswell
University of Richmond
Lesson Development:
• Hold up the book Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones by Ruth Heller. Ask the
students to predict what they think that the book may be about based on
the title.
• Read the book Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones. As you go through the
book, point out the number of legs that the animals have, different skin
coverings (scales, feathers, fur, hair, shells), the different ways that
animals move (walk, crawl, fly, swim), talk about whether or not you can
have them as a pet (domestic/wild) and where they live (land/water). Do
this by telling while pointing to an animal and through asking the children
questions while pointing to animals. Ex. Point to an alligator and ask the
students: “What covers the alligators body? (children respond) Right,
scales, because they live in water. How does the alligator move? (children
respond), etcetera.
• When you get to pages 35-36 (where mammals are discussed) ask the
students for examples of other mammals. Allow several students to give
responses. If no student gives “humans” as an answer tell the students that
we are also mammals because we are warm blooded and do not come
from eggs.
• After finishing the book tell the students that we are going to talk about all
the different animals that we just read about in the book Chickens Aren’t
the Only Ones and the things that make them different.
• Tell the students that we are going to list the things that make animals
different on a chart together. This list will help familiarize the students
with the vocabulary that we will be using throughout the remainder of the
lesson.
• Tell students as you write hatch from eggs and live birth on the piece of
chart paper that one way that animals are different from each other are that
some hatch from eggs while others are born alive, like the book talked
about.
• Ask the students to raise their hands to tell you other characteristics of
animals. Ask guiding questions such as: What covers animals’ bodies?
What are different places that animals live? How do animals move
around?
• After the students have generated a list,tell them that we are going to
practice putting animals into different groups based on the different
characteristics.
• Lay out the pictures of animals with magnets on the back on the rug for
the students to see and point to the class charts that are drawn on the
board.
• Tell the students that we are going to take the animals (pointing to the
animal pictures laid out on the floor) and put them under the right column
on our class charts. Point to chart one and read the heading to the students:
Body Coverings. Next, read each column the students: hair, fur, feathers,
scales, and shell.
Developed by: Kelsey Criswell
University of Richmond
• Model the process for the students by picking up the picture of the fish.
Tell the students that a fish’s body is covered with scales so you are going
to place the picture of a fish under the column that says scales.
• Next, hold up the picture of the bird. Ask the students if they know which
column you should place the bird reminding them the names of the
columns by pointing and saying each column heading: hair, fur, feathers,
scales and shell. After the students tell you feathers place the bird under
the feathers column.
• Follow the same steps for each column in the body coverings chart and
repeat the process for the remaining four charts: body parts, how they
move, where they live, and how they are born as you discuss the
characteristics of different animals.
Closure:
• Tell the students that now that we have practices putting animals into
different groups based on different characteristics that they are going to
practice doing this on their own.
• Hold up an Animal Characteristics Worksheet.
• Point to the first chart and tell the students that they are first going to come
up with some animals on their own based on what covers their body, and
where they live. Tell the students that they will then draw and color the
animal in the empty box and write the name of the animal underneath of
their picture.
• Pass out the Animal Characteristics worksheets to each student. Walk
around the classroom and observe the students as they are completing their
worksheet.
• After the students have completed the worksheet, complete a pair and
share activity so students can share their work with their peers.
• Teacher will play music, when music stops students will pair up with a
partner and share one animal they drew under number one, body
coverings. Ask for one student to share one animal that their partner drew
under one of the columns. Repeat this process for number 2: where they
live.

Homework
• No formal Homework.
• Encourage students that when they are watching tv, reading books, or go
home to their pets to think about what covers their body, where they live, how
they move, and how they are born.

Assessment
Formative: The teacher will observe the students and listen to their discussions
while they are reading the book, completing the class charts, completing the
Animal Characteristics worksheet, and while sharing their answers with their
peers during the pair and share activity.
Developed by: Kelsey Criswell
University of Richmond
Summative: The teacher will collect the Animal Characteristics worksheet and
check that each animal that the students drew were in the correct column.

References
• Heller, R. (1981). Chickens aren't the only ones. New York: Grosset & Dunlap.
• Virginia Department of Education. "VDOE :: Science Standards of Learning
Resources." VDOE :: Virginia Department of Education Home. 2010. Web. 30
Mar. 2011.
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/science/review.shtml

Appended Materials
• Class Charts
• Class Chart Key
• Animal Images for Class Chart
• Animal Characteristics Worksheet
• Animal Characteristics Rubric