Earth & Space
Sorting vertebrates into the five groups by their features — and looking past where an animal lives.
⏱ Whole lesson ≈ 44 min · pick a tier in the bar, or leave on "All"
New topic and the start of the autumn term. Recap Year 2 animal groups.
Name two animals you can see out of the window at home.
Is a whale a fish? What makes you say that?
Introduce "vertebrate" and the five groups.
An animal with a spine is a vertebrate. Vertebrates are sorted into five groups: mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles — each with its own features.
A vertebrate has a ____.
Name two of the five vertebrate groups.
What features would tell you an animal is a mammal?
Teacher models. Watch, then pull out each group's features.
Swap the clip: change the ID after /embed/ (now HQdiSMUZEDA).
Sort animals by group together — use the harder ones to challenge.
🐬 dolphin 🦇 bat 🐢 turtle 🦅 eagle 🐸 frog 🦈 shark
Play the animation. Bust: a whale is a fish because it lives in water.
Every one of these has a spine — but their features (fur, feathers, gills…) put them in different groups.
Watch for: "if it lives in water it's a fish" and thinking bats are birds.
Quick true/false to check the groups have stuck.
On your own. Sort each animal, then write at your tier.
Tap a card to sort it…
Sort the cards. Then finish: A vertebrate has a ____.
Sort them, then write one feature of a mammal and one of a fish.
Sort them, then explain why a whale is a mammal, not a fish.
Answer at your tier, then hand it in.
How do features help us group vertebrates? Use an example.