Year 4 · Autumn 1.1 · Step 2

Earth & Space

Vertebrates and invertebrates

Splitting animals by whether they have a spine — and grouping the invertebrates. Our enquiry begins.

Arrival Starter I do We do Independent Exit ticket
🌱 Seedling · Working towards 🌿 Sapling · Expected 🌳 Oak · Greater depth

⏱ Whole lesson ≈ 44 min · pick a tier in the bar, or leave on "All"

Arrival 4 min

Recap of last lesson: vertebrate groups.

Recap: vertebrates

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

A vertebrate has a ____.

🌿 Sapling
Expected
  1. Name two vertebrate groups.
  2. Give a feature of a reptile.
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

A worm has no spine. What might we call an animal like that?

Bridge into todayMost animals have no spine at all. Today we meet invertebrates — and start our big question: how can living things be grouped and classified?
Starter 5 min

Introduce "invertebrate", exoskeleton, and the enquiry question.

Animals with no spine

An invertebrate has no spine. Many have a hard exoskeleton on the outside. Insects have six legs, three body parts and antennae; spiders have eight legs.

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

An invertebrate has ____ spine (no / a).

🌿 Sapling
Expected

How many legs does an insect have? A spider?

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

What is an exoskeleton, and why is it useful?

I do · 1 6 min

Teacher models. Watch, then name the invertebrate features.

Invertebrates up close

▶ Can't see it? Watch "Invertebrates for kids — animals with no backbone" on YouTube

Swap the clip: change the ID after /embed/ (now Sr_T4skBYNo).

Say thisInvertebrates have no spine — they make up most animals on Earth. Many, like insects and spiders, have a hard exoskeleton. An insect has six legs and three body parts; a spider has eight legs and two.
🐜
Insect6 legs, 3 parts
🕷️
Spider8 legs
🐛
Soft-bodiedworms, slugs
We do · 1 6 min

Split animals into vertebrate / invertebrate together.

Spine or no spine?

🐜 ant   🐕 dog   🕷️ spider   🐍 snake   🐛 worm   🐟 fish

Two groups
Has a spine → vertebrate. No spine → invertebrate.
Then split the invertebrates again: six legs (insect), eight legs (spider), soft body (worm).
I do · 2 4 min

Play the animation. Bust: all minibeasts are insects / invertebrates have bones inside.

Inside vs outside

VERTEBRATEspine inside INVERTEBRATEno spine · exoskeleton outside

A vertebrate has its skeleton (spine) inside; an invertebrate has no spine — often a hard shell outside.

Model the ideaNot every minibeast is an insect — a spider has eight legs, so it's not. And invertebrates have no bones inside; a beetle's hard shell is an exoskeleton on the outside.

Watch for: "all bugs are insects" and "invertebrates have a skeleton inside".

We do · 2 5 min

Decide together, giving a reason each time.

Vertebrate or invertebrate?

Reason it out
"A snail — soft body, no spine."   "A cat — has a spine."   "A spider — eight legs, exoskeleton."
Which have a spine, and which do not?
Independent 10 min

On your own. Sort each animal, then write at your tier.

Vertebrate / invertebrate sorter

🦴 Vertebrate

🐛 Invertebrate

🚫 Myth to bust

Tap a card to sort it…

🌱 Seedling
Working towards

Sort the cards. Then finish: An invertebrate has ____ spine.

🌿 Sapling
Expected

Sort them, then explain the difference between a vertebrate and an invertebrate.

🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Sort them, then explain why a spider is not an insect.

Exit ticket 4 min

Answer at your tier, then hand it in.

Show what you know

🌱 Seedling
Working towards
  • What is an invertebrate?
  • How many legs has a spider?
🌿 Sapling
Expected
  • What is an exoskeleton?
  • Give the features of an insect.
🌳 Oak
Greater depth

Our enquiry: how can living things be grouped and classified? Start your answer.

TA Focus · Spine or no spine
The first cut is simple: spine = vertebrate, no spine = invertebrate. Then group invertebrates by legs — insect (6, three body parts), spider (8), soft-bodied (worms/slugs). Bust 'all minibeasts are insects' and 'invertebrates have bones inside' (exoskeleton is outside).
Cold Call · Question bank
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