What’s the Animal? Grade 5
Name: Melissa Morgan
Date: 07/14/09
Lesson Plan Overview
Title
What’s the Animal?
Lesson Plan URL
(when applicable)
Grade and Subject(s)
Grade 5, Science
Lesson Plan Summary
The students will determine what a vertebrate and invertebrate is and will classify
the vertebrates into the 5 groups.
Learning Objectives
Students will be able to determine the difference between vertebrates and invertebrates. The
students will also be able to classify a vertebrate into on e of the 5 groups (fish, amphibian, reptile,
bird, or mammal).
Assessment Instrument
A rubric will be provided to grade the concept map that will be created by the students at the end of
the lesson. The students will also be given an extra credit opportunity to bring in examples from a
magazine of vertebrates and invertebrates.
Also the students can be given a quiz/test on the material that was taught during the lesson, but that
is not the form of assessment that I prefer for this assignment.
Georgia Performance Standards
Georgia Performance Standards (GPS) and Elements
S5L1. Students will classify organisms into groups and relate how they determined the groups
with how and why scientists use classification.
a.) demonstrate how animals are sorted into groups (vertebrates and invertebrates) and how
vertebrates are sorted into groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal).
What’s the Animal? Grade 5
National Educational Technology Standards (for teachers & students)
National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers (NETS for Teachers)
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
a. design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to
promote student learning and creativity
c. customize and personalize learning activities to address students’ diverse learning styles, working
strategies, and abilities using digital tools and resources
National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS for Students)
3. Research and Information Fluency
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific
tasks
Prerequisite Skills
Students must know some about animals and how to create a simple concept map.
Procedures
Hook/Anticipatory Set: My big animal book By: Roger Priddy
1. Open by reading the book My big animal book by: Roger Priddy
2. Ask students what some of the similarities and differences are between the animals in the book.
3. Discuss with the students that sometimes there are things under the skin (that cannot be seen on the outside of the body)
that might help tell the difference between animals other that how many legs that have, do they have fur, feathers, or
scales, etc..
4. Explain to the students that some animals have a backbone (spine) and some do not. Throw in some examples for each.
5. Tell students that classifying animals into vertebrates and invertebrates is important when scientists are studying animals.
6. Explain that after you classify an animal into vertebrate or invertebrate, if it was classified as a vertebrate it can also go
into another sub-group.
7. Introduce the 5 vertebrate groups (fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, and mammal) and explain the different characteristics
that each group has. For example: What does an animal have in order to fit into the amphibian category? Explain that for all
5 groups.
8. Have the students go KidsClick to and find and list some examples from each group. Work in groups.
9. Create a concept map that explains vertebrates and invertebrates and the 5 vertebrate groups. Include at least two
animals in each of the 5 subgroups.
Closure: The students will take a short quiz/test to make sure the topic that is taught is understood by the
students.
Accommodation Options
ELL / Special Needs Students
Joshua: ADHD, Dyslexia: will be placed with a partner that is a stronger
reader. Joshua can control the mouse and find the animals and the other
student can read the on-screen text.
Highly-Capable Students
Students that know what they are doing and need more can list a few animals
into the subgroups on their concept map.
What’s the Animal? Grade 5
Physical Contexts
Arrangement
Rationale
One-computer classroom
Multiple computers
Students can work on creating their concept maps as
they get done.
Computer lab
Students can research the material together and all be
done at the same time.
Flotilla
Other
Materials and Resources Required for Lesson
Technology – Hardware
Computer(s)
Television
DVD Player
VCR
Projection System
Printer
Video Camera
Camera
Digital Camera
Scanner
Video Conferencing
digital recorder
Laserdisc
Headphones/speakers
Microphone Headset
Microphone
Other
Other
Other
GoogleDocs
NVU
TuxPaint
Excel
Internet Explorer
Mozilla Firefox
PowerPoint
SchoolKiT
Clicker 4
Publisher
Encarta
Image Blender/Photo Editor
Nettrekker
Audacity
Garage Band
Windows MovieMaker
iMovie
Image Blender/Photo Editor
2-way Video software
(e.g., Skype)
KidPix
Inspiration
wiki software
blog software
Microsoft Word
Other
Other
Other
Interactive Whiteboard
(Smart, Promethean, etc.)
storage media (e.g., keydrives, CDs, DVDs,
networked drives)
Technology – Software
Websites
http://www.kidsclick.org/
Other
What’s the Animal? Grade 5
Integrating the Learning Goals from Egbert’s SLwT
Learning Goal
How this Lesson Addresses this Goal
Critical Thinking
(Ch 4)
Students are able to think critically by defining terms like vertebrate and
invertebrate that is appropriate to the context. Students are also using a
reliable source for looking up different animals to become well-informed.
Students are also deciding what group of vertebrate the animals will fit in.
Problem-solving
(Ch 6)
Students are looking at the different characteristics of animals and deciding
what group of vertebrates the animal belongs to. The students are also
involved in the inquiry process when they are researching the different types
or animals and learning about all the characteristics.