Johnny Crow’s Party
Lesson Plan
Title: Animal Classifications
Objectives: Students will understand:
1. Classification is the arrangement of things which share common
characteristics into groups.
2. Classification makes things easier to find and study.
3. Students will observe similarities and differences between animals.
4. Students will research, identify, sort and write about animals.
Materials:
1. Book, Johnny Crow’s Garden and Johnny Crow’s Party
2. Johnny Crow’s Quiz (a variety of language arts skills)
3. Animal Flash Cards Printable
4. Animal Classification Mini Book Printable
5. Animal Venn Diagram Printable
6. Animal Classification Fact Sheet Printable
7. Animal Classification Cloze Printable
8. Johnny Crow’s Coloring Pages Printable
1. Introduction Discussion: Ask students what we mean by classification and why we
classify things. How would we get through the school day if we didn’t classify the
subjects they learn such as reading, math, and science? Classification makes it easier for
us to identify, find, learn or study things. What are some other things we classify? How
about animals?
2. Engage: The student will view eBooks Johnny Crow’s Garden and Johnny Crow’s
Party. Ask the students to observe the array of animals and how they could be classified.
3. Teach: Label 5 headings on the pocket chart: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and
amphibians. Explain all these animals have a vertebrae or backbone, yet they are vastly
different from each other. Scientists group animals with similar characteristics together to
make them easier to find, identify and study. Discuss the attributes of each classification.
Begin to sort a few the animal flashcards under the correct category on the pocket chart
as you verbalize your thinking process: “This is a mammal because it has fur, gives birth
to live young and is warm-blooded.” Then call up students to sort the animal flashcards
on the pocket chart until all students have a turn.
4. Guided Practice Game: Arrange the students in 2 teams, team “A” and team “B.”
Hold up an animal flashcard; let team “A” decide which category the animal belongs to,
and they must give at least 3 characteristics of that animal group (such as, it is coldblooded, has fins, breathes with gills and lays eggs.) If they are correct, they earn one
point. If they are incorrect, team “B” gets a chance to steal for two points. Alternate
teams until all of the cards have been used. Cheer and congratulate each team.
5. Independent Practice: Animal Research and Writing Activity (6 Steps)
Step #1 - Selecting an Animal:
Each student will choose an animal and then fill in the first two columns on the Animal
KWL Chart (printable) for what they already know about the animal and what they want
to learn about the animal. The student will fill in the last column on the Animal KWL
chart after he/she has completed the research with books, encyclopedias and/or the
internet.
Step #2 – Prewriting & Research with 4 Manila Squares:
The students will need animal books, encyclopedias or the internet for their research.
Each student will fold a piece of Manila paper in four squares.
In square #1, the student will write the animal name and description of the animal, such
as size, weight, color and unique features.
In square #2, the student will write about their animal’s young.
In square #3, the student will write about their animal’s habitat.
In square #4, the student will write about what their animal eats.
Step #3 – Writing:
Now the students will write a four paragraph paper using the information from their
Manila square prewriting. Example; paragraph #1 is the info from square #1.
Step #4 – Illustrating:
The students will locate a picture, (from a book, encyclopedia or internet) and draw and
color their animal labeled with their animal name on top.
Step #5 - Completing the Animal KWL Chart
The students will fill in last column on their KWL Chart with all the new information
they learned about their animal during their research.
Step #6 – Students may give an oral report about their animal to the class.
6. Independent Practice Worksheet Printables:
1. Animal Mini Book – students will cut and stable (with teacher supervision),
classify, label and color their very own animal classification book.
2. Animal Venn Diagram – students will write about the similarities and differences
between two animals of their choice on the Venn diagram and illustrate on the back.
3. Animal Classification Cloze – students will challenge their animal
classification knowledge as they fill in the missing words on this wildly fun cloze
activity.
4. Animal Classification Fact Sheet - students may refer to this sheet to find quick facts
about each animal group. A whole lot of information in a nutshell!
5. Johnny Crow’s Animal Flash Cards – students can strengthen their sorting and
classifying skills with these animal flash cards. Students may group the cards at their
table or at a science center.
6. Johnny Crow’s Coloring Pages – students will color and identify animal
classifications on these coloring pages.
7. Johnny Crow’s Quiz – assess a variety of language arts skills, such as rhyme, parts of
speech and comprehension. Choose the online or printable version. Teacher’s Answer
Key below.
7. Closure: Ask students why we classify animals. Call on students to name a
classification, an animal in that group and the shared traits in that group.
Teacher’s Quiz Answer Key
Johnny Crow’s Garden
Rhyme, Punctuation and Comprehension
1. What kind of animal was Johnny?
a. cow
b. cat
c. crow
d. crab
2. What did Johnny Crow dig and sow?
a. a ditch
b. a jungle
c. a zoo
d. a garden
3. Where does the apostrophe go to show that Johnny Crow owns a garden?
a. Johnny’ Crows garden
b. Johnny’s Crow garden
c. Johnny Crow’s garden
d. Johnny Crows’ garden
4. Which animal had a green and yellow tie on?
a. the goat
b. the crane
c. the lion
d. the beaver
5. Which animal had nothing to wear?
a. the monkey
b. the parrot
c. the fish
d. the bear
6. Which animal was caught in the rain?
a. the camel
b. the crane
c. the lizard
d. the kangaroo
7. Which animal danced a jig?
a. the horse
b. the cow
c. the pig
d. the rooster
8. What did the elephant say?
a. something quite funny
b. something quite sad
c. something quite amazing
d. something quite irrelevant
9. What did the mouse build himself?
a. a ham and cheese sandwich
b. a house
c. a fire
d. a good reputation
10. What did all the animals do at the end of the story?
a. play a game
b. had dinner
c. pulled weeds
d. picked peas
Teacher’s Quiz Key
Johnny Crow’s Party
Rhyme, Middle Sounds, End Sounds and Comprehension
1. How did the eagle look?
a. quite handsome
b. quiet regal
c. quite hungry
d. quite sleepy
2. Who did not understand the cockatoo?
a. the robin
b. the sparrow
c. the penguin
d. gander
3. Who talked the same lingo as the cockatoo?
a. the flamingo
b. the albatross
c. the heron
d. the duck
4. Who sang a “sentimental air?”
a. the cat
b. the bear
c. the bat
d. the boar
5. What was the giraffe inclined to do?
a. to frown
b. to burp
c. to gasp
d. to laugh
6. Who got entangled with the rake?
a. the snail
b. the rat
c. the snake
d. the yak
7. Who had a very nasty knock?
a. the dog
b. the goat
c. the bear
d. the cock
8. Who said, “We’ll never come again?”
a. the hen
b. the duck
c. the sheep
d. the goose
9. What did the sheep do?
a. started to dance
b. made a salad
c. played a game
d. went to sleep
10. What did the seal do?
a. went swimming in the pool
b. climbed up a pole
c. made a very big meal
d. had a spat with the mole