Zipping, Zapping. Zooming Bats (by Ann Earle)
Grade Level: Grade 6 (and could work with Grade 2)
Strand: Life Systems
Topic: Diversity of Living Things
Overall Expectations:
•
Investigate classification systems and some of the processes of life common to all
animals (e.g. growth, reproduction, movement, response, and adaptation)
Specific Expectations:
•
Explain why formal classification systems are usually based on structural characteristics
(e.g. type of skeleton, reproductive system) rather than on physical appearance or
behavioural characteristics;
•
Identify and describe the characteristics of vertebrates and use these characteristics to
classify vertebrates as mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish (the five main
classes);
Materials Needed:
•
A copy of Zipping, Zapping. Zooming Bats (by Ann Earle)
Procedure:
• Read the book to the class
• Begin discussing the content of the information
• Some questions/points to discuss are:
-What is a vertebrate?
-What classification would bats fall into?
-Why would bats be mammals and not birds?
1 Scientific Explanation:
Here are answers to the questions listed above:
• What is a vertebrate? Vertebrates are animals that have a spine or back bone. Humans are
also considered vertebrates because we have a spinal cord. This is a commonality
between animals and humans. Other vertebrates are mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles
and fish. Bats are vertebrates because they have a backbone.
• What classification would bats fall into? Mammals are warm blooded, they regulate their
body temperature, they have a skull and jaw, they have hair or fur and they feed their
babies their milk (mammary glands). Bats have these qualities so they fall into the
mammal category.
• Why would bats be mammals and not birds? Bats are mammals because they are warm
blooded; birds are cold blooded. Mammals feed their children through nursing and birds
find other sources of food to feed their young.
References
BBC United Kingdom. (Retrieved Monday October 22nd, 2007) “What is a mammal”.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/mammals/explore/evolution.shtml
Earle, Ann. (1995). Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats. New York, New York: Harper Collins
Publishers.
Frankel , Josh. (2005, Retrieved Monday October 22nd, 2007) “Introduction to Vertebrates”. http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/vertintro.html
Name of Presenters:
Patti Hallam
Heather Brown
(Section 7)
2