Teaching Outline:
SLIDE 1: Eyes of Amphibians
SLIDE 2:
A. Attention Grabber: In groups discuss the differences between amphibians and reptiles (Reptile
on slide is Bearded Dragon in class named ___________
SLIDE 3:
B. Teaching differences:
1. Appearance:
a. Amphibians: moist, generally smooth skin (no hair or fur), webbed feet, four legs
(sometimes none)
b. Reptiles: scaly skin, dry and tough, ear holes instead of ears
c. BOTH AMPHIBIANS AND REPTILES ARE COLD BLOODED
SLIDE 4
2. Types:
a. Amphibians: frogs and salamanders,
b. Reptiles: lizards, turtles, snakes, alligators, crocodiles
1. Lizards: lizards have long tongue, movable eyelids, claws, skin, leg, long tail;
2. Snakes: have streamlined body, no legs, no external ears, no eyelids, and
lonely one lung
3. Crocodiles & Alligators: large snouts visible teeth
4. Turtles: body covered with a protective shell, sharp edged beak,
SLIDE 5
3. Development:
a. Amphibians: larva of frog is tadpole, undergo metamorphosis and lose gills *Many
Eggs
b. Reptiles: An egg with a shell: shell lets oxygen in, and carbon dioxide out,
sometimes have live young
SLIDE 6
4. Food:
a. Amphibians: most tadpoles are herbivores, however adult forms of salamanders,
frogs, and toads are carnivores that feed on animals. Frogs/toads wait for prey to
come close, salamanders stalk and ambush prey. Frogs and toads use camouflage
to blend into the environment
b. Reptiles:
1) Lizards and Snakes: some are herbivores others are carnivores
a. large lizards eat frogs and birds, chameleons have long sticky tongues,
b. Snakes: venom and fangs in snakes and large adjustable jaws to swallow
large objects
2) Alligators and Crocodiles: carnivores that hunt at night, muscular tails for
swimming, jaws equipped with sharp teeth, eat: dogs, raccoons, and deer
*they don’t usually attack humans
3) Turtles: some turtles are carnivores, *leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish,
*Galapagos turtle feeds on cacti
SLIDE 7
5. Habitat
a. Amphibians: Land and water
b. Reptiles: land (found on every country but Antarctica)
SLIDE 8 & 9
C. Categorize amphibian vs reptile
1. Reptile
2. Amphibian
3. Reptile
4. Amphibian
5. Amphibian
A group of engineers and scientist discovered a new species near a river in Brazil that
connected to Amazon. They called it Atretochoana eiseltiis , also known as caecilian,
which some people might know as a limbless amphibian.
6. Amphibian: Chinese giant salamander
7. Reptile:
The Ajolote Lizard aka the Mexican Mole Lizard lives mainly underground eating worms
and other insects. This reptile can be found only in the Baja California peninsula in
Mexico
8. Amphibian
The Axolotl is a strange looking amphibian only found in various lakes in Mexico, though
kept as pets in many other places across the globe. Unlike many other amphibians, the
Axolotl do not undergo any sort of metamorphosis, so adults remain aquatic creatures.
Axolotl feed on small fishes and worms, and are known to be able to regenerate almost
any part of their bodies.
SLIDE 10-12
D. Identify creature/ category by groups
1. What category is the creature in?
2. What is the creature?
3. How did you determine your answer?
4. The Tiers:
a.
b.
c.
Northern Lepord Frog
Coral Snake
Horned Lizard
SLIDE 13-14
E. Review over key points
Lesson Plan *using EEI format
*Accommodations and/or modifications for a specific student with disabilities (explanation of these
accommodations)
STUDENT WITH DISABILITY: low IQ borderline mental retardation
EXAMPLE OF ACCOMODATIONS: instead of writing a paper explaining the differences between fish,
amphibians, and reptiles the student will be given pictures of animals and identify which animals fall into
each category.
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Integration of Knowledge and Ideas: COMMON CORE CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.7 Integrate
quantitative or technical information expressed in words in a text with a version of that
information expressed visually (e.g., in a flowchart, diagram, model, graph, or table).

AZ State Standard: Strand 1: Inquiry process Concept 1: Observations, Questions, and Hypotheses
Formulate predictions, questions, or hypotheses based on observations. Locate appropriate resources

GOAL: Students will categorize the difference between amphibians in comparison to reptiles and
MAKE A CHART (OF AMPHIBIANS VS REPTILES)
Characteristics of animals on regular students (pictures with disability)
AMPHIBIANS:
Frog Dissection
link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPUugaacnaE&feature=fvwrel
DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN AMPHIBIANS AND
REPTILES
Amphibians
An amphibian lives the beginning
of its life in the water and then
later life outside going back into
the water to reproduce,
Groups:
Groups of Amphibians: two major
groups salamanders and frogs and
toads. Distinguish between these
by tail in adult form, salamanders
keep tail, frogs and toads do not
Reproduction and Development:
larva of frog is tadpole, undergo
metamorphosis and lose gills
King Cobra of Southeast Asia is the world’s
longest venomous snake. It can grow to more than
4 meters long. Flatten neck to strike prey
Reptiles
Adaptations for life on land: lays eggs on land
not water. REPTILES: snakes, lizards, turtles, and
alligators,
1. Skin and kidneys: scaly skin, dry and tough,
kidneys filter wastes…(omitted some info)
2. An egg with a shell: shell lets oxygen in, and
carbon dioxide out
B. Lizards and Snakes: lizards have long tongue,
movable eyelids, claws, skin, leg, long tail;
SNAKES: have streamlined body, no legs, no
external ears, no eyelids, and lonely one lung
1. Obtaining Food: some are herbivores others
are carnivores…large lizards eat frogs and birds,
chameleons have long sticky tongues, venom and
fangs in snakes and large adjustable jaws to
swallow large objects
2. Movement: snakes slither side to side, see
sidewinder snake
C. Alligators and crocodiles: large snouts visible
teeth
1. Obtaining food: carnivores that hunt at night,
muscular tails for swimming, jaws equipped with
sharp teeth, eat: dogs, raccoons, and deer *the
don’t usually attack humans
Living on Land
Obtaining Food: most tadpoles are herbivores,
however adult forms of salamanders, frogs, and
toads are carnivores that feed on animals.
Frogs/toads wait for prey to come close,
salamanders stalk and ambush prey. Frogs and
toads use camouflage to blend into the
environment
Movement: strong skeleton to support body,
fins in water, muscular limbs on land, some
frogs have sticky pads on their toes for climbing,
others have webbed feet for swimming, (African
clawed frog) leaping requires strong legs
no shells, eggs distributed in water or wet ground
Both are cold blooded (react to surrounding
temperatures)
A. 2. Reproduction: most reptiles don’t care for
their young, but crocodiles and alligators
do…for up to a year alligator young will stay in
close proximity to their mother
D. Turtles: body covered with a protective
shell, sharp edged beak, some turtles are
carnivores, *leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish,
*Galapagos turtle feeds on cacti
Soft shells
Both are cold blooded (react to surrounding temperatures)
INTERESTING FACTS
AMPHIBIANS
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Tree frogs have adhesive pads
on their toes for clinging to
smooth surfaces.
Frogs cannot live in the sea or
any salt water.
The eyes and nose of a frog
are on top of its head so it can
breathe and see when most of
its body is under the water.
Certain frogs can jump up to
20 times their own body length
in a single leap.
Some say that you will get
warts from touching frogs and
toads, but that is a myth. You
get warts from human viruses,
not from frogs and toads!
Frogs don't drink water but
absorb it through their skin.
Some frogs and salamanders
have tongues 10x the length of
their body.
A group of frogs is called an
ARMY of frogs.
Salamanders can re-grow their
toes and tails.
Many frogs and salamanders
take care of their young, either
by guarding their eggs,
transporting their young or
feeding their tadpoles.
The paradoxical frog of South
America has tadpoles up to 10
in. long while the mature
adults are only 3 in. long. They
get smaller as they age!
In most species of frogs only
the male croaks. Croaking
attracts female frogs during
mating season and lets other
males know that this is HIS
territory and others should
back off!
Bullfrogs stay tadpoles for
about 2 years before they
become frogs. Some frogs
remain tadpoles for only 8
days.
The Bullfrog is the largest frog
native to North America. It can
grow to 18 in. and weigh 1.2
pounds!
http://www.clemetzoo.com/f
orfrogs/learn/funfacts.asp
REPTILES
There are more than 8,000 species of reptiles on the planet, and the live on
every continent except Antarctica (where it is too cold).
4. Most of the world's snakes (nearly two-thirds) are non-venomous,
however, the opposite is true in Australia. There are actually more venomous
snakes in Australia than non-venomous snakes. The inland taipan is one of
the most popular of these venomous Australian snakes. 6.
It is a fact that more Americans die each year from bee stings than from
snake bites.
7. Certain types of snakes can go months without eating. This is especially
true of the big constrictors, such as the Anaconda and the reticulated python.
Snakes eat large meals (relative to their body size), and they have much
slower metabolisms than we humans have.
8. Most kinds of reptiles do not tolerate the cold very well. But the Blanding's
turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) is sometimes found swimming under the ice in
the Great Lakes region of the United States.
9. Snakes and lizards flick their tongues in the air to capture scent particles.
They use their tongues to collect scent particles and then pass the particles
over something called a Jacobson's organ to decipher the air around them.
This is partly how reptiles hunt for food.
10. True to its name, the African egg-eating snake (of the genus Dasypeltis)
prefers to dine on the eggs of other animals. It will swallow the egg whole,
and then use tiny "spikes" extending internally from its spine to crack the egg
open and swallow the nutritious contents. Lastly, it will regurgitate the
unneeded egg shell in a neatly folded piece.
Read
more: http://www.reptileknowledge.com/articles/article19.php#ixzz2hRLCaBQk
14. The scales of all snakes (and many lizard species) are made of keratin,
which is the same substance that makes up the hair and fingernails of
humans.
MORE FACTS:
Amphibians
Reptiles:
18. Some species of gecko use their tails as a defensive tool. When attacked, the gecko will
wiggle its tail to lure the attacking creature. When the animal bites onto the tail, the gecko can
detach the tail and make its escape. In most cases, a new tail will grow in place of the old one.
19. Most snake species lay eggs. But about one-fifth of all snakes bear live young instead.
Rattlesnakes and boa constrictors are examples of snakes that bear live young.
20. Many states such as Georgia and Texas still engage in "rattlesnake roundups," in which
rattlesnakes are gathered from the wild and slaughtered by the hundreds. These activities are
PICTURES WITH FACTS
mostly practiced by ignorant rednecks who think that rattlesnakes are somehow evil or malicious.
Eventually (one can hope), such practices will be outlawed ... ideally before yet another species of
animal goes extinct on this planet.
21. Reptiles are the oldest type of animal on the planet. Turtles, for example, have been on the
planet for more than 200 million years, in basically the same form as we see them today. For this
reason and many more, reptiles deserve respect from us humans. They do not deserve fear or
persecution!
These 21 interesting facts about reptiles merely scratch the surface. I could just as easily have
expanded this list to be 50 interesting facts or even 100. But the point of this article is merely to
give you a glimpse into the fascinating world of reptiles and, hopefully, pique your curiosity that
you conduct further research into the subject.
11. Contrary to popular belief, chameleons do not change their color to blend in with different
backgrounds. Chameleons are naturally camouflaged with their surroundings (most are
predominantly green to match their treetop environment). The fact is that chameleons change
their color in limited ways, usually by brightening or darkening their skin. But these color changes
are related to temperature regulation and emotional changes. A frightened or angry chameleon,
for example, will become extremely bright in color.
13. Many people think that reptiles are slimy. But the fact is that reptiles do not have sweat
glands like you and I have, so their skin is usually cool and dry. I have several pet snakes for
example, and people who touch them for the first time always say the same thing: "Oh wow,
they're not slimy at all."
15. Snakes shed their skin in relation to their growth rate. A young snake will shed more often
because they typically grow fastest during the first two years of their lives. An older snake will
shed less often as its rate of growth slows down.
16. The world's longest snake species is the reticulated python, which can exceed 30 feet (10
meters) in length. While reticulated pythons typically grow longer, the anaconda could be
considered the largest snake by overall size and weight. The anaconda is a heavy-bodied snake
and can weigh well over 300 pounds. Learn more about types of big snakes.
17. While the reticulated python and anaconda are the largest snakes in general, the king cobra is
by far largest of the venomous snakes. It can grow to lengths of more than 18 feet (6 meters)
can weigh in excess of 20 pounds.
Read more: http://www.reptileknowledge.com/articles/article19.php#ixzz2hRISOEsO
INTRO TO THE EXCEPTIONAL CHILD
Levels of instruction:
A. Tier 1: Basic: identify simple creatures (frog) Northern Lepord Frog
B. Tier 2: Intermediate: identify complex creatures amphibians vs reptiles
(snake without showing animal) Coral Snake
C. Tier 3: Advanced: create an argument if human regrowth gene is possible
(odd creature without showing animal)- Horned Lizard
EEI INSTRUCTION METHOD
Objective: Classify/ categorize
Anticipatory set: what makes an amphibian vs reptile group discussion
Teach/Model: powerpoint *ask questions how do amphibians move? Before
moving to next topic
Guided Practice: identify which creature is amphibian vs reptile…into other
categories (Frogs, lizards, etc)
Independent Practice: on piece of paper identify which creature would live, eat
each pictured object, chart similarities/differences *ALTERNATE?? Would it be
possible to transmit the tail regrowth gene to humans?
Closure: review points/ question format REVIEW GAME: winner clap 3 times and
whoosh to winning team
Book Outline
Ch 11: Fishes, Amphibians,
and Reptiles
III. Amphibians
A. What is an amphibian? 1. Groups of Amphibians: two major groups salamanders and frogs
and toads. Distinguish between these by tail in adult form, salamanders keep tail, frogs and toads
do not
2. Reproduction and Development: larva of frog is tadpole, undergo metamorphosis and lose
gills
B. Living on Land
1. Obtaining Oxygen: gills change to lungs for oxygen, skin can also obtain oxygen
2. Circulatory System: has two loops and the heart is in three chambers, upper chambers are the
atria, lower chamber is the ventricle
3. Obtaining Food: most tadpoles are herbivores, however adult forms of salamanders, frogs, and
toads are carnivores that feed on animals. Frogs/toads wait for prey to come close, salamanders
stalk and ambush prey. Frogs and toads use camouflage to blend into the environment
4. Movement: strong skeleton to support body, fins in water, muscular limbs on land, some frogs
have sticky pads on their toes for climbing, others have webbed feet for swimming, (aftrican
clawed frog) leaping requires strong legs
5. Amphibians in Danger
IV. Reptiles: King Cobra of Southeast Asia is the world’s longest venomous snake. It can grow
to more than 4 meters long. Flatten neck to strike prey
A. Adaptations for life on land: lays eggs on land not water. REPTILES: snakes, lizards, turtles,
and alligators,
1. Skin and kidneys: scaly skin, dry and tough, kidneys filter wastes…(omitted some info)
2. An egg with a shell: shell lets oxygen in, and carbon dioxide out
B. Lizards and Snakes: lizards have long tongue, movable eyelids, claws, skin, leg, long tail;
SNAKES: have streamlined body, no legs, no external ears, no eyelids, and lonely one lung
1. Obtaining Food: some are herbivores others are carnivores…large lizards eat frogs and birds,
chameleons have long sticky tongues, venom and fangs in snakes and large adjustable jaws to
swallow large objects
2. Movement: snakes slither side to side, see sidewinder snake
C. Alligators and crocodiles: large snouts visible teeth
1. Obtaining food: carnivores that hunt at night, muscular tails for swimming, jaws equipped
with sharp teeth, eat: dogs, raccoons, and deer *they don’t usually attack humans
2. Reproduction: most reptiles don’t care for their young, but crocodiles and alligators do…for
up to a year alligator young will stay in close proximity to their mother
D. Turtles: body covered with a protective shell, sharp edged beak, some turtles are carnivores,
*leatherback turtles feed on jellyfish, *Galapagos turtle feeds on cacti
E. Extinct Reptiles-the dinosaurs
V. Vertebrate History in Rocks
A. What are fossils?
B. Interpretation of Fossils
1. A fossil’s age
2. Using fossils
Resources:
http://www.clemetzoo.com/forfrogs/learn/funfacts.asp
EXTRA:
What category is this in? (Ninja Turtle): genetically altered human/ fiction
Discussion on whether lizard tail regrowth gene should be implemented in humans:
http://www.devbio.biology.gatech.edu/?page_id=2641
Newt death from predator: http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/animals/amphibiansanimals/salamanders/weirdest-newt/