Author: Amanda McGarrigle

Science
Animals

Background Information
We will learn about animals—thinking about the different categories that animals can be placed in (mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, invertebrates).
We will learn about what animals eat—carnivores, herbivores and omnivores.

In this unit the children will…
Naming and identifying birds. What is a bird? Different types of birds and where we might see them.
Naming and identifying land invertebrates. Going on a bug hunt around school.
Naming and identifying aquatic animals. Looking at what these are and where we might see them.
Naming and identifying mammals.
Classifying and naming different animals.
What do animals eat? Understanding carnivores, herbivores and omnivores
Describing the structure of animals.

By the end of this unit….
All children can:
To be able to identify and name a variety of common animals that are birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
To be able to describe and compare the structure of a variety of common animals.
To be able to record data in simple ways (Venn diagram).
To begin to understand the different food that different animals eat.
Most children will:
To be able to sort and group animals with some help .
To be able to record data in simple ways (chart).
Be able to place animals in different categories based on what they eat.
Some children will:
Begin to understand the similarities between different animals.

The children will begin by looking at different animals and placing them in the main categories of birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
We will learn how to place different animals in categories—thinking about how they are similar and different from each other.
We will learn about the structure of different animals.
We will then move on to looking at the different food that animals eat and how this can be used to categorise animals.

Key Vocabulary
Bird— a vertebrate with feathers.
Fish— a vertebrate with gills and fins living in water.
Amphibians –small vertebrates that need water or a moist environment to survive.
Reptiles –a vertebrate animal—having dry scaly skin and typically lay soft-shelled eggs.
Mammals— a warm blooded vertebrate animal that have hair or fur and can typically give birth to young.
Herbivore—an animal that feeds on plants.
Carnivore—an animal that feeds on meat.
Omnivore—an animal that feeds on meat and plants.