For this task students match animals to a description that has characteristics of that animal group. Then students use keywords to identify the larger animal group a number of different animals belong to.
Students are asked to identify the larger group that each of the following animals belongs to: turtle; swan; lizard; deer; frog; and rabbit. An example has been given to model this task.
Task: Identify the features of three animals, name their classification group, and answer two questions comparing features of the groups. Assessment focus: classification of animals.
Task: Draw a line to match animals to their footprints, and explain why it may be useful to identify animals by their footprints. Assessment focus: using features to name animals.
For this practical task, students join 'dominos'. They match an animal feature on the initial 'domino' with the appropriate animal picture on the next 'domino'.
Task: use features to group small animals, identify differences between 3 animals, and identify the insects. Assessment focus: using features to group small animals.
Students are given four pictures, and are asked to draw a circle around the picture that is not a bird, and then give a reason for their choice. Similarly, they circle animals that are not mammals, fish, and molluscs.
This practical task assesses students' ability to identify the larger group that four animals belong to and then to identify the features that those groups have using animal cards and labels.