Classifying Animals

3rd Grade WebquestBy Kyle Sauer

Introduction Animals can be grouped in many different ways. One way to group animals is invertebrates and vertebrates.Vertebrates are animals that have a backbone .Invertebrates are animals that do not have a backbone.

Your Task

Research to find out what groups of animals are classified as vertebrates and which groups are invertebrates.

Complete the page in the booklet that goes with this.

Choose one invertebrate animal and one vertebrate animal to research with a partner.

Complete the worksheets on these animals and then create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the animals you have chosen.

Present an oral report about your animals to the class.

The ProcessStep 1 & 2You will be paired with a partner.

You will become scientists and will be in charge of researching and classifying different groups of animals as invertebrates and vertebrates.

Complete the worksheet on classifying animals.

Use this website to complete this task:

Vertebrates and Invertebrates Website--

http://filebox.vt.edu/users/rburcham/edweb/project/in-vertebrates.htm

Process– Step 3

Choose one animal from each group to research. One animal that is a vertebrate and one that is an invertebrate.

Use this website as a resource:

http://www.kidport.com/RefLIB/Science/Animals/Animals.htm

Process- Step 4Research your animal using the links and complete a worksheet on each animal. Animal Report Page.pdf

Use the following websites as a resource to find out facts on your animals.

Oakland Zoo

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/

National Geographic- Animals

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/

Yahoo Kids Animal Site -- http://kids.yahoo.com/animals

Kids Plant --http://www.kidsplanet.org/

Process: Step 5

Then complete a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the two animals you have chosen.

Venn Diagram Worksheet: Venn Diagram.pdf

Process- Step 6

Give a presentation to the class on the animals you have chosen. Talk about each animal and the facts learned. Also talk about the Venn diagram that you completed.

Resources

Oakland Zoo

http://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/

National Geographic- Animals

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/Animals/

Yahoo Kids Animal Site -- http://kids.yahoo.com/animals

Kids Plant --http://www.kidsplanet.org/

Vertebrates and Invertebrates Website--

http://filebox.vt.edu/users/rburcham/edweb/project/in-vertebrates.htm

Kids Plant --http://www.kidsplanet.org/

EvaluationYou will be graded on:• Using your time wisely while in groups• Completion of the worksheet and Venn diagram.• Completion of animal report worksheet.

Oral presentation to your classmates.:• Presenters speak clearly and loud enough for all

to hear.

Conclusion

I hope that you have learned the difference between a vertebrate and an invertebrate. You should also know the different groups of animals that go with each. You should be an expert on at least two different animals as well. Hopefully you have enjoyed using this webquest to obtain information on the animals you picked to research. Good luck on your animal presentation!