Unit 1.4 - Different Skeletons - Grade 4 - Week 6

​Exoskeleton: A hard covering on the outside of the body

Identification key: A tool used to identify an unknown object

Invertebrate: An animal without a backbone

Vertebrate: An animal with a backbone

Science Vocabulary

The animals in the pictures all have bones. They have a skeleton with a backbone inside of their bodies. Animals with a backbone are called vertebrates.

We can sort vertebrates into five groups. These groups are mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish. Can you name an animal that is classified as a vertebrate and explain why?

Animal with bones

​They are vertebrates that live in water. Their bodies are covered in scales.

Fish

They are vertebrates that live in water and on land. Their bodies are smooth, wet skin. An example is a frog.

​​Amphibians

​They are vertebrates that live mostly on land. Their body is covered in dry scales. Examples include snakes, lizards and crocodiles.

Reptiles

They are vertebrates that are covered with feathers. Birds have wings. Most birds can fly. Some birds, like an ostrich, cannot fly.

Birds

​They are vertebrates that are covered in hair or fur. Most mammals live on land. Some animals live in the sea, for example whales and dolphins. People are mammals.

Mammals

Some animals have no bones. These animals are called invertebrates. Invertebrate means 'without backbone'

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​Animals without bones

Some invertebrates have a hard covering on the outside of their bodies. This layer is called an exoskeleton. The exoskeleton protects the animal's body. Insects, such as locusts and beetles have an exoskeleton.

Exoskeleton

Some invertebrates do not have an exoskeleton. Worms and jellyfish have soft bodies. These animals do not have an exoskeleton.

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No exoskeleton...

​Some scientists use identification keys to help them sort and identify living things. They are based on questions that can be answered 'yes' or 'no'. By answering the questions we can identify and name animals.

​Identification keys

Click on the links to play additional games.

https://www.ecosystemforkids.com/games/2nd-grade/vertebrates-and-invertebrates/activity.html

https://wordwall.net/resource/60411818/vertebrate-or-invertebrate

https://wordwall.net/create/editcontent?guid=9aa86109e5b645908934b90716a7a182