Year 1 Science: Comparing animals, and minibeasts
Part of the Year 1 Science animal groups chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Comparing animals, and minibeasts
Scientists sort animals into groups. They look at the features of each animal: its skin or covering, its legs, and where it lives. Then they compare animals, to see what is the same and what is different.
| Group | Covering | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Fish | scales and fins | goldfish |
| Amphibian | smooth, wet skin | frog |
| Reptile | dry, scaly skin | snake |
| Bird | feathers and a beak | robin |
| Mammal | fur or hair | dog |
Some small creatures are not in the five groups. They are called minibeasts. Spiders and insects are minibeasts. A spider has eight legs. A ladybird is an insect and has six legs. A spider is not an insect.
Key ideas
- Compare animals by their features.
- Look at the covering, the legs and where the animal lives.
- Spiders and insects are minibeasts, not one of the five groups.
- A spider has eight legs. An insect has six legs.
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has fins and scales, and it lives in water.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The goldfish is A
- Write the answer. A
Check. The clues fit the fish group. ✓
Watch out. Many animals live in water. Look at the fins, the gills and the scales, not only where the animal lives.
Method. Find the spider, then count its legs.
- Find the spider. The spider has a round body and eight thin legs.The spider is letter F.
- Count the legs. Count each leg once.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Write the answer. A spider is a minibeast, not an insect.F, with 8 legs.
Check. Four pairs of legs make eight legs. ✓
Watch out. Spiders have eight legs. Insects have six.
Method. Find one thing that is the same, and one thing that is different.
- Look at the goldfish (A) and the frog (B). Both are animals with eyes.Both have eyes.
- Look at their skin. The goldfish has scales. The frog has smooth, wet skin.Different skin
- Look at their legs. A goldfish has fins and no legs. A frog has four legs.Different body parts
- Write the answer. Say one same and one different.Same: both have eyes. Different: the frog has smooth, wet skin and legs.
Check. Compare the features, not the colours. ✓
Watch out. Compare the same features in both animals, such as skin, legs and fins.
Watch out
Watch out: a spider has eight legs, but it is not an insect and it is not in the five groups. Insects have six legs. Do not put a spider in a group like a bird or a mammal.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “How is this animal the same as that one? How is it different?” Look for minibeasts together in the garden with a magnifying glass, but do not pick up spiders or touch anything you do not know.
Exercise 4F Comparing and sorting
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has fins and scales, and it lives in water.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The goldfish is A
- Write the answer. A
Check. The clues fit the fish group. ✓
Watch out. Many animals live in water. Look at the fins, the gills and the scales, not only where the animal lives.
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has smooth, wet skin and four legs.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The frog is B
- Write the answer. B
Check. The clues fit the amphibian group. ✓
Watch out. A frog lives in water and on land, but it is not a fish. Check its skin: smooth and wet.
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has dry, scaly skin and no legs.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The snake is C
- Write the answer. C
Check. The clues fit the reptile group. ✓
Watch out. Scales are not only on fish. Check if the skin is dry and scaly, and check the legs.
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has feathers and a beak.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The robin is D
- Write the answer. D
Check. The clues fit the bird group. ✓
Watch out. A bird does not have to fly. Look for the feathers and the beak.
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has fur and feeds its babies on milk.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The dog is E
- Write the answer. E
Check. The clues fit the mammal group. ✓
Watch out. A whale and a dolphin live in water, but they are mammals. Check how they breathe and feed their babies.
Method. Look at each animal, and find the one with the clues.
- Look at the animals. Find the animal with these clues.It has eight legs and is a minibeast.
- Find its letter. Each animal has a letter under it.The spider is F
- Write the answer. F
Check. The clues fit the minibeast group. ✓
Watch out. A spider has eight legs but it is not an insect. It is a minibeast, not one of the five groups.
Method. Count the legs one at a time.
- Look at the picture. Find every one, including the ones at the back.Find each leg: eight in all, four pairs.
- Count each one once. Say one number for each one, in order.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Write the answer. 8
Check. Count again from the other side. You get 8 again. ✓
Watch out. Touch each one as you count it, so you do not miss one or count one twice.
Method. Count the legs one at a time.
- Look at the picture. Find every one, including the ones at the back.Find each leg: there are two.
- Count each one once. Say one number for each one, in order.1, 2
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Count again from the other side. You get 2 again. ✓
Watch out. Touch each one as you count it, so you do not miss one or count one twice.
Method. Count the legs one at a time.
- Look at the picture. Find every one, including the ones at the back.Find each leg: two at the front and two at the back.
- Count each one once. Say one number for each one, in order.1, 2, 3, 4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Count again from the other side. You get 4 again. ✓
Watch out. Touch each one as you count it, so you do not miss one or count one twice.
Method. Check the claim against a fact you know about animals.
- Read the claim. Decide what it says.A spider is one of the five groups of animals.
- Remember the fact. The facts on this page tell us the answer.Spiders are minibeasts. They are not in the five groups.
- Write the answer. False
Check. If the fact is right, the answer is right. ✓
Watch out. A spider has eight legs but is not an insect, so it is not in the five groups.
Method. Sort each animal: is it a minibeast, or is it in one of the five groups?
- Look at the ladybird. A ladybird is an insect, so it is a minibeast.ladybird = minibeast
- Look at the spider. A spider is a minibeast, not an insect.spider = minibeast
- Look at the robin. A robin is a bird, one of the five groups.robin = bird
- Look at the goldfish. A goldfish is a fish, one of the five groups.goldfish = fish
- Write the answer. Minibeasts: ladybird and spider. Five groups: robin and goldfish.
Check. Two are minibeasts, and two are in the five groups. ✓
Watch out. A spider is not an insect, even though it is small and lives in gardens.
Method. Think about the features that tell us a group.
- Look at the covering. Feathers, fur, scales, or smooth wet skin tell us the group.Covering
- Count the legs. Legs help us to find the group, and minibeasts have their own clues.Legs
- Write the answer. We can also see where the animal lives and how it breathes.Check its covering and its legs. We could also check where it lives, or how it breathes.
Check. The clues help us to match the animal to a group. ✓
Watch out. Do not guess the group from one feature. Use several clues together.