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Primary Science · Year 4Chapter 2 · Grouping living things
Year 4 Science · Grouping living things · Lesson 2.2

Year 4 Science: Animals with a backbone: five groups

Part of the Year 4 Science grouping living things chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page

2.2

Animals with a backbone: five groups

Year 4
LH1: vertebrate groups as examples of grouping (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals)
Story. Mo visits the aquarium with his class. He sees a fish, a frog, a lizard, a parrot and a rabbit. “How do we know which group each one is in?” he asks. Ms Chen says, “Look at the skin, the covering and how it has young.”

Animals with a backbone are called vertebrates. A backbone is a line of bones down the back that supports the body. Vertebrates are grouped into five groups by their features.

FishAmphibiansReptilesBirdsMammals
Five groups of animals with a backbone, drawn from simple shapes: fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

The table gives the main features of each group.

GroupMain features
Fishfins and scales, gills for breathing, lives in water
Amphibiansmoist skin, lives on land and in water, usually lays eggs in water
Reptilesdry scaly skin, most lay eggs with leathery shells on land
Birdsfeathers, a beak, lays eggs with hard shells
Mammalsfur or hair, feeds its young on milk

Key ideas

  • Vertebrates are animals with a backbone.
  • The five groups are fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.
  • Birds have feathers and a beak, and lay eggs with hard shells.
  • Mammals have fur or hair, and feed their young on milk.
Worked example 2.2.1
Which group does an animal belong to if it has feathers and a beak? Write the word.

Method. Find the feature in the table.

  1. Find the feature. Feathers and a beak are the features of birds.
    feathers and a beak
  2. Name the group. So the animal belongs to the group of birds.
    birds
  3. Write the answer.
    birds

Check. Feathers and a beak are the main features of birds. ✓

Worked example 2.2.2
Which group does a frog belong to? A frog has moist skin, and usually lays eggs in water. Write the word.

Method. Compare the frog with the features in the table.

  1. Read the features. Moist skin and eggs laid in water are the features of amphibians.
    moist skin
  2. Name the group. So a frog is an amphibian.
    amphibians
  3. Write the answer.
    amphibians

Check. Frogs and toads are amphibians. ✓

Worked example 2.2.3
A whale breathes air, and feeds its young on milk. Is it a mammal? Write yes or no.

Method. Check the features of a mammal.

  1. Find the key feature. Mammals feed their young on milk.
    milk
  2. Decide. A whale feeds its young on milk, so it is a mammal. The answer is yes.
    yes
  3. Write the answer.
    yes

Check. Whales, dolphins and bats are mammals, even without fur. ✓

Watch out. Mammals feed their young on milk. Fur is not always easy to see on a whale.

Watch out

Watch out: a penguin is a bird, not a fish, even though it swims. A bat is a mammal, not a bird, even though it flies.

Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Look at pictures of a fish, a frog, a bird and a dog in a book, with a grown-up. For each one, write the group it belongs to and one feature you can see. Do not touch any wild animals.

Exam tip

Grown-up tip. Ask: “What covers the body? How does it have its young?” Let your child name the group, and then give one feature for it.

Exercise 2B  Animals with a backbone

1
FWhich group has feathers and a beak? Write the word.
2
FWhich group has fur or hair, and feeds its young on milk? Write the word.
3
FWhich group has fins and scales, and lives in water? Write the word.
4
FWhich group has moist skin, and usually lays eggs in water? Write the word.
5
FWhich group has dry scaly skin? Write the word.
6
FA penguin is which group? Write the word.
7
FA whale is which group? Write the word.
8
FA frog is which group? Write the word.
9
FA snake is which group? Write the word.
10
FA shark is which group? Write the word.
11
PSA bat can fly. Which group is it in? Write the word.
12
RAli says a bat is a bird, because it can fly. Is Ali right? Write no, and give one reason in one sentence.

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