Year 4 Science: Grouping living things in different ways
Part of the Year 4 Science grouping living things chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Grouping living things in different ways
Scientists group living things by looking for features that they share. A feature is something you can see, count or measure, such as the number of legs, the covering of the body, or what the animal eats.
There is more than one way to group living things. The best group depends on the question you are asking. For example, a group of animals that all eat plants is a different group from a group of animals that all have feathers.
Key ideas
- Living things can be grouped in a variety of ways.
- A feature is something that can be seen, counted or measured.
- A good group is one where every member has the shared feature.
- Grouping by what a living thing eats, or where it lives, are also useful ways.
Method. Compare the number of legs.
- Read the numbers. A spider has 8 legs, and an insect has 6 legs.8 and 6
- Compare them. 8 is more than 6, so the spider has more legs.spider
- Write the answer. spider
Check. Eight is more than six. ✓
Method. Think about whether the feature is shared.
- Read the feature. Eating only plants is a feature that every animal in the group shares.shared
- Decide. A feature that every member shares can be used to group them.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Grouping by diet is one of many ways to group living things. ✓
Method. Think about the other features of a bird and a bat.
- Think about the bird. A bird has feathers and a beak, and lays eggs with hard shells.feathers
- Think about the bat. A bat has fur, and feeds its young on milk, so it is a mammal.fur
- Write the answer. no
Check. Some features, such as flying, are shared by animals in different groups. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: one shared feature is not always enough to make a good group. Look at several features, and check that the living things really belong together.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). Collect five small objects from the garden or a park, with a grown-up. Sort the objects that are living things into two groups, and write the feature you used. Remember to wash your hands afterwards.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask: “What feature did you use to make the group? Can you find a different way to group them?” Let your child use the words group and feature.
Exercise 2A Grouping living things in different ways
Method. Think about what you can see on living things.
- Think about the features. Legs, feathers and fur are features you can see.features
- Write one. Any one of these could be used to make a group.one feature
- Write the answer. Accept any feature that a group could share, such as legs, feathers or fur.
Check. A feature is something that can be seen, counted or measured. ✓
Method. Read the key idea in section 2.1.
- Read the key idea. Scientists group living things by looking for features that they share.features
- Write the answer. features
Check. A feature is something you can see, count or measure. ✓
Method. Read the key idea in section 2.1.
- Read the key idea. There is more than one way to group living things.more than one way
- Write the answer. false
Check. The best group depends on the question being asked. ✓
Method. Think about which living thing is a plant.
- Think about each one. A rabbit and a fox are animals, and grass is a plant.grass is a plant
- Write the answer. grass
Check. Grass makes its own food, using light. ✓
Method. Think about what the animal eats.
- Read the word. An animal that eats only plants is a herbivore.herbivore
- Write the answer. herbivore
Check. A carnivore eats other animals, and an omnivore eats both. ✓
Method. Think about the features of living things.
- Look at a) and c). A rock and a chair are not living things.not living
- Look at b). A tree grows, needs water and air, and is a living thing.tree
- Write the answer. b
Check. Living things grow, reproduce and need food and water. ✓
Method. Subtract the number of insect legs from the number of spider legs.
- Read the numbers. A spider has 8 legs, and an insect has 6 legs.8 and 6
- Subtract. 8 minus 6 is 2.8 - 6 = 2
- Write the answer. 2
Check. Check: 6 plus 2 makes 8. ✓
Method. Think about the place where the animals live.
- Think about the habitat. Living in the same place is a feature the animals share.share
- Decide. So grouping by habitat is a sensible way to group them.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. Grouping by habitat is one of many ways. ✓
Method. Choose a feature that people share.
- Choose a feature. A feature must be something you can see or ask about.can see
- Write the group. Each child either has it or does not.has it
- Write the answer. Accept any sensible way, such as by favourite fruit, or by the colour of their coat.
Check. A group needs a clear feature that every member shares. ✓
Method. Look at more features than one.
- Look at the robin. A robin has feathers and a beak.feathers
- Look at the dog. A dog has fur and feeds its young on milk, so it is a mammal.fur and milk
- Decide. A robin and a dog have different main features, so they do not belong in one group.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Check more than one feature before you decide. ✓
Method. Think about what a group is for.
- Think about the group. A group sorts living things by a feature that they share.shared feature
- Write the reason. If the feature is not shared, the group does not help us to compare living things.compare
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says a group needs a shared feature so that every member belongs to it for the same reason.
Check. A shared feature makes the group useful. ✓