Science Year 4 Living Things their Habitats Block

Science - Year 4 Living Things & their Habitats – Block 4 Lv. H (This lesson follows on from your work on MRS GREN) Name That Living Thing! How are living things classified? • N. C objectives • i. recognise that living things can be grouped in a variety of ways • ii. explore and use classification keys to help group, identify and name a variety of living things in their local and wider environment • i. asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer • ii. gathering, recording, classifying and presenting data to help in answering questions • iii. recording findings using simple scientific language, drawings, labelled diagrams & keys

Key vocabulary • classify, sort, group, similar, different, branching database, identify, variety, question, explore, key • These are the key vocabulary you will be exposed to today. Look in a dictionary for any you don’t know before you begin today.

Let’s get sorting!

You will need to print out the cards to complete this activity. (See the attachment on the school website) • If you do not have a printer, you can look at the cards and choose ways of grouping them into 4 s. • Ideas for how to classify and group them; • Animal or plant • Vertebrate or invertebrate • Does it have wings? • Does it have eyes or shell?

There about nine million different types of living thing on Earth – and they are all named! Can you write that number in figures?

Which species do you think humans are the most similar to?

In fact around 98% of chimp genes (tiny parts in all your cells which give you certain characteristics, e. g. colour of eyes, and which can be passed on to the next generation) are the same as human genes, but there are obvious differences in appearance and behaviour. Can you think of some differences? chimps: more hairy, different shaped jaw & nose, move around on all 4 limbs, have longer arms & shorter legs

Sorting this large number of species into groups based on similarities helps people to know which living thing is being talked about. Scientists can be sure they are investigating the same species. Two, very large, groups of living things are animals and plants. We are part of the animal kingdom. These groups are however still too big (about 7. 8 million animal species) so they have to be sub-divided. Animals are split into vertebrates and invertebrates. Can anyone explain what those words mean? Invertebrates have no backbone (spine) and vertebrates do.

There are far more invertebrates than vertebrates – some are very simple like sponges, others are more complex like insects, spiders (arachnids) and molluscs.

Vertebrates are split again into fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Am I a reptile or an amphibian? Click here to watch a clip about animal classification: http: //www. bbc. co. uk/education/clips /zpqcfrd Watch the video and pause it at 6: 17. What would you classify the animal in the video as?

Plants can be grouped into flowering and non-flowering (Please look at slide 12 to 15) to help you (e. g. ferns & mosses) plants. understand what a branching diagram looks like. You will need to work with some in your house to do the first activity. Have a look at the Woodland Trust ID sheet. Choose one (but not tell anyone which one). Model asking yes and no questions to identify which leaf they are thinking of. After the 1 st or 2 nd question, ask someone else for some ideas for questions to ask to help identify which leaf has been chosen. Every time a question is asked, write it on a piece of paper as a branching database – use sticky-tack to model placing/eliminating the leaves. Play the ‘yes/no’ game with someone else. Your task today: You are now going to create a branching database for the insects and spiders on the minibeast hunt sheet. If you are lucky enough to have a garden or going on a safe family walk during the lockdown, you can identify some of your own mini beasts to use in this activity.

Branching databases

Branching database – dichotomous key spider woodlouse snail ladybird Does it have legs? yes Does it have 6 legs? earthworm earwig no Does it have antennae? no yes Minibeasts Is its body in two main parts? no yes earthworm snail Does it have pinchers? no ladybird no yes woodlouse spider yes earwig

Sorting Minibeasts – as questions and answers spider woodlouse snail ladybird earthworm 1. Does it have legs? Yes – go to 2 No – go to 3 2. Does it have 6 legs? Yes – go to 4 No – go to 5 3. Does it have antennae? Yes – It is a snail No – It is an earthworm 4. Does it have pinchers? Yes – It is an earwig No – It is a ladybird 5. Is its body in two main parts? Yes – It is a spider No – It is a woodlouse earwig