The Animal Kingdom: Body Functions of the Vertebrate Classes

Age

7-8.

Materials

Either: Cards and an illustrated chart, one of each of the five classes, showing the Classified nomenclature:

• Wall chart
• Folder with pictures
• Reading labels and definition cards
• Wall chart movement, protection, support, circulation, respiration, reproduction and control booklet.
  

Preparation

This material parallels the Time Line of Life and shows the evolution of the vertebrate classes. This work along with invertebrate studies should go along with the Time Line. This work should be re-presented after the presentation of the Classification charts to show the breakdown of characteristics of these animals. Its format of movement, protection, support, circulation, respiration, reproduction will be seen over and over in the study of Montessori Biology in the questions we ask the children to ask themselves.

Presentation

Example: Amphibian

Using a chart and possibly a real amphibian, the directress presents the internal and other parts of the amphibian.

1. The child recognizes the animal, recalls the class: Amphibia and the meaning of the word: two lives. It is also one of the vertebrates.
2. Put the names movement, protection, support, circulation, respiration, reproduction down in front of a group of children.
3. Place each picture one at a time under the correct function.
4. This is the amphibian moves.
5. Some amphibians, the frog and toad, have very strong back legs.
6. The amphibian's skin is it's protection. It has to stay wet or it will die.
7. The amphibian has an internal skeleton. So do all the other animals in this material that we will study.
8. The amphibian has a three chambered heart.
9. You may remember that a fish only had a two chambered heart. They must need more blood to circulate.
10. The amphibian has two different kind of respiration.
11. As a tadpole, it has gills, but when it changes shape and craws up onto land, it develops lungs.
12. The amphibian reproduces by laying jelly-like eggs similar to a fish.
13. It hatches out looking somewhat like a fish with a long tale.
14. It develops legs and can crawl on the land.
15. When it finds a mate, the female lays her eggs back in the water.
16. Go over the paragraphs describing the movement, skeleton, reproductive system, respiratory system, circulatory system and the skin or protection of the animal.
17. Look at the age of the amphibian on the Time Line of Life and think of the fish that came before.
18. What was different about the frog and fish?

Purpose

• To learn the characteristics of the five vertebrate classes.