Lesson Plan: Classifying Animals

Print version of this lesson plan.

Classification of Guam Animal Names in Different Languages

By Kate Quiambao

Middle School Educator, Francisco B. Leon Guerrero Middle School, Guam

About This lesson

The following lesson plan was developed as part of the Culturally Sustaining Education: The Micronesian Context professional development workshop held 24-26 July 2018. The workshop was held in Guam and made possible by the Center for Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in partnership with Chaminade University of Honolulu’s Center for Teaching and Learning, the Department of CHamoru Affairs and the Senator Antonio Palomo Guam Museum and Educational Facility, the College of Micronesia, Alik Translation Services, and Guampedia. All lesson plans developed as part of this series were authored by a Guam-based educator with contributions from workshop facilitators.

Subject

Science

Grade-level

Middle School, 7th Grade

Time required

1 – 2 weeks

Related links

Guam’s Fish and Wildlife 80 Fact Sheets contain images and provide text describing the island’s species that live on land and in the ocean surrounding the Marianas.

Guam & Common Core State Standards

• 7.2.9 Describe both sexual and asexual reproduction in selected organisms. EXAMPLE(S): Explain how, in sexual reproduction, a single specialized cell from a female merges with a single specialized cell from a male and this fertilized egg carries genetic information from each parent and multiplies to form the complete organism.
• 7.2.10 Differentiate between inherited traits, such as hair color or flower color, and acquired skills, such as manners.
• 7.2.11 Recognize and describe how new varieties of cultivated plants, such as bougainvillea, mangoes, and watermelons, and domestic animals, such as dogs and chicken
• 7. RST.2 Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text, provide an accurate summary of the text distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• 7. RST.4 Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 6–8 texts and topics
• 7. RST.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
• 7.WHST.2 b and c Write informative/explanatory texts, including the narration of historical events, scientific procedures/experiments, or technical processes: b) Develop the topic with relevant, well-chosen facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. c) Use appropriate and varied transitions to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among ideas and concepts.

Lesson Plan

Objectives

• We will KNOW, UNDERSTAND, and BE ABLE TO be familiar with different animals and to be able to classify/group the animals as invertebrate or vertebrate.
• We will KNOW, UNDERSTAND, and BE ABLE TO list common animals on Guam in a different language.

Questions

• What is an animal?
• What characteristics make an animal?
• What is the difference between an invertebrate and a vertebrate?
• What are the different types of animal groups?
• What are the names of common animals in other languages?

Vocabulary

Procedure

1. Students must be familiar with the vocabulary words and main concepts in this lesson to create a chart that lists different animal names in English and in languages that other students in the class may speak.
2. Teacher may go into detail with the types of invertebrates and vertebrates that may see on Guam.
3. The number of animals on the list may vary depending on teacher.
4. The teacher is to create a table that the students will collaboratively complete with the help of other family member to share the name. See example of chart below.
5. Students will notice that some animals do not have a name due to the absence of that animal in the place they/ their parents are from. When this occurs, the teacher can start the topic of invasive and native animals and plants.
6. Teacher will need to pronounce the names of the animals in a different language and have the students repeat the words.
   When the table has been completed by the students, have them examine the chart to identify similar names of the animals in their native language.
7. Encourage the students to learn how to say the animal names in different language and discuss how they feel about learning the names of the listed animals.

Sample animal name chart