Classifying Animals:

• Animals with a backbone are called vertebrates. Scientists put all vertebrates together into one group in the animal kingdom. Vertebrates are the animals we know best. They are everywhere. But although vertebrates are all around us, they make up only a tiny portion of all species.

Living Things

ReptilesFish Amphibians MammalsBirds

WormsSponges Arthropods Mollusks

Vertebrate Invertebrate

Monera

FungiAnimal

ProtistPlant

ConiferousDeciduous

Crustaceans Arachnids Chilopods Insects

• The main thing they have in common is a backbone, which is made up of a series of bones called vertebrate. The vertebrate house and protect the spinal cord, which works with the brain to control everything in the body. Vertebrates also have an internal skeleton that allows for movement, support and protection.

ORCA WHALE

Vertebrates are divided into five major subgroups:

• Fish

• Amphibians

• Reptiles

• Birds

• mammals

Vertebrate Species

• 25 100 fish

• 9 800 birds

• 8 000 reptiles

• 4 960 amphibians

• 4 640 mammals

Characteristics of Vertebrates

• Fish, amphibians, and reptiles are cold-blooded animals. This means that the temperature of their body is the same as that of their surrounding environment. Col-blooded animals do not use a lot of energy to keep the inside of their bodies warm.

• Birds and mammals are warm-blooded animals. This means that their body temperature is maintained at a particular temperature, no matter where they are. Warm-blooded animals use a lot of energy to keep their bodies warm. Warm-blooded animals can live in very cold climates, where cold-blooded animals would not survive. All humans are part of the mammal subgroup of vertebrates. Humans are warm-blooded.

Characteristics of Amphibians:

• Soft, moist skin

• Four legs (often webbed feet)

• Cold blooded

• Most lay eggs

newts

salamanders

frogs

Characteristics of Reptiles:

• Dry skin covered with hard overlapping scales

• Most have four legs

• Cold-blooded

• Most lay eggs

lizards

snakesturtles

Characteristics of Birds:

• Feathers

• A beak or a bill for a mouth and no teeth

• Warm blooded

• Breathe through lungs

Characteristics of Mammals:

• All have hair at some stage in development

• Warm blooded

• Breathe through lungs

• Mothers nurse their young

Characteristics of Fish

• Most have bodies covered with scales

• Cold-blooded

• Breathe through gills

• Most lay eggs

Research Project

• Think about a vertebrate you would be interested in learning more about. Gather all important information and begin writing a brief report explaining your findings. Your report should be 8 paragraphs in length. Attach a labeled diagram to your report. Due in 2 weeks. Good Luck!

Paragraph 1 Introduction: Introduce your chosen vertebrate.

Paragraph 2 Describe body shape.

Paragraph 3 Is it warm or cold blooded? Explain.

Paragraph 4 Where it lives.

Paragraph 5 Describe characteristics that make it unique.

Paragraph 6 What it eats.

Paragraph 7 Any adaptations that help the animal survive, catch prey and avoid predators.

Paragraph 8 Conclusion: Summarize the last 6 paragraphs into 1 paragraph.

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Required Elements

The report includes all required elements as well as additional information.

All required elements are included in the report.

All but 1 of the required elements is included in the report.

Several required elements were missing.

Content - Accuracy

At least 8 accurate paragraphs are detailed in the report.

5-7 accurate paragraphs are detailed in the report.

3-4 accurate paragraphs are detailed in the report.

Less than 3 accurate paragraphs are detailed in the report.

Labeled Picture

The picture is exceptionally detailed in terms of design, neatness and information.

The picture is detailed in terms of design, neatness and information.

The picture is acceptably attractive though it may be a bit messy, and brief in information.

The picture is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not clear.

Mechanics Capitalization and punctuation are correct throughout the report.

There is 1 error in capitalization or punctuation.

There are 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.

There are more than 2 errors in capitalization or punctuation.

Grammar There are no grammatical or spelling mistakes in the report.

There are 2 grammatical or spelling mistakes in the report.

There are 3 grammatical or spelling mistakes in the report.

There are more than 3 grammatical or spelling mistakes in the report.

Writing a Report

There are 3 major steps to follow when you write a classroom report.

1. Select a good topic.

2. Collect information about that topic.

3. Connect that information into a well-written report.

Collecting Information

Find good sources of information. As you know, it’s impossible to write a good report without a good topic and good information. Here are some resources you can use.

• Use your school and public libraries.• Use the internet. Be careful, some sources on

the internet are not very reliable. Make sure you are on reliable sites.

• Ask your teacher, a parent, or your friends what they know

Check your information

It is important that you take time to look over all your information before you start writing your report. By using different kinds of information, you will keep your readers interested. Try to include the some of the following:

• Quotes form experts• Colourful or powerful words that fit your topic• Interesting diagrams and drawings• Humorous or surprising information about the

topic.

Connect Your Ideas

Begin your report with a hook. Most writing needs a good hook, something that will start it off with a bang.

Other ways to Begin…

• With a quote from an interview

• With a dramatic or strong point

• With a description

Tie your facts together

Now it’s time to tie your facts together in an interesting way. Simply listing the facts you’ve gathered would turn out like a shopping list: useful, but boring. But linking your facts together from beginning to end can change a list into an interesting report.

Use quotes and diagramsIn your report, include someone’s

actual words. That’s a quote. A person’s real words are always interesting. A strong quote from a real person brings your report to life.

Diagrams are excellent for illustrating a point, and for displaying important information about your topic.

List your sources

You will need to include a Bibliography page at the end of your report. To make a bibliography page, simply list your sources alphabetically by the author’s last name, or by the title if no author is given. If you’ve used the internet for some of your research, just include the website http address (e.g., www.vertebrate.com/dog) in your bibliography.

Good luck!