Animals with Backbones: The Vertebrate Story
Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 5-8
Curriculum Focus: Life Science
Lesson Duration: Three class periods
Program Description
Animals with Backbones: Reptiles and Birds — Reptiles and birds seem like very different
animals, but they do have characteristics in common. Dr. Brian Jerome explains the third and
fourth groups of vertebrates, revealing the fundamental traits that define an animal as a reptile or a
bird. He also explores the major adaptations that have allowed reptiles and birds to thrive in
various habitats. Short video quizzes complete the reptile and bird segments.
Discussion Questions
•
Why are most reptiles able to live their whole lives in very dry places, while amphibians need to
spend part of their lives in water?
•
Are reptiles more like amphibians or more like birds?
•
Do all birds lay eggs?
•
Are a bird’s wings the only physical structures that allow it to fly, or do birds have additional
characteristics that make flying possible?
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
•
Understand the basic groupings of animals and the criteria science uses to group them.
•
Learn more about the third and fourth groups of vertebrates – reptiles and birds – their
adaptations and sub-groups.
•
Take two short video quizzes, one that reviews the information regarding reptiles and one
concerning birds.
•
Write a species summary for a reptile and another one for a bird.
Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
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Materials
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Animals With Backbones: Reptiles and Birds video and VCR, or DVD and DVD player, or access to
the program in downloadable or streaming format online
•
Computer with Internet access
•
Print resources (field guides if possible) about reptiles and birds
Procedures
1. Before showing the video, write this quiz outline on the board:
BIRDS
REPTILES
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
5.
5.
2. Have students write their names and the quiz outlines on sheets of paper. Tell students that the
video will present these two quizzes, one in the middle and one at the end. Each quiz contains
True/False questions and fill-in-the-blank questions.
3. After playing the video, review the video quizzes. Read each question aloud and ask students to
supply the answers. Confirm students’ correct answers or provide correct answers if not offered
by the students. Ask students to correct answers on their quiz papers.
VIDEO QUIZ – REPTILES
1. Most reptiles lay their eggs in water. True or False? FALSE
2. Reptiles are cold-blooded. True or False? TRUE
3. Turtles are the only reptiles that have ______. SHELLS
4. The first vertebrates to live full time on dry land were the ______. REPTILES
5. The first vertebrates to produce waterproof eggs were the _____. REPTILES
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Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
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VIDEO QUIZ – BIRDS
1. All birds can fly. True or False? FALSE
2. The large feathers that allow birds to fly are called ____ feathers. CONTOUR
3. Down helps to insulate birds. True or False? TRUE
4. Birds have digestive systems that are very _____.
EFFICIENT
5. Birds are warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrates that have _____. FEATHERS
4. Review and discuss additional information from the video. What adaptations make an animal a
reptile? (They are cold-blooded vertebrates with tough, scaly, waterproof skin; the reptiles that
lay eggs do so on land and their eggs have a waterproof shell.) What are the three major groups
of reptiles? (Snakes and lizards; turtles; alligators and crocodiles.) What adaptations make an
animal a bird? (They are warm-blooded vertebrates; they lay waterproof eggs on land; they
have feathers.) What are the four major groups of birds? (Flightless birds, water birds, birds of
prey, songbirds.)
5. Ask students to name species or kinds of reptiles or birds with which they are familiar. Record
their responses. Examples include:
•
Robin
•
Crow
•
Rattlesnake
•
Blue jay
•
Chameleon
•
Sea gull
•
Mallard duck
•
Iguana
•
Eagle
•
Snapping turtle
•
Pelican
•
Garter snake
•
Cardinal
•
Alligator
•
Great horned owl
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Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
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Box turtle
6. Challenge students to research and learn more about different groups and species of reptiles
and birds. (Do they know that saltwater crocodiles grow to more than 16 feet long? The jaws of
an alligator snapping turtle can bite a broomstick in half. Most species of king snakes eat
rattlesnakes. The bee hummingbird of Cuba is the smallest bird on earth, just 2.25 inches long
and weighing 2/3 of an ounce. Peregrine falcons dive toward the earth for their prey at more
than 200 miles per hour. The arctic tern makes the longest round trip migration of any animal,
traveling 20,000 miles every year – from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back.) Ask students to
search print and Web animal field guide resources for unusual reptiles and birds. Tell them to
choose one reptile species and one bird species for which they will write Species Summaries.
Their Species Summaries should encompass the following data and may include more.
•
Common name
•
Scientific name
•
Group of reptiles or birds to which this species belongs
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Description (including at least size, shape, color, and special features)
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Habitat (type of land or water where it lives)
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Diet
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Geographical home range
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OPTIONAL: Interesting fact(s) about this animal
The following Web sites are a good starting point for student research:
•
Animal Planet Reptile Guide
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/reptiles/reptiles.html
•
Yahooligans! Animals: Reptiles
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/animals/reptiles/
•
eNature Reptile and Amphibian Guide
http://www.enature.com/guides/select_Reptiles_and_Amphibians.asp
•
Animal Planet Bird Guide
http://animal.discovery.com/guides/atoz/birds.html
•
Bird Watcher’s Digest
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyard_birds/bird_id/species_index.aspx
•
Yahooligans! Animals: Birds
http://yahooligans.yahoo.com/content/animals/birds/
•
eNature Bird Guide
http://www.enature.com/search/show_search_thumb.asp?sort=3&curGroupID=1
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Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
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7. When students have completed their Species Summaries, have each student choose a partner.
Ask them to share their summaries with their partners and answer any questions their partners
may have. Then have each student share one of their partner’s summaries with the class,
choosing the species they find the most interesting.
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.
•
3 points: Students were highly engaged in general class discussions and discussion of the
quiz answers in particular, offering to supply answers for the class; made original choices of
animals for their research and produced two complete Species Summaries, including all of
the requested data plus optional information; accurately presented one of their partner’s
Species Summaries, pointing out interesting facts about the animal.
•
2 points: Students participated in general class discussions and discussion of the quiz
answers, offering to supply at least one answer for the class; produced two Species
Summaries, including all of the requested data; adequately presented their partner’s Species
Summary.
•
1 point: Students participated minimally in class discussions and did not offer to supply any
quiz answers for the class; produced inadequate Species Summaries, missing some of the
requested data; seemed unengaged when presenting their partner’s Species Summary.
Vocabulary
adaptations
Definition: Physical or behavioral changes in a living organism, such as plant or animal species,
often over many generations, that help it survive in a particular environment
Context: Adaptations such as the feathers and strong, lightweight skeleton of a bird help the
animal survive and assist scientists in identifying the animal.
amniote or amniotic eggs
Definition: Eggs with an internal membrane that makes them watertight, allowing them to hold
liquid inside to sustain the developing embryo
Context: Reptiles became the first vertebrates to lay amniote eggs, allowing them to live their
entire life cycle on land.
cellular respiration
Definition: The process by which cells in living organisms break down food for energy
Context: Rapid cellular respiration provides birds with the energy they need to fly.
cold-blooded
Definition: A term used to describe animals that cannot regulate their own body heat and whose
body temperature changes with the temperature of their environment
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Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
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Context: The body temperature of a cold-blooded animal, such as a reptile, will be the same as
the air or water around it.
contour feathers
Definition: The large, prominent feathers that give birds their unique shapes and colors and
allow them to fly and maneuver in the air
Context: The contour feathers of parrots display many brilliant colors.
down feathers
Definition: The inner layer of fluffy feathers that helps to keep birds warm
Context: Under their contour feathers birds have a warm coat of down feathers against their
skin.
insulate
Definition: To surround with material that protects from cold or heat
Context: Down feathers insulate better than most other materials on earth.
metabolism
Definition: The organic processes occurring in a cell or organism that are necessary for life
Context: A bird’s metabolism produces enough heat and energy for all of its activities.
predators
Definition: Animals that hunt and kill other animals for food
Context: Birds of prey have many adaptations that make them successful predators.
vertebrates
Definition: Animals with backbones
Context: Garter snakes, parrots, frogs, dogs, and monkeys all have backbones; they are
vertebrates.
warm-blooded
Definition: Having a metabolism that produces the heat needed to maintain an almost constant
body temperature, regardless of the temperature of the environment
Context: Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates that have successfully adapted to life in many cold
regions of the world.
Academic Standards
National Academy of Sciences
The National Science Education Standards provide guidelines for teaching science as well as a
coherent vision of what it means to be scientifically literate for students in grades K-12. To view the
standards, visit http://books.nap.edu.
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Reptiles and Birds: Teacher’s Guide
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This lesson plan addresses the following science standards:
•
Life Science: Structure and function in living systems; Reproduction and heredity; Diversity
and adaptations of organisms
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL's Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K-12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit http://www.mcrel.org/.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
•
Science—Life Sciences: Understands biological evolution and the diversity of life
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Science—Life Sciences: Understands relationships among organisms and their physical
environment
AAAS Benchmarks
Benchmarks for science literacy, developed by the American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS), state what all students should know and be able to do in science, mathematics, and
technology by the end of grades 2, 5, 8, and 12. To view the benchmarks online, visit
http://www.project2061.org/tools/benchol/bolintro.htm.
This lesson plan addresses the following science standards:
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The Living Environment: Diversity of Life; Evolution of Life
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the Discoveryschool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
Credit
Renne Leatto, education and curriculum writer
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.