Year 1 Science curriculum area ‘Animals including Humans’
Lesson 1: ‘Identifying Animals'
NB There should be an introductory lesson prior to lesson 1 to assess the children’s knowledge at the start of the topic and to allow them to pose questions about what they would like to learn.
Learning Objectives / By the end of this lesson pupils should be able to:
- Identify, name and group common animals.
Resources /
- Animal picture sheets/plastic animals.
Vocabulary / Animal, plant, bird, fish, amphibian, reptile, mammal, young, fur, egg, larvae, gills, beak, wings, lungs, scales, skin, carnivore, omnivore, herbivore.
Starter activity /
- Provide children with a selection of images of plants, animals and objects. Can they identify and name the animals? Identify how they know which are animals?
- Make a class list of the animals we know or pets that we may have at home.
- Are all animals the same? What can we identify that is the same/different about the animals? Look at and describe some of the features of the different animals.
Main activities / 1. Class Activity: Musical animals! Pass around a bag containing all the animal images. When the music stops, child holding the bag selects 1 image and describes it to the class. Can children guess which animal is being described? Repeat several times, ensuring that there is an emphasis on the features and characteristics of the animals being described.
2. Group/Paired activity: Provide the children with a selection of images of animals/plastic animals to sort according to their own criteria. Discuss how the children have sorted the animals and share the ideas wIth the whole class.
Plenary activity / Who is my baby? Show children an image of animal young, e.g. tadpole, puppy, caterpillar, whale, human. Do babies always look like their parents? Why not? Can children link the baby to the adult?
Assessment / Identify and name animals. Sort according to own and given criteria. Identify features of animals.
Photograph children’s sorting and Post-it notes with their responses for evidence.