New Unit - Animal Kingdom

Today, we introduced a new unit of study in class, the Animal Kingdom. At each lab station I placed samples of preserved animals, models, or skeletons of the various phylum (annelids, mammals, fish, amphebians, cnairdians, porifora, birds, arthropods and reptiles for example). The students went from station to station trying to name the group of animals, and to determine if the group were invertebrate or vertebrate animals. This was a sort of a K-W-L activity to see what the students knew about animals. We did not define what an invertebrate or a vertebrate was as this is a seventh grade class, and we really wanted to see what knowledge base they possess. The kids were definetely involved in this activity and exhibited high levels of interest. We currently have a pair of ringneck doves and several rats in the classroom which the students love to observe, care for, and interact with.