Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 45 minutes
Sort living things into kingdoms
Animals and habitats
CCSS NGSS.MS-LS4-2England: KS3 Biology: Relationships in an ecosystemEngland: KS2 Y6 Living things and their habitats
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Sort living things into kingdoms.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians
Leads to: Classification levels and scientific (binomial) names
Materials: Animal picture cards, Habitat maps, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which animal group does a crocodile belong to? (reptile / fish / bird / mammal) → reptilePrompt: What covers its body: fur, feathers, scales or moist skin?
- Which of these animals is a fish? (frog / salmon / axolotl / snake) → salmonPrompt: Think about what covers each animal's body.
- A whale lives in the sea, breathes air with lungs and feeds its calf milk. What is it? (a fish / a mammal / an amphibian / a reptile) → a mammalPrompt: Which group feeds its young on milk?
Hook · 5 min
- Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
- Share the objective: Sort living things into kingdoms. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which kingdom does this belong to: yeast?
- Step 1: Fungi have chitin cell walls and feed by digesting food outside their bodies.
- Step 2: So the answer is: fungi
- Answer: fungi
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which kingdom does this belong to: sunflower? (fungi / protists / prokaryotes (bacteria) / plants) → plantsPrompt: Is it one cell or many? Does it have a nucleus?
- Corals look like rocks or plants. Why are they classed as animals? (They are hard / They live in water / They are green / Their cells have no walls and they catch food) → Their cells have no walls and they catch foodPrompt: Look at how they feed and what their cells are like.
You do: independent practice · 10 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Corals look like rocks or plants. Why are they classed as animals? (They are green / Their cells have no walls and they catch food / They live in water / They are hard) → Their cells have no walls and they catch foodPrompt: Look at how they feed and what their cells are like.
- Kingdoms of life: which statement is NOT true? (Fungi are not plants: they cannot photosynthesise. / Mushrooms are plants because they grow in soil. / Bacteria are prokaryotes: their cells have no nucleus. / Animals cannot make their own food.) → Mushrooms are plants because they grow in soil.Prompt: Can a mushroom photosynthesise?
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Animal groups: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians.
- Use concrete materials: animal picture cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Classification levels and scientific (binomial) names.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-6.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder