Science lesson plan · 6th grade (Year 7 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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 toad belong to? (bird / mammal / amphibian / reptile) → amphibianPrompt: What covers its body: fur, feathers, scales or moist skin?
- Which of these animals is a reptile? (salamander / dog / gecko / seahorse) → geckoPrompt: 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 reptile / a mammal / an amphibian / a fish) → a mammalPrompt: Which group feeds its young on milk?
Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 12 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: jellyfish? (animals / plants / protists / prokaryotes (bacteria)) → animalsPrompt: Is it one cell or many? Does it have a nucleus?
- A microscopic organism has a single cell with no nucleus. Which kingdom? (fungi / plants / protists / prokaryotes (bacteria)) → prokaryotes (bacteria)Prompt: Protists are single-celled too, but they do have a nucleus.
You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Kingdoms of life: which statement is NOT true? (Fungi are not plants: they cannot photosynthesise. / Plants and many algae make their own food using light. / Bacteria are prokaryotes: their cells have no nucleus. / Sponges and corals are plants.) → Sponges and corals are plants.Prompt: Can a mushroom photosynthesise?
- Corals look like rocks or plants. Why are they classed as animals? (They live in water / They are hard / 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.
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