Animals Teaching Resources
Explore animal life in your science classroom with printable worksheets, classroom posters, and more teaching resources all about the different types of animals, their life cycles, characteristics and more!
This teacher-created collection includes a series of animal-focused teacher resources covering reptiles, birds, fish, mammals, and amphibians plus resources that classify a selection of vertebrates and invertebrates!
This comprehensive collection of teaching resources includes editable curriculum-aligned lessons on wildlife, endangered species and more — all ready to be printed and used in the classroom!
New to teaching this section of the science curriculum or looking for some fresh ideas? Read on for some tips on teaching about animal classification from our teacher team!
What Is Animal Classification? A Kid-Friendly Definition
In science class (and in professional study) animals are classified into groups based on physical and genetic characteristics. Scientists use a classification system called the Linnaean system to group different animals into progressively more specific categories, starting with the largest (and most inclusive group) and ending with the smallest and most specific group.
The categories are:
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
Helping students to remember these categories of biological animal classification, you might want to use a mnemonic such as:
- King Philip came over from Germany swimming.
- King Philip came over for good spaghetti.
- King Philip came over for good soup.
Sometimes the word "domain" is added to the top of the animal classification list, and in those cases you can add the word "dear" to your mnemonic sentences to help your students recall them all.
In the Linnaean system, every animal in nature is assigned a unique scientific name. The name includes their genus and species and it's used globally to refer to that animal — so, for example, a dog is a dog, but it's also a "canis lupus familiarise" according to its scientific name.
The animal classification system is used all around the world to help scientists understand the relationships between different animals and how they evolved over time.
Teaching About Animal Classification in Elementary School
How in-depth should your lesson planning be for animal classification? In the elementary grades, learning classifications of animals sets the stage for understanding how important this system is when scientists are studying animals in the natural world.
Consider this: In elementary school, students typically learn about the basic categories of animal classification, such as mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians.
Your animal classification lessons can extend into learning about specific examples of animals within each category, such as lions and elephants for mammals, and eagles and penguins for birds.
By the time they head off to high school, students should already know the characteristics that define each group — such as the presence of fur or feathers (in birds) or most mammals' ability to give birth to live young. Students should also know about the classification of animals within each group, such as the different types of mammals or birds.
Ready to get started? Explore the resources in this collection!
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Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet Pack
Identify the stages in a butterfly's life with a fun printable from our Butterfly Life Cycle Worksheet Pack.
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Interactive Animal Movement Game
Explore animals and how they move with an interactive Animal Movement Game.
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Animal Features and Functions Matching Activity
Explore animal features and their functions with an engaging Animal Features Matching Game.
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Comparing Human and Animal Life Cycles Worksheet Pack
Explore how humans and animals grow and change with a Comparing Life Cycles Worksheet.
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Comparing Plant and Animal Needs Venn Diagram Worksheets
Compare the needs of plants and animals (including humans) with a set of Plant and Animal Needs Venn Diagram worksheets.
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A House for Hermit Crab Activity Pack
Explore how an animal’s habitat meets its needs with an engaging ‘A House for Hermit Crab’ activity pack.
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Producer, Consumer, or Decomposer? Activity - Outdoor Search and Find
Explore animal roles in habitats in the field with a search-and-find Producers, Consumers, Decomposers activity.
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Caring for Pets Worksheet Pack
Help students understand the needs of pets with a printable Caring for Pets Worksheet Pack.
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What Do Humans Need? Worksheet Pack
Download our ‘What Do Humans Need?’ Worksheet Pack to help your students learn more about what humans need to survive.
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Features of Animals Bingo Game (K-1)
Explore and identify the external features of animals with an exciting Features of Animals Bingo Game.
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Human Features Picture Cards
Explore the similarities and differences between humans by using these printable Human Features Picture Cards.
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Which Doesn’t Belong? Vertebrate or Invertebrate Game
Identify examples of vertebrates and invertebrates with an engaging Which Animal Doesn’t Belong? Vertebrate or Invertebrate Game.
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Humans vs. Animals Venn Diagram Activity
Compare human and animal characteristics with our printable and digital Human vs. Animal Features Venn Diagram activity.
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Vertebrate vs. Invertebrates PowerPoint (K-1)
Explore animals with and without backbones with a Vertebrates vs. Invertebrates PowerPoint for early learners.
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What’s My Habitat? Prediction Task Cards
Explore animal features and improve science inquiry skills with printable Habitat Prediction Task Cards.
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Insect Scavenger Hunt- Outdoor Observation Activity
Investigate and observe insects and minibeasts with a printable Minibeast Scavenger Hunt Observation Activity.
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Adelie Penguin & Sea Turtle Life Cycle Worksheets
Build and label the life cycle of a penguin and sea turtle with printable life cycle worksheets.
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Life Cycle of a Fly Worksheet
Sequence the life cycle of a fly with a cut-and-paste Life Cycle of a Fly Worksheet.
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Living Things Need Water PowerPoint
Teach your students the importance of water to living things with an engaging Living Things Need Water PowerPoint Presentation.
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What Animals Live in Social Groups? PowerPoint Presentation
Discover what animals live in social groups and why with an engaging interactive Animal Behavior PowerPoint.
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Animals That Live in Groups - Animal Behavior Worksheet Pack
Explore how animals survive and thrive in social groups with a printable Animal Behavior Worksheet pack.
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Animal Pollinators Worksheets
Discover animal pollinators like butterflies, bats, and hummingbirds with our printable animal pollination worksheet pack.
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Who Pollinates Plants? Word Search
Introduce your students to a world of pollinators with a printable Who Pollinates Plants? Word Search.
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Printable Worksheets About Bees - 2nd Grade
Use our 2nd grade worksheets about bees to discover what there is to know about bees, how they help plants, and how they make honey.
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Helpful Honey Bees Worksheet Pack - 2nd Grade
Read and learn about honey bees with a Printable Honey Bees Worksheet Pack for second grade.
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Science Sparks - 4th Grade Science Activities
Give your students a little science boost with Science Sparks 4 – our newest set of fast finisher science activities for 4th grade!
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Science Sparks - 5th Grade Science Activities for Fast Finishers
Review science standards during classroom downtime with Science Sparks, a set of 5th grade science activities for fast finishers.
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Animal Adaptations Project & Report
Strengthen your students' understanding of conducting research with an Animal Adaptations project.
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Science Sparks - 2nd Grade Science Activity Cards
Review science standards during classroom downtime with Science Sparks, a collection of 2nd grade science activities for fast finishers.
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Animal Habitat Diorama Project
Plan an Animal Habitat Project for your students with our animal habitat diorama project pack.
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Word Wall - Plant and Animal Cells
Help your students understand the different structures found in Plant vs Animal Cells with printable Plant and Animal Cell Vocabulary Cards.
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Invertebrate Classification Chart Pack
Help your students differentiate between insects and arachnids, plus other creepy crawlies with a printable Insect Identification chart.