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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Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores – Sorting Activity
Determine if animals are omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores based on their diet with this sorting activity.
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Food Chains & Food Webs – Vocabulary Booklet
Reinforce science vocabulary by creating a booklet to reference when studying food chains and food webs.
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Life Cycles – Worksheet
Give your students an opportunity to compare, observe, and draw different life cycles with this worksheet.
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Grouping Plants and Animals – Sorting Activity (K-1)
Sort plants and animals using different characteristics with a set of task cards and picture cards.
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Animals With Scales, Fur, Shells and Feathers Worksheet Pack
Investigate different animal body coverings by sorting and coloring animals with feathers, fur, scales and shells.
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What Living Things Need to Survive - Teaching Slides
Teach your students what animals, plants, and humans need to survive with an engaging, interactive teaching slide deck.
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Silkworm Life Cycle Worksheet Pack
Explore the stages in a silkworm's life with a printable Life Cycle of a Silkworm Worksheet Pack.
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Life Cycle of a Chicken Worksheet Pack
Teach your students about the stages in a chicken's life cycle with our Life Cycle of a Chicken Worksheet Pack.
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Environmental Impact Experiment Pack
Observe the effects of soil, salinity, sunlight, and temperature on the growth of plants with an engaging Environmental Impact Experiment.
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Cane Toads - Invasive Species Worksheet Pack
Explore the effects of introduced predators with our printable Cane Toads - Invasive Species Worksheet Pack.
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Insect Infestation - Habitat Impact Worksheet
Explore the effects of rapid insect population growth in ecosystems with our Insect Infestation Habitat Impact Worksheet.
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Metamorphic vs. Non-Metamorphic Life Cycles Worksheet - Cut and Paste
Identify animals with metamorphic life cycles using a cut and paste Metamorphic vs. Non-Metamorphic Life Cycles Worksheet.
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Just Like My Parent - Adult vs. Baby Animal Worksheets
Compare animals and humans with their young with our ‘Just Like My Parent’ Adult vs. Baby Animal Worksheets.
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Investigating Food Chain Disruptions Worksheet Pack
Explore what happens when a food source is removed from an ecosystem with our Investigating Food Chain Disruptions Worksheet Pack.
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Habitat Roles Foldable Templates
Explore habitat roles including producers, consumers, and decomposers with our printable Habitat Roles Foldable Templates.
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Metamorphic or Not? Life Cycle Sorting Activity
Identify animals with metamorphic and non-metamorphic life cycles with an engaging Life Cycle Sorting Activity.
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Sorting Animals Worksheet Pack - External Features
Observe and classify animals based on their external features with a Sorting Animals Worksheet Pack.
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Movement of Animals Worksheets - Cut and Paste
Cut and sort to show how different animals move with our Movement of Animals Worksheets.
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Cut & Compare Animals Worksheet Pack - Ways Animals Move
Use our Cut and Compare Animals Worksheet Pack to help your students practice scientific classification and explore ways that animals move.
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How Do Animals Move Worksheet Pack
Color, sort, and categorize how animals get around with a set of ‘How Animals Do Animals Move’ Worksheet Pack
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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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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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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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Insect Scavenger Hunt- Outdoor Observation Activity
Investigate and observe insects and minibeasts with a printable Minibeast Scavenger Hunt Observation Activity.
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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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What Are Pollinators? Worksheet Pack
Introduce your students to the world of plants and pollination with a printable Pollinators Worksheet Pack.
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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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Animal Adaptations Project & Report
Strengthen your students' understanding of conducting research with an Animal Adaptations project.