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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Facts About Insects Poster
Display this poster showcasing interesting insect facts and characteristics in your classroom.
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Paired Passage Worksheets-Mammals vs. Reptiles
Compare mammals vs. reptiles and add to your reading instruction with leveled nonfiction, compare and contrast passages and worksheets.
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Arctic Fox Adaptations - Free Comprehension Worksheet
Read and learn about Arctic fox adaptations with a set of printable Reading Comprehension Worksheets for 2nd and 3rd grade.
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‘An Impossible Animal’ Platypus Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Explore how scientific study and collaboration allowed for understanding more about an animal species using our ‘An Impossible Animal’ Platypus Reading Comprehension Worksheets.
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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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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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Diagram of an Animal Cell Worksheets
Identify the parts of an animal cell and label them with a set of printable Animal Cell labeling activities.
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Honeybees vs. Environmental Change Worksheet Pack
Explore the effects of environmental change on honeybee populations with a set of printable Environmental Changes Worksheets.
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Living and Non-Living Things Slide Deck
Discover living and nonliving things with an engaging Living vs. Nonliving things teaching slide deck.
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Would You Rather? Animal Adaptations Game
Discuss and debate the best animal adaptations with the Would You Rather? Animal Adaptation game.
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Free Desert Animal Adaptations Worksheets - Comprehension
Discover desert animal adaptations with a printable reading comprehension worksheet pack for 3rd grade.
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Free Printable Nature Scavenger Hunt
Make outdoor play a learning opportunity with our free printable nature scavenger hunt PDF.
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In the Arctic - Free Decodable Book
Engage your students and inspire them to read and learn about life in the Arctic with a printable book for 2nd grade.
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Bats and Echolocation Worksheets - Comprehension
Read and learn about how bats use echolocation to navigate and find food with a printable Echolocation 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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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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Fennec Fox Adaptations - Close Reading Worksheets
Read and learn about Fennec Fox adaptations with a set of printable Reading Comprehension Worksheets for 5th grade.
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Animal Adaptations Vocabulary Display
Introduce animal adaptation and behavior vocabulary with a word wall featuring photographs and definitions of adaptation-related words.
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Build a Food Chain - Sorting Activity
Create food chains for a variety of ecosystems with this hands-on, student-centered activity.
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Plant and Animal Adaptations - Vocabulary Worksheets
Review key vocabulary associated with plant and animal adaptations with a pair of vocabulary worksheets.
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Food Chains – Worksheet
Use this worksheet to identify and describe the flow of energy in a food chain.
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Forest Food Chain – Cut and Paste Worksheet
Create a forest food chain to show how energy flows between organisms with this cut-and-paste worksheet.
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Life Cycles – Instructional Slide Deck
Teach your students about the life cycle of plants and animals with this 19-slide instructional slide deck.
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Food Chain Imbalance – Worksheet
Predict how changes in a food chain affect species in an ecosystem with this worksheet.
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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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Frog Life Cycle Foldable Template
Sequence the stages in a frog's life cycle with a differentiated Frog Life Cycle Foldable Template.
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Patterns in Nature - Science Sorting Activity
Explore and observe patterns in nature with a printable Patterns In Nature Sorting Activity.
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Silkworm Moth Life Cycle Poster
Display the stages in a silkworm moth's life with a printable Silkworm Moth Life Cycle Diagram Poster Pack.
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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 Grasshopper Worksheet Pack
Explore the stages in a grasshopper's life with a printable Life Cycle of a Grasshopper Worksheet Pack.
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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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Metamorphic or Not? Worksheets
Draw, write, and compare animal life cycles with our printable “Metamorphic or Not?” Worksheets.