In the year-and-a-half that we have homeschooled, we have somehow managed to cover the five classes of vertebrates three times. Needless to say, Tessa already had a pretty good handle on the subject. In addition to reiterating the basics, I explained that the five classes of vertebrates belong to the phylum Chordata. Thus, these vertebrates are also called Chordates.
I highly recommend the What Kind of Animal Is It? book series by Bobbie Kalman. Our library didn't have the one for mammals and I felt like our lesson for that day was sorely lacking. Had I realized just how good these books were, I would have ordered it from Amazon. As it was, the weekend was upon us and there just wasn't enough time for Amazon to get it to us.
There are also Bill Nye the Science Guy DVDs (see "Other Resources of Interest" below) for each class. I originally decided against watching them because that would have been five days in a row of watching television during school time. I'm a little bummed that we skipped them, so I think I will have Tessa watch one or two episodes a week as we continue our study of vertebrates.
One more quick note. I'm not sure how many other homeschoolers visit my blog because of our use of R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey: Life, Level 1 by Pandia Press. As I mentioned in my very first life science post, it didn't work out for us to use it as our primary science curriculum. I had planned to use it as a supplement throughout the year. However, I'm finding that I use it less and less. After discovering The Mailbox supplements I mentioned in my Life Science, Week 15 post, I don't even think about RSO much anymore. The Mailbox supplements are simply a better fit for us. So, I guess this is a bit of an apology for jumping ship. I regret that I am unable to fulfill my goal in chronicling this particular curriculum.
- Completed Evan-Moor ScienceWorks for Kids: Animals with Backbones, Grades 1-3 "Vertebrates are Classified by Their Body Characteristics - Five Groups of Vertebrates," (adapted for homeschool use) "Observe and Record Physical Features" (observation worksheet only) and "Vertebrate Minibooks" activities (page 16) from TeacherFileBox.com.
Thursday
- Read Reptiles of All Kinds by Bobbie Kalman.
Friday
- Read Frogs and Other Amphibians by Bobbie Kalman.
- Completed "All Sorts of Fun With Amphibians and Reptiles!" (pages 6 and 9-10) from Investigating Amphibians & Reptiles, Grades 1-3 by The Mailbox.
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Using what she learned the past two days, Tessa sorted various types of amphibians and reptiles.
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Following Monday
- Read Animals Called Fish by Bobbie Kalman.
- Read Fish by Adele Richardson.
Following Tuesday
- Read Birds of All Kinds by Bobbie Kalman.
Following Wednesday
- Read Mammals by Adele Richardson.
- Completed "It Must Be a Mammal" (pages 4 and 9) from Investigating Mammals, Grades 1-3 by The Mailbox.
Following Thursday
- Completed Evan-Moor ScienceWorks for Kids: Animals with Backbones, Grades 1-3 "Vertebrates are Classified by Their Body Characteristics - Check for Understanding" (page 17) from TeacherFileBox.com.
Other Resources of Interest
- Animals Called Mammals - Bobbie Kalman
- Bill Nye the Science Guy: Amphibians DVD - Disney
- Bill Nye the Science Guy: Birds DVD - Disney
- Bill Nye the Science Guy: Fish DVD - Disney
- Bill Nye the Science Guy: Mammals DVD - Disney
- Bill Nye the Science Guy: Reptiles DVD - Disney
- The Magic School Bus: Cold Feet - Scholastic via YouTube.com
* RSO = R.E.A.L. Science Odyssey
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