Diversity of Living Things : COURTNEY TREBLE
Grade/Class: Grade 6, Science
Time: Two Classes
Topic: Diversity of Living Things→
Lesson Outcomes
Essential Understandings
Students will understand…
- Living things are quite diverse
- Living things are organized into five
different categories
- And that the animal kingdom
is split into two different
categories of vertebrates and
invertebrates
- Plants and animals are grouped
together based on characteristics
they have in common
Essential Questions
- Why do we have different
classification systems?
- What is the difference between a
vertebrate and an invertebrate?
Examples?
Materials
- Computers
- Magazines
- Scissors
- Glue
- Poster Paper
- Markers
Manitoba Science Specific Learning
Outcomes
6-1-06 Identify the five kingdoms commonly
used for the classification of living things,
and provide examples of organisms from
each to illustrate the diversity of living
things. Include: monerans, protists, fungi,
plants, animals.
6-1-09 Recognize that the animal kingdom
is divided into two groups, vertebrates and
invertebrates, and differentiate between the
two. Include: vertebrates have backbones,
invertebrates do not.
Differentiation Strategies
- Visual : Poster representation
- Verbal : Pair & Share with partners,
as well as a presentation
- Interpersonal : Students can choose
to work individually
- Intrapersonal: Students can choose
to work in partners
- Naturalist : Working with animals
 and plants

Some students may need more time to

research species in their kingdom, so more
time may be necessary or less species for
certain students to find may be necessary.

Assessment Evidence

Assessment FOR learning Assessment AS learning Assessment OF learning

 Class discussion about  Students Pair &  Students poster and

the different kingdoms Share with a presentation will be
and examples in each. neighbor on marked according to
 Class discussion on information they the class created
the definitions of just received to rubric and
vertebrate and make sure they requirements.
invertebrate understood. Together as a class
 Students come go over what the
up with their marking rubric should
own examples contain.
of vertebrates
and *See an example rubric
invertebrates attatched at the bottom

Learning Plan

Activating Timeline

- Short Discussion with the class on living things and their 10 – 15 Mins
characteristics. (Day 1)
- Have a copy of the article from
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/human’s-oldest-ancestor-found-
burgess-shale up on the projector, ready to go. Go through
and highlight specific parts of the article such as how old it
really is, and why is it related to us. Pick out any other
interesting facts your students may enjoy, as well as
 information on what vertebrates might mean.

Acquiring

- Go over with the students the five different kingdoms, and give 40-45 Mins
an example of what goes into which kingdom (Day 1)
o EX: Tree into plant kingdom, bacteria is in the monera
kingdom.
o Ask students why they think we need five different
kingdoms for living things?
- Write up on the board the words “Vertebrate” and
“Invertebrate” in a T chart and ask students if they know these
words.
o What can they determine from the article we read on
Pikaia of what a Vertebrate may be?
o From here what may an Invertebrate mean?
- Have pictures of vertebrates and invertebrates printed off.
Give each student one of these pictures and ask them to go
up to the board and stick their animal under either vertebrate
or invertebrate whichever they think. Find difficult animals to
make the students have to really think.
o If you have access to a smart board, creating a
smartboard activity slide in this exact same way,
where students can move their animals on the
board.
- Ask students why they think scientists would split up the
animal kingdom into vertebrate and invertebrates?
- Have students write down the five kingdoms, as well as the
word and definition of vertebrate and invertebrate.
- Have students “Pair & Share” have them converse with their
neighbor and list three examples of each an invertebrate and
vertebrate. Also with their neighbor, one student needs to
quickly relay the five different kingdoms, and the other needs
to share the difference between a vertebrate and invertebrate.

***********************************************************************

- Students will pair up and will be making their own poster on

one of the five kingdoms. Groups will pull from a hat which
kingdom they get to make a poster presentation on. (This is to
 avoid only having plant and animal kingdom posters)
- Students may choose to go alone if they wish
- Teacher may wish to include “Animal Kingdom: Invertebrate”
and “Animal Kingdom: Vertebrate” in their hat selections.
- Students will use the computer and magazines to find
photographs of different species in their kingdom, and glue
onto a poster paper.
- Students should also prepare a short five minute write up on
the characteristics of their kingdom.
o For example their write up could contain whether
or not the species in their kingdom are
multicellular or unicellular organisms, whether or
not they are heterotrophs or autotrophs. Students
may choose to include how many species have
been discovered in their kingdom as well as how
many may be extinct or still living if they are able
to find this statistic. Students may also wish to
include what rank their kingdom is out of the five
(largest, smallest, second largest, etc.) Students
could also pick their favorite species in their
kingdom and give a few quick facts about it as
well.

Applying
1 Class – 50 Mins
- Students individually or in their pairs will present to the class (Day 2)
their findings on the different types of species they were able
to find in their kingdom, and give their short speech on the
characteristics of their kingdom.
- Students will be assessed on their poster containing the
correct species for their kingdom, and the information they
found about their kingdoms characteristics.
 CATEGORY 4 3 2 1
Content Shows a full Shows a good Shows an average Does not seem to
understanding of understanding of understanding of understand their
their kingdom. A their kingdom. A parts of their kingdom very well.
large variety of good variety of kingdom. Could use Not enough species
appropriate species correct species are more species on the are present, or species
are present. present. poster. Some present are not correct.
species may not be
correct.
Presentation & Clear, Loud Voices. Clear voices, some Voices are Not clear or loud
Delivery Good Eye Contact eye contact, Some somewhat clear, voices, no eye contact.
and Great Posture. enthusiasm. very little eye Slouchy posture. No
Enthusiasm is contact, not much enthusiasm.
present. enthusiasm.
Design Organized and neat. Organized, use of Color and layout Not organized or neat.
Use of color and color, and it is are not attractive No use of color, layout
layout is attractive attractive. enough. Layout is is distracting.
and creative. disorganized.

Resources:

http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/k12/cur/science/found/5to8/6c1.pdf
https://www.utoronto.ca/news/human’s-oldest-ancestor-found-burgess-shale
Dr. John Murray, Brandon University, PhD.