All in the Family

Science Game: animal classification

This twist on the game of Concentration gives students practice distinguishing between vertebrate and invertebrate
animal groups. First, have each pair of students cut apart the animal cards and spread the cards facedown. Then
have the partners take turns flipping two cards, looking for a match between the animal and its classification. Once
all the matches have been made, the player with the most cards wins.
Animal Cards

1 2 3 4 5
butterfly newt snail shrimp alligator
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6 7 8 9 10
lizard beetle snake clam toad
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11 12 13 14 15
squid centipede salamander frog oyster
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Vertebrate Vertebrate Vertebrate

16 17
reptile reptile reptile
scorpion turtle (cold-blooded; dry, (cold-blooded; dry, (cold-blooded; dry,
scaly skin) scaly skin) scaly skin)
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Vertebrate Vertebrate Vertebrate Vertebrate Vertebrate

reptile amphibian amphibian amphibian amphibian
(cold-blooded; dry, (moist skin, (moist skin, (moist skin, (moist skin,
scaly skin) no scales) no scales) no scales) no scales)
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Invertebrate Invertebrate Invertebrate Invertebrate

Wild Card arthropod arthropod arthropod arthropod
(Matches anything!) (jointed legs, bodies (jointed legs, bodies (jointed legs, bodies (jointed legs, bodies
have 2 or more parts) have 2 or more parts) have 2 or more parts) have 2 or more parts)
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Invertebrate Invertebrate Invertebrate Invertebrate Invertebrate

arthropod mollusk mollusk mollusk mollusk
(jointed legs, bodies (soft-bodied, usually (soft-bodied, usually (soft-bodied, usually (soft-bodied, usually
have 2 or more parts) has outer skeleton) has outer skeleton) has outer skeleton) has outer skeleton)
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Answer Key

2. amphibian

10. amphibian

13. amphibian

14. amphibian
Family”
1. arthropod

4. arthropod

7. arthropod

12. arthropod

16. arthropod
for “All
in the

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3. mollusk

9. mollusk

11. mollusk

15. mollusk
5. reptile

6. reptile

8. reptile

17. reptile