This section allows pupils to test their understanding of which creatures lay and hatch from eggs and enhances understanding of the difference between living and non-living things so could follow on from this topic. There are two accompanying PDF downloads. One download (worksheet) asks pupils to cut out and sort pictures of things into living and non-living things and creatures that lay eggs and creatures that don't. After the sorting exercise, pupils can stick down the pictures and colour them in on the sheet. The second download (more suitable for able pupils in Year 2 and above) asks pupils to find (in books or on the internet) creatures that lay eggs and draw them. There are also words to look up.

• Insects, birds, amphibians and most fish lay eggs so the following should be dragged onto the egg:
  Tortoise, Snake, Frog, Goldfish, Hen, Blackbird.
• The following are mammals or plants and give birth to live young or reproduce by seeds:
  Girl, Blue Whale, Dog, Cow, Mouse, Daisy.

Whales are mammals and not fish, so do not lay eggs. When doing the worksheet, the radio, chair and lamp are non-living.

• Mammals are warm-blooded (can regulate their own body temperature), are vertebrates with internal skeletons and give birth to live young.
• Birds are warm blooded and lay eggs. Most have feathers and can fly.
• Fish are cold-blooded vertebrates and most lay eggs, have scales and breathe using oxygen in the water. They swim in the sea (marine fish) or in lakes and rivers (freshwater fish). Most fish share common features, but there are interesting exceptions e.g. catfish have no scales, some sharks give birth to live young, lungfish breath air.
• Insects are the biggest group of living things (after bacteria). There are millions of different types on the planet but they all have six legs and a hard exoskeleton. Not all insects are tiny - the Goliath Beetle, for example, weighs up to 100g. Most, but not all, insects have wings. Many, such as the butterfly, undergo dramatic metamorphosis during the course of their short lives.
• Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates and can live on land and in water.

Lesson Suggestions:

Download the appropriate worksheets for your students and photocopy as necessary.

• Do they have any pets? If so, which pets do they have?
• Have their pets ever had young/babies? If so, what happened?

Explain that some creatures lay eggs and some give birth to live young.
As a class on the board, write a list of which creatures do what e.g. cats have kittens, birds lay eggs. Show pupils the webpage, work either as a class on an interactive whiteboards or allow pupils to work individually/in pairs on computers. Complete the interactive drag and drop exercise. Discuss similarities and differences between the creatures in the different groups. e.g.

• Mammals are warm-blooded (can regulate their own body temperature) vertebrates with internal skeletons, and give birth to live young (Extension: Some children may like to find out about the duck-billed platypus and the echidna - two Australian mammals that are unusual because they lay eggs rather than give birth to live young.)
• Birds are warm blooded and lay eggs. Most have feathers and can fly. (Extension: Find birds that can't fly.)
• Fish are cold-blooded vertebrates and most lay eggs, have scales and breathe using oxygen in the water. Some swim in the sea and others in lakes and rivers. (Extension: Find out the difference between fresh water and marine fish.)
• Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates that lay eggs and can live on land and in water. (Extension: Watch and keep a diary of frog spawn developing.)
• Reptiles are cold-blooded and may have a hard shell like a turtle or an internal skeleton. Most have scaly skins. (Extension: Find out 5 facts about reptiles that live in the sea.)
• Explain that there are millions of different types of insects on the planet but all insects have six legs and a hard exoskeleton. Not all insects are tiny and many, such as the butterfly, undergo dramatic metamorphosis during the course of their short lives.

Ask pupils to make a list of words that describe how the caterpillar looks and then, in a separate column, how the butterfly looks.
Ask pupils to think of insects that help us (bees, ladybirds, etc.) and insects that harm us (flies, mosquitoes). This could lead into a discussion about hygiene and safety (e.g. keeping food covered in the summer, vaccinations before holidays and using insect repellent).

Give the pupils the sorting exercise worksheet and instructions to cut out the items and stick them in the appropriate column before colouring in. (Extension: Add to the columns with their own examples). Review answers.

Homework:

Set the research worksheet for homework or one of the extension exercises above.

The appropriate curriculum links are given below: