Book 55

Mammals: Investigating a Group of Animals

Synopsis

Mammals are the animals that are most familiar to many children. The wide cross-section of mammal forms and lifestyles provides an opportunity to show clear differences and similarities between different groups of mammals and for children to understand how these groups are related.

Levels: 3–4

Strand: Living World

Achievement aim:
AA1: Gain an understanding of order and pattern in the diversity of living organisms including the special characteristics of New Zealand plants and animals.

Concept overview

Use the concept overview, which is also on the inside front cover of the book, as a reference for the concepts that relate to Mammals and the level 1–2 companion book, Is This an Animal? Book 39.

• The concepts are the building blocks for the column: each column is defined by a "big idea".
• The arrows show the links between concepts and how they might build in sequence. Teachers can choose to develop a narrow focus by moving up the template or a broad focus by following arrows across.
• Each "big idea" shows how a fully developed understanding of the supporting concepts might look. Such an understanding might not be achieved until level 7 or 8. The big ideas are included here to help you build appropriate concepts with your students, whatever their age.

Read the concept overview. To view it, you will need Acrobat Reader.

Writer: Pat Quinn
Specialist advisers: Dayle Anderson (Wellington College of Education), Dr Bob Brockie (Victoria University of Wellington), Dr Robert Mattlin (Pacific Institute for Marine Wildlife Research)

Links with other titles in the series

This book is aimed at levels 3–4. It builds on the concepts of animal classification introduced in Is This an Animal? (L1–2), Book 39. Other books that explore classification systems are:

Book 35: Is This a Plant? (L1–2)

Book 7: The Bush (L3–4)

Book 45: Slugs and Snails (L1–4)

Book 53: Moulds Are Fungi (L3–4).

Assessment resources

Visit the 'Building Science Concept' page on the Assessment Resource Banks (ARB) website to find ARB resources that assess the 'big idea' learning outcomes referred to in the concept overview for this title.