There’s something almost irresistible about bringing order to chaos, and this free animal kingdom classification printable plays off that urge. On the simplest level, learners use the download to answer the question of how to classify a given “creature,” but on the broader level, learners gain new vocabulary, are introduced to “pre-science,” and bridge the learning gap between text or words and their real worlds. Plus, there’s a bonus (optional) free download for native Spanish speakers who are learning English. Read on to learn how this fun download can work for you.
Vocabulary Covered
This printable is designed to be simple for beginning learners. In a sense, it’s a “pre-science” primer, so some of the creature statements may seem broad. For example, technically not all fish live in water all of the time. But, since our learning focus here is on vocabulary acquisition and classification systems, statements like, “Fish live in water,” are meant to be accessible and broad so that there aren’t too many details or frustrations while learning new things.
- Birds: crow, flamingo, sparrow, toucan
- Fish: sailfish, barracuda, goldfish, eel
- Insects: beetle, ant, dragonfly, butterfly
- Mammals: horse, rabbit, dog, cow
- Infinitives: to drink, to be born, to have, to live
Tips and Ideas
The best ideas usually come from you, so if you think of something fun to share or simply want to chat about the fish that don’t live in water all the time, drop us a line or leave a comment below.
Re-use
If we’re honest, we’ll admit that some of our free packs require a bit of creativity to “laminate.” But this is not one of those packs. This can be laminated “as is,” meaning 8.5 x 11 sheets. If you don’t have a laminator (like me), you can use clear contact paper or even clear packing/moving tape. Of course, this is all optional, but if you plan to reuse the animal kingdom classification printable and don’t want to laminate, another good option is to print on thicker paper, such as white card stock since this also increases longevity.
Manipulable Learning
Don’t let teenagers fool you. Even though they sometimes like to create chaos elsewhere, they too love to fill in puzzle boxes and manipulable pages like this one. Of course, the printable can be used with nearly any age group, but if you’re working with young students especially, TPR™ (Total Physical Response) is a fun way to help students learn to classify and also hear and practice the vocabulary and language. TPR™ isn’t just for foreign-language learning. Flap your wings when talking about birds or pretend to swim with the fish, and you’re already doing English-language TPR™. Movement increases retention in all ages of learners!
Para hispanohablantes
Working with students whose native language is Spanish? We’ve included a free translation and explanation bonus download below. Even if you aren’t teaching ESL or don’t have time to use the document with each student, you can also consider sending it home with students whose parents speak Spanish and want to help their kids with homework.
We also have an all-Spanish version of this free printable with bonus pages for English-speakers. Check it out in the picture below.
Also Available in Spanish!
Download the Animal Classification Printable
