9th Grade Mammelas Lesson Plan Example

Topic: Classification of Mammals

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to identify and classify different types of mammals according to their characteristics.

Materials

• Wikipedia page on Classification of Mammals
• Images of different types of mammals (can be found using a search engine)
• Note cards or pieces of paper

Warm-up

• Ask students if they have ever seen or heard of any different types of mammals. Write their answers on the board.
• Ask students to brainstorm a list of characteristics that they think might be used to classify mammals. Write their answers on the board.
• Review the answers on the board and explain that scientists use a systematic way of classification that takes into account different characteristics and features of organisms.

Direct Instruction

• Explain that mammals are a large group of animals that are characterized by the presence of hair, three middle ear bones, and a neocortex (a part of the brain that is involved in higher-level functions such as cognition).
• Distribute the handout with the characteristics of mammals and go over each characteristic one by one, explaining what it is and giving examples of mammals that have that characteristic.
• Explain that not all mammals share the same characteristics and that scientists use a system of classification called taxonomy to organize and categorize organisms.

Guided Practice

• Give the students a worksheet with a chart of different mammal species and have them classify each species as either a placental mammal, a marsupial mammal, or a monotreme mammal, depending on which of the three categories each species falls into.
• Go over the answers as a class, discussing any questions or issues that students may have had.

Independent Practice

• Have students choose a mammal species (placental, marsupial, or monotreme) and research its characteristics and habitat.
• Students should create a poster or presentation to share their findings with the class.

Closure

• Review the characteristics and habitats of the three types of mammals.
• Ask students to share what they learned about mammals and how their findings compare to their original predictions.

Assessment

• Observe students during the independent practice activity to assess their understanding of the classification and characteristics of mammals.
• Collect and review the classifications and characteristics included in the independent practice activity to assess student understanding.