What Are Vertebrates and Invertebrates? Let’s Review!

Before diving into the details of our teaching slide presentation, let’s take a moment to review what vertebrates and invertebrates are.

Vertebrates have a backbone, like mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. They have a strong, internal skeleton that helps them move and protects their body.

Invertebrates, on the other hand, are animals that don’t have a backbone. They comprise most of the animal kingdom and come in many different shapes and sizes. Examples include insects, spiders, worms, and snails, among others.

Now that we have a basic understanding of these two groups of animals let’s explore how this brand-new teaching slide presentation can enrich your classroom lessons.

Classifying Animals as Vertebrates and Invertebrates

This teaching slide presentation is designed to engage young learners and help them internalize the differences between members of the vertebrate and invertebrate animal classifications. We have included

• Vibrant images that bring the world of vertebrates and invertebrates to life.
• Extensive content related to the characteristics, habitats, and examples of various vertebrates and invertebrates.
• Interactive Checks for Understanding throughout the lesson to help reinforce learning

This teaching resource is designed to help your students discover

• What does it mean to classify animals?
• What are vertebrates?
• What are invertebrates?
• What are the different types of invertebrates?
• What are the different types of vertebrates?
• And more!

Download & Teach!

This resource is available as a fully editable Google Slides Presentation. Click the dropdown arrow on the download button to select your preferred file.

This resource was created by Lindsey Phillips, a teacher in Michigan and Teach Starter Collaborator.

Spend more time lesson-doing and less time lesson-planning when you grab these animal classification activities, too!

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Animal Classification Sort

Determine if an animal is an amphibian, reptile, mammal, or bird with this sorting activity.

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Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores – Sorting Activity

Determine if animals are omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores based on their diet with this sorting activity.

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Herbivores, Carnivores, and Omnivores – Sorting Activity

Determine if animals are omnivores, carnivores, or herbivores based on their diet with this sorting activity.