Feathers Fur or Fins.
Vertebrates are covered
In spikes, feathers and scales
Most mammals wear fur
Skin covers humans and whales
With skeletons covered
In scaled skins.
Fish breathe under water
And glide with their fins.
With skeleton covered
In thick armored plates
Eyes and nose above water
The crocodile waits
With skeleton covered
In skin soft and cool
Tadpoles become frogs
In creek, river and pool.
With hollow skeletons
And fragile feather
Birds swoop and soar
In flocks together
With skeletons covered
In thick fur or fine hair
Bats, seals and elephants
Share earth water and air
Robyn Youl
Teaching Notes:
A basic introduction to Taxonomy – Vertebrates – Animals with Backbones.
The five classes of Vertebrates are introduced in this poem.
Verse 1. General introduction about vertebrates who have spines.
Verse 2. Fish
Verse 3. Reptiles
Verse 4. Amphibians
Verse 5. Birds
Verse 6. Mammals
Activities:
English:
* Writing Acrostic Poetry: The human spine has 33 Bones. Snakes have 200-400! Construct a human spine from card. Each child makes an individual vertebrae. (Google – labeled vertebrae) Names it and writes an acrostic on that vertebrae about a member of ONE of the five classes of vertebrates. String them together for a Class Backbone mobile.
Use a different color card for each of the five classes of vertebrates
Drama: Dem Bones:
Emphasizes the magic boney structure of our skeleton!!
Creates body awareness.
With this old favorite students can enjoy a complete lower/upper body shakeout work out
Move each section of the body after each line. Example: after line one shake the right foot & shake the left foot
Chorus after Verse 1 Actions:
- Only the lower body does the skeleton dance.
- Students move freely to invent their own dance.
- Moving in slow motion is a real challenge.
- Students can pair and mirror image
Chorus after Verse 2.
- Actions as for Verse 1.
- Only the upper body does the skeleton dance
Final Chorus Repeat: The WHOLE skeleton dance.
Dem Bones is also the basis for Skeleton (Simon) Says. Skeleton says: Shake the foot bone/bend the backbone/shake the knee bone/shake the finger bones/nod the head bone etc
Chorus:
Dem Bones, them bones, dere my bones
Dem bones dem bones dere my bones
Dem bones dem bones dere my bones
Doin’ the skeleton dance
The foot bone connected to the leg bone
The leg bone connected to the knee bone
The knee bone connected to the thigh bone
The thighbone connected to the backbone
The backbone connected to the neck bone
The neck bone connected the head bone
Doin’ the skeleton dance
Chorus: Lower body only
The hand bone connected to the wrist bone
The wrist bone connected to the elbow bone
The elbow bone connected to the shoulder bone
The shoulder bone connected to the neck bone
The neck bone connected to the head bone
Chorus: Upper body only
Chorus Repeat: The WHOLE skeleton dance.
Humanities: Endless possibilities! Slots in well with any current ecology projects!

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