Science worksheet · Animal classification
Make a Classification Key
Pick four animals and write yes-or-no questions that sort them, one at a time, in a branching key.
- Grade level
- Grades 3–4
- Time
- About 30 minutes
- Answer key
- Not needed: answers vary
- Kids practice
- Animal groups, Classifying, Vertebrates and invertebrates
What kids do
Printed on the sheet:
- A classification key sorts things with yes-or-no questions. Pick four animals and write them in the bottom boxes. Then write a question in each box above that splits the animals below it, like “Does it have feathers?”
- Write a question in each box. Follow yes to the left and no to the right.
- Try your key on a friend. Did they sort the animals the same way?
Teacher tip
Do one key together with four kids in the class first, using questions like “wearing red?”
How to use it
- Sort picture cards as a class before the sheet.
- Ask what all the animals in one group have in common.
- Start with a two-minute “I notice, I wonder” talk about the picture on the sheet.
Watch for
Whales and dolphins are mammals, not fish. Penguins are birds.
Talk about it
- Why is a bat a mammal and not a bird?
- Where have you seen this outside of school?
Take it further
Make a class animal book with one page per group.
US Letter, prints well in black and white. Free for home and classroom use: print as many copies as you need.
More animal classification worksheets
Grades 2–4
Animal Group Clues
Match the five vertebrate groups to the clue that describes them, then name one animal from each group.
Grades 1–3
Parts of an Insect
Label the head, thorax, abdomen, antennae, legs and wings, then answer two insect questions.
Grades 2–4
Vertebrate or Invertebrate?
Sort ten animals by whether they have a backbone, then check for your own.
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