Students move on to the animal kingdom. They examine the structures of earthworms and ants as representatives of invertebrates. They make a model of a backbone to learn its advantages to an animal. Students study a goldfish and trace the flow of water through its gills. They learn the features of birds and compare flight and down feathers.

Student Resources

• 5.1 Vocabulary
• 5.2 Examining Earthworms
• 5.3 Ants Are Insects
• 5.4 Vertebrate Groups
• 5.5 What Is a Fish?
• 5.6 What Is a Bird?
• 5.7 Section 5 Assessment

Learn by Reading

For additional content-area reading, check out the Houghton Mifflin Science eBook: Grade 5, Unit A, pages 24–25 and 28.