Key concepts

Vertebrates, or more accurately chordates, only represent a small proportion of the different forms of animal in existence on this planet However, since humans belong to this phylum, it contains our nearest relatives — and so provides examples of life forms that children can readily identify giving opportunities for more detailed study of particular aspects of adaptation, behaviour or development.T he key ideas to be developed here are:

I . Marsupials are a special type of mammal that rear their young in a unique way

2. Birds, through their beak and foot variations, demonstrate adaptation to particular feeding habits and lifestyles,

3. Reptiles, as ectotherms, rely on their environment to regulate their temperature.

4. Fish are able to extract oxygen from water in order to breathe.

5. Amphibians are transformed during their life cycle, enabling them to move from one kind of environment to another.

In this case, there is no particular 'concept chain' or line of conceptual development. The examples discussed in this section were selected because of the way that they can be used to stimulate a sense of wonder at the variety of life on Earth. Each of the key ideas in this section allows an insight into the diversity of animal life, showing how every ecological niche has been exploited by one form of life or another: It also provides an opportunity for children to explore the development of vertebrate life from its earliest forms.

Most of these points can be introduced during KS1 (particularly through work on birds and amphibians); but all offer opportunities for in-depth individual or group study, with excellent potential for display or presentation.