Animals are divided into two groups: animals with backbones, and those without backbones. Animals with backbones are called vertebrates. Animals without backbones are called invertebrates. You may want to show students the Animal Classification handout first so that they can see the special place that vertebrates hold in the zoological classification system.
The following worksheets allow students to illustrate these two divisions between vertebrates and invertebrates. An example of each type of animal is provided in the grid. The goal is for students to grasp a basic idea of which animals have backbones and which do not. Hopefully the worksheets will lead to further study. Students may wish to choose a single type of animal to research and present to his family or class.