reptiles & amphibians.

Just a quick post today!  We're teaching reptiles & amphibians in science for the next couple of weeks.   They're so closely related and easy to mix up that hopefully these organizers will help your students {and you!} to keep it straight.

Since we're not doing more than a quick introduction, I looked up examples of each animal on the internet and we talked about them while the students drew their own examples in their science journals.

There's also a 3rd page where the students can explain how amphibians and reptiles and the same/different and they can choose a favorite of each.

A few good kid-friendly websites while you study these slippery {and scaly} little suckers:

{San Diego Zoo}

{Kid's Corner}

{National Geographic}

{Toad, Frog, Polywog song on YouTube}

BioKids {listen to toad & frog sounds}

A few other notes:

*Crocodiles have a pointy snout and alligators have a round snout.

*Amphibians & reptiles are both typically near land and water but amphibians actually live part of the time in water.  You can remember which is which because the amphibians have to keep their skin wet {as opposed to reptiles who have scales}.

*Most reptiles hatch from eggs {a few have live births} and the eggs are laid on land.  They have a shell or hard coating.  Amphibians lay their eggs in water and they are soft, like jelly.  The babies are born in the water then go through a metamorphosis {ie. life cycle change}.