Backbone Not Required

age 6-8

An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone. (An animal with a backbone is called a vertebrate.) Invertebrates live in every part of the world. In fact, most of the animals on Earth are invertebrates.

Invertebrates come in all different shapes and sizes. Some can be seen only through a microscope. But the giant squid is an invertebrate, and it can grow to a length of 65 feet (20 meters).

In today’s class we will be looking at a few different invertebrates and the adaptations that help them survive. After an introductory activity and group discussion students will meet a few invertebrates up close. The group will then be dividing into 2 groups where our younger students will be comparing earthworm and meal worm adaptations as our older students work together to complete an earth worm dissection to see internal structures.