Before You Begin:

• Download

  • Middle School Kingdom Animalia book

  • Recorded Course Requirements - READ THIS AT THE START OF THE COURSE!

• Prepare a binder with sections to place sheets

  • Vocabulary sheets

  • Question sheets

  • Drawings or dissection pictures

  • Lecture slide notes

• Have colored pencils

• If dissecting, order kit (Home Science Tools Intermediate Dissection Kit [DE-KITINT])

Each Week:

• Complete all the Class Preparation for the following week

  • Book, vocabulary, & lecture video

    • Read the book sections assigned

    • Complete the vocabulary sheets using the book glossary - submit them to the dropbox

    • Watch my video. Follow along and take notes on the slide sheet

  • Animal Videos & Question Sheets

    • Watch the SoL or Eye Witness videos

    • Complete the Questions Sheets

  • Complete Drawing OR Dissection

  • Review the book to be ready to answer the oral quiz during the recording.

    • Write your answers as you follow along

    • The answers are reviewed during the recording.

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Total classes: 12

Duration: 55 minutes

Instructor: Dr. Kris Correira

Instructor Email:  athomescience@gmail.com

Course description: This course is an introduction to classification of the animal kingdom traced through its evolutionary development. The course is based on the Shape of Life and Eyewitness video and provided eBook. Students have the option of completing either weekly drawings or a series of 7 dissection labs. This course covers learning standards in disciplinary core areas 2 & 4 of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for middle school life science.

Course outline: 

Class 1: Introduction to Kingdom Animalia

Class 2: Porifera and Cnidarians

Class 3: Worms and Mollusks (clam dissection)

Class 4: Annelids (earthworm dissection)

Class 5: Marine Arthropods (crayfish dissection)

Class 6: Land Arthropods (grasshopper dissection)

Class 7: Echinoderms (starfish dissection)

Class 8: Fish (perch dissection)

Class 9: Amphibians (frog dissection)

Class 10: Reptiles

Class 11: Birds

Class 12: Mammals

Course materials: 

The eBook and other learning resources are provided FREE by Dr. Correira

For the lab, the Home Science Tools Intermediate Dissection Kit [DE-KITINT] ($40) or its equivalent is required (https://www.homesciencetools.com/product/intermediate-dissection-kit/).

Homework: Homework will consist of reading the provided eBook to prepare for the open-book quiz as well as watching videos and answering questions based on the videos. At the beginning of the course, students will choose to EITHER submit weekly drawings of the related phylum OR to complete seven dissections.  Other simple activities may be assigned on a week-by-week basis. Approximately 3 to 4 hours each week will be needed to complete these requirements.

Meeting time is spent discussing the material, including a chat quiz, and reviewing questions. Students are graded according to the rubric provided in the course.

Technical Help: If you have any technical trouble or questions about course content, please email us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2022 Homeschool Connections and Kris Correira. All rights reserved.

• This material is only to be used for its intended purpose by active subscribers of Homeschool Connections. Any other use without explicit permission is in violation of the seventh commandment (yes, the 7th commandment) and in violation of US and International copyright laws.

• You may print or download to local hard disk extracts for your personal homeschool and non-commercial use only. This is not to be used for homeschool co-ops without express written permission from Homeschool Connections.

HELP: For questions about course content, please email homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.