When you think of animals, you likely think of vertebrates. From jawless fish to adaptable humans, we vertebrates occupy most of the ecological niches on the planet. Sign up for this course and find out what makes vertebrates resilient in the fight for survival on Earth.

How to get the most out of Vertebrate Biology with MacBeth Derham:

• First, read the course details below.

• Prepare a notebook for note-taking and homework.

• Students begin the course by clicking on the "Recording" and watching the instructor's lecture for Class One.

• Complete the Class One Activities.

• If you need review, go back and watch the recording again and/or go over the Powerpoint.

• Repeat until all classes are complete.

• Once the course is completed to the parent's satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records. Homeschool Connections does not provide record keeping.

Total classes: 13

Duration: 45 minutes

Prerequisite: None

Suggested grade level: 6th to 8th grade. Interested high school students are also welcomed to join us.

Suggested credit: 1 full semester Life Science

Instructor: MacBeth Derham

Course Description: A tour of the vertebrate world, from tunicates to primates, and their anatomical features.

Course Outline:

• Class 1: Introduction to the chordates; sea squirts to lampreys

• Class 2: The fossil record

• Class 3: Sharks and their features!

• Class 4: Varieties of cartilaginous fish!

• Class 5: Bony fish

• Class 6: Amphibians

• Class 7: Dinosaurs and other extinct reptiles

• Class 8: Reptiles

• Class 9: Birds in brief

• Class 10: Mammals part 1

• Class 11: Mammals part 2

• Class 12: Mammals part 3

• Class 13: Student presentations (watch the class, and present yours to your parent)

Course Materials: Field Guides / local pamphlets. For example:

• Peterson's First Guide to Fish, www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395911796/catholictreas-20

• Peterson's First Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles, www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395971950/catholictreas-20

• Peterson's First Guide to Birds, www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395906660/catholictreas-20

• Peterson's First Guide to Mammals, www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0395911818/catholictreas-20

• NB: The above are not required. Any field guides will do in a pinch, including local guides and pamphlets

Homework: Students will use field guides to seek out and identify local species. There are automated quizzes for immediate feedback. Expect to spend one to two hours outside of class on homework. A brief project will be presented by each student on the last day.

If you have any questions please contact us at homeschoolconnections@gmail.com.

©2022 Homeschool Connections and MacBeth Derham.  All rights reserved.

This course is designed by MacBeth Derham.

• 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.