Vertebrate Sorting Relay

Teams fetch animal cards from the middle of the blacktop and come back moving like that animal to sort it into the right hoop: mammals, birds, fish, reptiles or amphibians. Students practice speed, animal movement patterns and science content.

How to play

1. Place 60 animal cards face down in the middle. Each of 5 teams of 5 lines up about 50 feet away next to 5 hoops labeled mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians (2 min).
2. On the whistle, the first runner sprints to the middle, picks a card and returns moving like that kind of animal: bear crawl for a mammal, flapping arms for a bird, zigzag for a fish, crouch walk for a reptile or frog jumps for an amphibian.
3. The runner places the card in the hoop they think is right and high-fives the next runner. Teammates can call out help (5 min).
4. When the cards run out, the teacher checks the hoops: each correct card is a point, and mistakes are talked through together (3 min).
5. Round two uses tricky animals, such as the bat, whale or penguin (4 min).
6. Wrap up: each team names one feature of each group, such as hair, feathers or scales (1 min).

Rules

• One card per trip, no peeking before you pick it up.
• Run out; come back moving like the animal.
• Grab your card in the middle without pushing.
• If a movement hurts your hands or knees, switch to walking while acting like the animal.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student is the team's sorter at the hoops, and teammates bring the cards for them to decide where they go.
• Autism: preview a picture card for each movement and always keep the hoops in the same order.
• Fitness level: lengthen or shorten the distance to the middle, and let students who need it do the animal movement for only half the way back.

Learning goals

• Classify vertebrate animals by their features.
• Act out different animal movement patterns with the body.
• Take part in a relay by cheering on and helping teammates.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cardstock: 60
• hoops: 25
• cones: 5

Teacher tip

Print the cards on cardstock and always include a few tricky ones to spark discussion. Coordinate with the classroom teacher so it lines up with the science unit on animals.

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