Which animals start their life as an egg? - Teacher notes

The intriguing world of animals that start their lives as eggs is a fascinating topic for exploration in the classroom. To kick off the lesson, the teacher sets the stage by showing educational videos that provide a visual understanding of the subject. Following the videos, students are encouraged to create two lists: one featuring animals that are oviparous, meaning they lay eggs, and another for viviparous animals, which give birth to live young. This activity helps children differentiate between the two reproductive methods in the animal kingdom.

Working collaboratively in groups of four, students delve deeper into the topic by selecting three egg-laying animals or birds to research, ensuring a diverse range of 12 different creatures among them. The task is to consider various egg-laying animals, including the extremes in size and other classifications. The culmination of their findings will be compiled into a class book titled 'Animals that lay eggs', to which every student will contribute. The lesson then takes a prehistoric turn as the class discusses dinosaurs, their egg-laying habits, and the reasons for their extinction, pondering whether these ancient creatures could survive in today's world. The lesson encourages students to think critically about animal habitats and the evolutionary reasons behind the diverse reproductive strategies in nature.