P3 Science Core Topic – Living Things (Animals)

FRACTIONS

Brief Overview

In primary 3, students will learn the fundamentals of animals, mainly their individual characteristics and how to categorise them based on their characteristics. Some examples include the types of animals, their habitats, their outer coverings, their movements, their food choices and their reproduction methods.

In paper 1, the MCQ questions will test the students’ understanding of animal categorisation.  In paper 2, the short response questions will test them on the different categorisation methods, to name or sort the animals accordingly and even find mistakes “planted” by the question.

Characteristics of the different types of animals

These are some common characteristics animals are categorised into which the students need to know.

Vertebrates and Invertebrates

Vertebrates are animals with backbones while invertebrates are animals without backbones.

 

Warm and Cold-blooded animals

Warm-blooded animals can regulate their body temperatures. Therefore, their body temperatures do not change with the surroundings while cold-blooded animals change their body temperatures according to their surroundings.

 

Mammals

Mammals are warm-blooded vertebrates, covered with hair and most give birth to their young alive. However, only two mammals lay eggs (Duck billed platypus and Spiny anteater) They produce milk to feed their young.  Some examples include humans, dogs, cats, whales and dolphins.

 

Birds

Birds are warm-blooded vertebrates, covered with feathers, have a beak and a pair of wings. They lay eggs and MOST can fly. However, flightless birds i.e. penguin, ostrich, emu cannot fly due to heavy bodies or weak wings.  Some examples include pigeons, falcons and flamingos.

 

Fishes

Fishes are cold-blooded vertebrates, covered with scales, live in water and breathe through their gills. They swim with fins and tails and MOST fish reproduce by laying eggs. However, livebearer fish like guppies reproduce by giving birth to young alive.  Some examples include salmon, trout and sharks.

 

Reptiles

Reptiles are cold-blooded vertebrates covered with dry, scaly skin. They reproduce by laying eggs and most do not care for their young.  Some examples include turtles, crocodiles and lizards.

 

Insects

Insects are cold-blooded invertebrates with six legs, a pair of feelers and have a body made of three segments. They reproduce by laying eggs and some have wings (e.g. mosquito, dragonfly) while others do not (ant, grasshopper).

 

Amphibians

Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrates which live on both land and water and are covered with moist skin. They breathe through their skin underwater and breathe through their lungs on land.  Some examples include toads and frogs.

 

Crustaceans

Crustaceans are cold-blooded invertebrates, protected by a hard shell and mostly live in water. Some examples include crabs, lobsters and prawns.

 

Having a good understanding of the above characteristics of the different types of animals will allow the students to answer the following questions more confidently and correctly:

 

Example 1

Which of the following animals are invertebrates?

A) Frogs

B) Crabs

C) Clown Fish

D) Prawns

E) Firefly

 

1) A and B only

2) B, C and E only

3)B, D and E only

4) All of the above

 

Ans: (3)

 

Explanation:

Only insects and crustaceans are invertebrates, therefore we can eliminate the options A) Frog (it is an amphibian) and C) Clown fish (it is a fish). Option B) Crab, D) Prawn and E) Firefly are correct as crabs and prawns are crustaceans while the firefly is an insect.

Answer (1) has option A (frogs), hence it is incorrect. Answer (2) has option C (clown fish), hence it is incorrect. Answer 4 has option A (frogs) and C (clownfish), therefore it is incorrect.  Only answer (3) has the option B, D, E therefore it is correct.

 

Example 2

Three friends made some statements about animals. Were any mistakes made? Explain.

John: I like mammals as they give birth to their young alive and care for their young with milk, that is very adorable.

Michael: Insects frighten me due their six legs and 3 body segments, they look so different!

Charis: Birds are cool as they can soar the skies and take flight!

Thomas: I can relate to mammals as all mammals live on land like me.

 

Ans: John, Charis and Thomas made mistakes. John’s statement about mammals is incorrect. Not all mammals give birth to their young alive. For instance, the platypus and spiny anteater are a special group of egg-laying mammals. They lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young. Charis’s statement about birds is incorrect. Not all birds can fly. Flightless birds with heavy bodies cannot fly, such as the ostrich and penguin. Thomas’s statement about mammals is incorrect. Not all mammals live on land. Dolphins and whales for instance are mammals yet they live in water.

 

Example 3

The table below shows the characteristics of animals A, B, C, D.

Characteristic	Animal A	Animal B	Animal C	Animal D
Has fur	Yes	No	No	No
Lays eggs	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Can fly	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Has 6 legs	No	No	Yes	Yes

 

Sam claims that animal D is likely a butterfly. Is he correct? Explain

Ans: No, he is incorrect. A butterfly can fly but animal D cannot fly.

How can Einstein Education help your child to ace Primary 3 Science?

At Einstein Education hub, we offer “focus” classes, small group size classes. Unlike a typical classroom setting, this arrangement allows the tutors to provide their upmost attention to the academic needs of every student, customise the learning process to fit the pace of each child, therefore allowing all to gain the necessary knowledge required to succeed in their examinations.

Moreover, by having a small class size, this prevents any unnecessary distractions a typical student might experience in the classroom (e.g. chit-chatting, daydreaming, fidgeting) as the tutors have fewer students to manage, which in turn allows them to focus not only on the materials taught but the behaviour and wellbeing of your child.

Lastly, our tutors are well versed in the P3 Science syllabus especially in terms of breaking down the explanations into simplified forms with real life examples. This expertise of our tutors will ensure that your child receives the highest quality education possible.

Einstein Takeaway

Generate a keen interest in Primary 3 Science will enable your child to develop a strong learning base of the core knowledge and how to use them to write down simple explanations for the structured questions.  Einstein Achievers’ tuition classes train the students to deliver clear explanations on the basic science fundamentals in primary 3 while continuing to pique their interest in the wonders of Science.  Book a free trial lesson @Einstein to experience how we can develop your child’s curiosity in Science!

Lastly, our tutors are well versed in the P3 Science syllabus especially in terms of breaking down the explanations into simplified forms with real life examples. This expertise of our tutors will ensure that your child receives the highest quality education possible.