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Teacher's Comment For Definitions and Relative Clauses
In order to accomplish this lesson you may need the assistance of a dictionary so that students can look up the words mammal, reptile, echinoderm, amphibian and mollusk in their own language. An alternative is to use examples of the different classifications to explain what they are.
One activity that I have done sometimes but not always is to have students examine their own definitions later and try to criticize them. For example, one student wrote that a human is an animal that can love. Other students were adamant that their cats and dogs could also love. Similarly, a definition of a tiger as a mammal that has stripes is not the best possible definition because a zebra is also a mammal that has stripes.
The exercise where the students try to define what a human is really is a good conversation activity that I came across by accident. I was teaching definitions to middle school students when I remembered the story of Plato's definition of humans. I told them the story and asked them to define a human. I was surprised with the answers. I have included this activity ever since. Here is what I got on the first try (unedited):
A human is an animal that has a brain.
A human is an animal that can think.
A human is an animal that can speak.
A human is an animal that can describe feelings.
A human is an animal that can appreciate art.
A human is an animal that can't live without others.
by Paek Seungdo
A human is an animal that has a brain and use hands.
A human is an animal that can build.
A human is an animal that think more than other animals.
A human is an animal that can believe religions.
A human is an animal that can make weapons.
A human is an animal that make a plan.
A human is an animal that raises other animal.
by Byun Kyoungmo
A human is an animal that has reason.
A human is an animal that has no shape teeth.
A human is an animal that can write anything.
A human is an animal that plans their future.
A human is an animal that can make anything.
by Min-jung