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Latin Animals — Animālia

Fourth graders learn animals in Latin — canis, fēlēs, avis, piscis, equus — and the English words they give us, like “canine,” “feline,” and “equestrian.”

Grade 4Animālia40 minutes1 class periodClassical LanguagesExplicit teaching4 StandardsACL
Start the Lesson
Lesson at a Glance

Everything you need before the bell rings

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to…

  • ✓Name animals.
  • ✓Say each animal.
  • ✓Match animals to roots.
  • ✓Spot English words.
Essential Question

Every animal has a Latin name — and many hide in English! What are the animālia in Latin?

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Lesson Phases
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Vocabulary Terms
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Standards Aligned
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Interactive Task
Match It · Interactive

Match the Animal

Project this and match each Latin animal to its English meaning — tap the Latin, then tap the English.

🐾 Match each Latin animal to its meaningTry it
Latin
English
Now tap the English!
The Lesson · Classical Flow (Warm-Up · Present · Practice · Speak · Reflect)

40 minutes, five moves

Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.

1

Warm-Up — Hidden in English

4 min

Every animal has a Latin name — many hide in English! What are they?

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Make an animal sound.
  • Ask its Latin name.
  • Set the goal.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Guess.
  • Guess.
  • Get ready.
2

Present — Animālia

10 min

Students learn.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Present each animal.
  • Say them aloud.
  • Note “canine, feline.”

🎒 Student Actions

  • Listen.
  • Repeat.
  • Note it.
3

Practice — Match Them

11 min

Students practice.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Send students to Match the Animal.
  • Match each one.
  • Name the root.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Match.
  • Name it.
  • Explain.
4

Speak — Speak

10 min

Students speak.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name a pet in Latin.
  • Say “meus canis…”
  • Ask a partner.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name it.
  • Say it.
  • Ask.
5

Reflect — Reflect

5 min

Students close.

👩‍🏫 Teacher Moves

  • Name an animal.
  • Say what it means.
  • Complete the exit ticket.

🎒 Student Actions

  • Name one.
  • Explain it.
  • Complete the exit ticket.
Standards Alignment

Built to the standards you report on

Aligned to the Standards for Classical Language Learning (ACL/ACTFL, Introductory).

ACL
Communication 1.2

Interpretive: understand animal words.

ACL
Comparisons 4.2

Find Latin roots in English.

ACL
Connections 3.1

Connect to science.

ACL
Communication 1.1

Interpersonal: name animals.

Differentiation

One lesson, every learner

Multilingual Learners

ELL / EMERGING READERS
  • Animal picture cards.
  • Sentence frame: “___ means ___.”
  • Use animal images.

Support & Access

IEP / 504
  • Start with canis and fēlēs.
  • Match one pair at a time.
  • Repeat aloud.

Stretch & Extend

GIFTED / EARLY FINISHERS
  • Add leō and lupus.
  • Find more animal roots.
  • Describe a pet.
Materials

What to gather

  • 📽️Screen / board
  • 🐾Animal cards
  • 💻Match the Animal
  • 🗣️Audio
  • ✏️Pencils
  • 🎫Exit-ticket slips
Vocabulary

Key terms — hover for a quick definition

animalanimalcanisdogfēlēscatavisbirdpiscisfishequushorseleōlionlupuswolf
Evaluate

Exit Ticket

Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.

QUESTION 1
What does “canis” mean?
Dog (gives “canine”).
QUESTION 2
What does “avis” mean?
Bird (gives “aviary”).
QUESTION 3
What English word comes from “equus”?
Equestrian.

Reflect: animālia.

Have students name two animals in Latin and one English word each gives (like canis → canine). A printable animals sheet is in the World Languages library.

Study · Flashcards

Study the key terms

Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.

🃏 Latin Animals (Animālia)Flip
Card 1
Term
Tap to flip →
Meaning
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Nice work!

Practice · Quiz

Check your understanding

A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.

📝 Latin Animals (Animālia)Quiz
Score: 0
1 / 6
Question 1
0%

Nice work!

Practice · Worksheet

Printable worksheet

A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.

🖨️ Latin Animals (Animālia)Print
Name: ________________________
Date: ____________

Part A · Write the word that matches each meaning

Word bank: animal, avis, canis, equus, fēlēs, leō, lupus, piscis
  1. bird
  2. animal
  3. cat
  4. wolf
  5. dog
  6. fish
  7. horse
  8. lion

Part B · Show what you learned

  1. What does “canis” mean?
  2. What does “avis” mean?
  3. What English word comes from “equus”?
Answer key — Part A: 1) avis · 2) animal · 3) fēlēs · 4) lupus · 5) canis · 6) piscis · 7) equus · 8) leō
Part B: 1) Dog (gives “canine”). 2) Bird (gives “aviary”). 3) Equestrian.