Choose several animals that have been talked about in class. Draw blanks on the chalkboard to represent each letter of an animal's name. Give the students the animal's classification, such as fish, mammal or reptile. Let students take turns guessing a letter. If the letter is in the animal's name, fill in all the corresponding blanks and give the child a chance to guess the word. If the letter is not in the word, write the letter on the board. Instead of a stick figure, draw a fish and a shark. Students must guess the word before the figures have been drawn and details added.
Divide the class into small groups and allow them to use their science book or other resource for this game. Pass out a small dry erase board to each group. Call out the name of an animal. Give the groups a brief time to talk together about what the animal's classification is. Once the group thinks they have the answer, they may write the answer on their board and hold it high in the air. The first group to hold up the correct answer wins that round and receives a point. Play to a pre-determined point level or until time is out.
Divide students into pairs. Give each pair a set of index cards with a class of animal written on each card. One student chooses a card and reads it to himself. The other student asks questions that can be answered with a yes or no. For example, she may ask, "Does this animal class lay eggs?" or "Does this animal class live in the water?" She gets one guess for each card, so instruct students to answer carefully. If she gets the correct answer, she gets a point. Once all five cards are completed, the players switch roles and repeat the game.
Make paper signs labeled with animal names. Ask a few volunteers to come to the front of the room. Tape one animal sign on each student's back. Have students, one at a time, turn around and show their animal to the rest of the class. The student must ask questions to determine what animal he is. For example, he may ask, "Does this animal have wet or dry skin?" or "Does this animal fly?" or "Does this animal have legs?" Once he has narrowed his choices down, he may guess his animal. Take turns having students come to the front as volunteers.