Animals with Backbones covers these concepts: . animals with backbones are called vertebrates . body characteristics and growth of vertebrates . hunting, gathering, and eating habits of vertebrates . vertebrate adaptation and self defense . where vertebrates live A variety of engaging activities present the concepts in ways that students can understand. Each concept presented includes: . teacher directions for lessons . reproducible resource pages such as sets of picture cards, minibooks, and lab sheets to record the results of hands-on investigations