It's a classification sensation! Demystify why we classify using an inquiry activity that helps your class sort things out. Groups begin by classifying a variety of shoes before they research organisms and design their own dichotomous...

Explore the scientific method of classification. An interactive activity asks learners to create a classification system for a group of objects and develop a flow chart to communicate their systems. In addition, individuals use a...

Find similarities in seemingly unlike organisms. The second instructional activity in a series of 12 builds the concept of a taxonomy and explores the use of a dichotomous key. Learners begin in part one by attempting to group a set of...

Part two in a series of four explores the effects of climate on succession or the changing of plant species in a forest. Groups review how to identify trees and then spend a day in the field collecting extensive data on trees to...

Budburst is the emergence of new leaves on a tree in spring. This activity requires learners to identify trees, take careful observations of their tree and note phenological dates - the date of the first leaf, first leaf falling, first...

Mammals of the ocean unite! Or not. The 20th installment of a 23-part NOAA Enrichment in Marine sciences and Oceanography (NEMO) program investigates how warm-blooded marine mammals survive in water. In the class activity, learners use...

Do you know the difference between a mountain lion, puma, cougar, and Texas panther? They are all the same animal but have different names in different areas of the world, which is why we use scientific names for plants and animals. The...

How diverse are the benthic organisms found in local streams? Using the information learned in previous lessons on identification of macroinvertebrates and on calculating stream index values, groups determine the health of local streams....

What kind of organisms are living in the stream? After an explanation on how to use a dichotomous key, groups of three to four use the keys to identify macroinvertebrates from a local freshwater stream. Using the the concept of Stream...

If you need an array of worksheets to augment your science lessons, peruse a collection of assignments that is sure to fit your needs. With topics such as metric conversion, the scientific method, textbook features, research skills,...

How do you classify a newly discovered species? Learners view a presentation and complete research about biodiversity and the classification hierarchy. The lesson includes activities with dichotomous keys and work on classifying both...

Learn about dichotomous keys, plant identification, and how to care for the planet with a lesson plan that includes several hands-on and innovative activities. Kids go on a plant scavenger hunt and classify the plants that they find...

Learners have to have had some experience with metals prior to using this worksheet. They are given five properties common to five different metals. They create or use a dichotomous key to identify the five mystery metals. Tip: This...

What is a dichotomous key? When your kids ask, hand them a learning exercise like this one, to explain it. They use the key to identify four different trees, based on the budding twigs they've produced. Tip: Have learners extend this...

A branching key is a great way to classify different types of animals and plants! Fifth graders answer several yes/no answers about three different plants. They then create their own key to differentiate between an iris, a rose, and a...

This resource provides thorough instruction in scientific classification for your elementary scientists. They classify a set of alien organism cards, rock samples, a mixture of beans, and a pile of pasta. This provides plenty of practice...

Students categorize various types of produce. In this categorization lesson, students explore various ways to categorize items. Students deduce what rules other students used to categorize their produce.

Students practice identifying different groups of living organisms using a dichotomous key. Students also examine the history of an organism and its lineage by writing a paragraph about it and "three generations" of ancestors.

Junior biologists journey through the hiearchy of living things with these activites. Using a dichotomous key, they identify common algae, plants, and fish. They design their own key for a mixture of seeds and a collection of...

Two films are suggested as initiating activities, but you would have to locate them. Nevertheless, there is plenty of material here to provide your biology or ecology classes with a complete mini-unit on freshwater fish species in the...

A clever presentation introduces youngsters to animal identification keys. On the first slide, viewers choose an animal and then answer yes-or-no questions about its characteristics. When they have completed the process, they click on a...

This exam touches upon every topic within the typical first year biology course.. A broad variety of question styles give high schoolers every opportunity to show what they know. Why start from scratch when a comprehensive final exam is...

Students create their own dichotomous key. In this life science lesson, students classify organisms according to their characteristics. They explain how this method is useful to biologists.

Tenth graders conduct various activities utilizing the scientific method to formulate a hypothesis, conduct a controlled experiment, collect and analyze the data and communicate their results through a poster. They also identify...