Dichotomous Keys

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

Youngsters create a list of grocery store items and then work together to categorize them as if they were setting up the shelves of the market. Then they are given a box of miscellaneous objects to practice categorizing. With these two...

Use a dichotomous key to classify these squirmy bugs. A paragraph provides fifth graders with some background knowledge on the animal kingdom, and explains how to use a branching key for classification. They then determine which bugs...

Students practice using a dichotomous key. In this classification lesson, students read an article about scientific exploration and identification of new species. They use a dichotomous key to identify objects and create their own key.

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...

Discover what a pest is and how to identify one with a lesson that looks closely at our outside world and taxonomy. Scholars investigate insects and plants to practice their identification skills, take a survey, and explore the...

Students utilize dichotomous keys to identify trees in their schools.  In this ecological identification lesson, students practice creating dichotomous keys based on simple subjects such as hair color or sex of a person....

Students examine how the method of classification is used. In this sorting lesson students take a pre-test, classify organisms and complete a crossword puzzle.

Students classify photographs into a two-way classification system. They practice with pictures of people who are young and old, male and female, then they use pictures of animals to create their own two-way classification system.

Students practice using 2 different plant classification keys to identify species. They make choices between the similarities and differences between their object and the classification scheme.