Investigating Biological Classification: Organization of All Living Things

Lindsey Oliver, Fridley Middle School, Fridley, MN

Summary

Students will investigate the organization of all living things through and learn how to classify through process of classifying their own shoes. Students will complete the classification of a Jaguar and write their own anecdote to remember the order of biological classification. (kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species)

Learning Goals

Students will learn that 1) Living things are diverse with many characteristics that enable them to grow, reproduce and survive. 2) Organization of all living things can be divided into seven categories; Kingdom, phylum, class order, family, genus, species.
Other Skills - questioning, written skills, oral communication
Key concepts - Living things can be separated into large and small groupings. All living things can be identified by their placement in a biological classification table.
Vocabulary - Biological Classification, Organization, kingdom, order, class, phylum, family, genus, species

Context for Use

Use this lesson as a precursor to dichotomous keys and the study of how and/or why organisms are classified. You will need one to one and a half hours for this lesson. No special equipment is needed.

Description and Teaching Materials

Intro: Shoe Classification: Ask students to take off one of their shoes and place it in a pile. (Modification: maybe use backpacks or a different diverse school item that all the students have.) Tell the students that we will be spending several minutes looking at the similarities and differences of the shoes. Group the shoes together again and again until all the shoes have their own individual grouping. (Modification: Have one student concept map the shoes on an overhead or white board as the class separates them.) Finish by explaining that all the shoes started out very similar and progressively got more and more specific and different. Living things share these same characteristics. All living things can be classified into seven different categories.
Body: The seven categories are as follows; Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. To teach the children the order of biological classification have them sing the order of groupings to the tune of Mary Poppins Supercalifra...
Demonstrate the classification of a jaguar on a biological classification table.

Teaching Notes and Tips

Included in description.

Assessment

Many people use mnemonic devices to remember important information, for example: My Very Energetic Mother Just Served Us Nachos to remember the order of the planets; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. (My personal mnemonic device is "Kings Play Chess Over Funny Green Spies") Ask the students to create their own mnemonic device to remember the order. Some students may be more successful writing a short prose to remember. This piece serves as their assessment as well as participation in classroom activities.

Standards

Living things are diverse with many characteristics that enable them to grow, reproduce and survive.

References and Resources