1,3-5 Periods

K-W-L: Classification

Warm Up-Classification Which one is a fish? a)Jellyfish b)Starfish c)Crayfish d)Silverfish

Asking questions is one way scientists find out about anything in the world and the universe. Science is often described as an organized way of studying things and finding answers to questions. The Work of Science What is science? 1 1

Besides critical thinking, solving a problem requires organization. Solving Problems What is science? 1 1 Scientific methods is an organized form of a series of procedures used to solve problems.

An experiment should have only one control and one variable. A control is the standard to which the outcome of a test is compared. A variable is something in an experiment that can change. What is science? 1 1

After scientists report the results of experiments supporting their hypotheses, the results can be used to propose a scientific theory. Developing Theories What is science? 1 1 A scientific theory is an explanation of things or events based results of many observations and experiments.

A valid theory raises many new questions. Developing Theories What is science? 1 1 Data or information from new experiments might change conclusions and theories can change.

A scientific law is a statement about how things work in nature that are true all the time. Laws do not change. Laws What is science? 1 1

Measuring with Scientific Units What is science? 1 1 You will use the same standard system of measurement scientists use to communicate and understand each other’s research and results. In science we always use the metric system.

Classification Libraries group similar types of books together. When you place similar items together, you classify them. How are living things classified? 4 4 All organisms are classified into groups.

Six Kingdoms A kingdom is the first and largest category. Species is the smallest classification category is a species. How are living things classified? 4 4

Binomial Nomenclature Binomial nomenclature is a two-word naming system that Linnaeus used to name the various species. Latin is always used because it is a dead language. How are living things classified? 4 4

Binomial Nomenclature The first word of the two-word name identifies the genus of the organism and is capitalized and the second word of the name describes the organism. How are living things classified? 4 4

Tools for Identifying Organisms Tools used to identify organisms include field guides and dichotomous keys. Most field guides have descriptions and illustrations of organisms and information about where each organism lives. How are living things classified? 4 4

Dichotomous Keys A dichotomous key is a detailed list of identifying characteristics that includes scientific names. Dichotomous keys are arranged in steps with two descriptive statements at each step. How are living things classified? 4 4

Parmishan Creatures

Shark Dichotomous Key

Student Dichotomous Key As a simple example, you can construct a dichotomous key to identify people (or another group of items) in a classroom, using questions based on gender, hair length/color, glasses (or not), clothing color, etc. Question 1: Is the person male or female? Question 2: Does the person wear glasses or not? Question 3: Is the person wearing blue jeans or not? etc. The end of each branch of the key should be a person's name. A dichotomous key will have enough questions to identify each member of the group. To test it, you can identify each person in the group by going through the key and seeing if the right name comes up.