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Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Which Plant Is Which?

For Teachers 5th
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...
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PPT
Curated OER

Animal Identification Keys

For Teachers 1st - 4th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regents High School Examination: Living Environment 2010

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Activity
NASA

The Types of Clouds and What They Mean

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learn to forecast the weather using cloud types. Budding meteorologists identify cloud types and learn to use a dichotomous key. As scholars develop observation and identification skills, they discover how different cloud types cause...
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

Trees of the Midwest

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
All trees are not created equal. A set of three wildlife conservation lessons has learners examine the characteristics of individual trees. They look at the life cycle of the tree using a story and reference a field guide to identify...
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Activity
Discovery Education

The Key to It All

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Which characteristics make organisms unique? Dichotomous keys simplify the process of classifying organisms by focusing on these unique characteristics. Young scholars learn how to use the dichotomous key flow chart by creating their own...
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PPT
Biology Junction

Classification of Life

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know scientists identify more than 13 billion species of organisms, and they discover more almost every day? An interesting presentation demonstrates how scientists keep track of so many species. It also shows how they...
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Lesson Plan
Science 4 Inquiry

The Classification of Living Things

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Classification

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
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...
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Lesson Plan
LABScI

Taxonomy: Who is in My family?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
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Chicago Botanic Garden

Impacts of Climate on Forest Succession

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
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...
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Lesson Plan
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NOAA

Vertebrates II

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Use of Dichotomous Keys to Identify Stream Organisms

For Teachers 8th - 12th
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...
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Handout
CPO Science

Science Worksheets

For Students 8th - 12th
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,...
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Lesson Plan
ARKive

Species Discovery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Distinguishing Between Flowers

For Students 4th - 6th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classification Schemes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bird Ecology Unit

For Teachers 10th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Kenan Fellows

Determining Stream Health by the Diversity and Types of Benthic Organisms

For Teachers 8th - 12th
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....
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Name that metal!

For Students 5th
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Name that plant!

For Students 5th
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...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Species Identification Using Dichotomous Keys

For Teachers 4th - 8th
To help your students unlock the wonderful world of living things, teach them to use a dichotomous key.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classification of Cerealites

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a dichotomous key. In this categorizing lesson plan, students create a dichotomous key for different types of cereal. Students classify the cereal into groups such as flakes and cereal with holes. Students discuss their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Potato chip Classification

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students create a dichotomous key using potato chips. In this classification lesson, students sort potato chips into groups based on observable characteristics. They record their results to create a dichotomous key in preparation for...