Indiana University
Is Classification Arbitrary or Not?
Students transition from classifying furniture to an understanding of classification of living organisms in this thorough lesson plan site.
City University of New York
Classification: Bringing Order Out of Chaos
A self-directed module on all aspects of biological classifications that covers the species problem, diversity and chaos, cladistics, putting things in groups, and so on.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Leaf Investigation and Classification
Students will learn about classification of leaves by collecting a variety of leaves from home and working in small groups in the classroom to sort them into groups. Students will present their criteria for grouping the leaves to the class.
Estrella Mountain Community College
Estrella Mountain College: Classification
Discusses many aspects of information pertainingto organism classification. Provides links to other areas in biology as well.
Tree of Life Project
The Tree of Life Web Project
The Tree of Life is a multi-authored, Internet distributed project containing information about phylogeny and biodiversity. The Tree of Life can be used to locate information about a particular group of organisms through their taxonomy.
![It's All About What's Inside. Classification and the Tree of Life [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "It's All About What's Inside. Classification and the Tree of Life [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Other
It's All About What's Inside. Classification and the Tree of Life [Pdf]
In this science lesson, middle schoolers look at how animals have traditionally been classified in a tree of life diagram by examining the characteristics of plastic eggs. They then analyze the genetic code assigned for each egg and look...
National Institutes of Health
National Center for Biotechnology Information: Phylogenetics Factsheet
A detailed website that explains the history and process of classifying animals using evolutionary, molecular, and physical characteristics relationships. Website also contains information on evolution and evolutionary processes....
Miami University
Miami University: Nuts and Bolts of Classification
Discusses many aspects of taxonomy. Provides a lab activity where students are required to devise a classification scheme for nuts, bolts, and other hardware items.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Classifying Objects
Fourth graders practice using a type of classification system.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Trb 4:5 Investigation 7 Classification Schemes
Activity involves placing organisms into the correct classification.
McGraw Hill
Mc Graw Hill Higher Education: Classification
This site from McGraw-Hill Higher Education provides links to key terms, lecture notes, and readings on classification, as well as questions from Raven and Johnson's textbook reading on classification.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Using Inquiry to Group Minnesota Critters
Students will observe and investigate various characteristics of Minnesota critters, and then chart and give reasons for the way they grouped them.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Describing Fall Leaves Through Words and Music
Students collect, describe, and sort leaves found outside. As a cross-curricular component, they will improvise on musical instruments in a way that they feel describes a dominant leaf characteristic.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Ecology/geography Classification
This outdoor lesson helps students better understand ecological and geographical classifications by teaching it simultaneously in science and geography class. Presenting the two classifications together will help reinforce the idea of...
SRI International
Performance Assessment Links in Science: Classifying Candy 2 (Lesson)
For this fourth grade performance assessment task, students sort candies according to their properties and demonstrate their understanding of binary classification principles.
My Science Site
Middle School Science: Shoe Classification Lab [Pdf]
This concise worksheet site will enable students to learn how to create a classification system and to understand the reasons for classification in science. Requires Adobe Reader.
Other
Southwest Tennessee Community College: Classification of Organisms
College-level instructor's notes describing taxonomy. Explanations and images give a chronological history of the science of classifying organisms.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian National Zoo: Classification Systems
A great overview of the science of classification. Topics addressed include summaries of the five kingdoms, the seven taxa, the definition of a species and the classification of the panda.
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Classifying Living Things
Learn how all living things are classified.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Animals and Engineering
Young scholars are introduced to the classification of animals and animal interactions. Students also learn why engineers need to know about animals and how they use that knowledge to design technologies that help other animals and/or...
Other
Pennsylvania Doe: Lesson Plan: Biological Levels of Organization
A lesson plan that takes learners through the process of organizing a set of biological picture cards according to levels of complexity.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: The Tree of Life
This is a lesson to help students understand the phylogeny of organisms and how all organisms are linked in a certain way. By navigating an Internet site, students will learn how organisms are classified.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Let's Identify and Classify
During this hands-on lesson, students learn about scientific classification by navigating the Internet. They will examine a variety of potato chips in order to create their own classification key.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Taxonomy: The Importance of Classifying
This is a technology-based, hands-on Biology instructional activity used to introduce the topic of Taxonomy and the importance of classifying. Learners will listen to a podcast about classifying every living thing on Earth. Students will...