SWEET CLASSIFICATION

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SWEET CLASSIFICATION

• By
• Laura Robertson Thomas Tatum

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SWEET CLASSIFICATIONFor the Teacher

• Practice Creating Dichotomous Keys

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Lesson Overview

• This lesson is designed to guide students through
  the process of creating dichotomous keys. First
  students will classify candy based on observable
  characteristics.
• Skills used include observing and classifying
• At the end of the lesson, students will complete
  a performance assessment in which they create a
  dichotomous key for a set of butterflies.

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Instructional Goals

• 8.5.spi.1 identify similarities and differences
  among organism.
• 8.5.spi.2 classify plants and animals into groups
  according to their features.
• 8.5.spi.3 infer the relatedness of different
  organisms.
• 8.5.spi.4 use a simple classification key to
  identify an unknown organism.

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Formative Assessment

• The performance assessment will require them to
  use observational and classifying skills to
  create a dichotomous key for a given set of
  butterfly pictures.
• Students will be assessed on their ability to
  classify butterflies based on observed
  characteristics.

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Formative Assessment
Rubric Provided By Buffalo Public Schools
www.buffaloschools.org/science/portfolio/portfolio
05.htm
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Opening The Lesson

• Open the lesson by providing each student with a
  bag of assorted candies. Have each student make
  a list of observations about each piece.
• Ask the student some questions How are the
  candy pieces similar? How are they different?
  What are they called? Would it matter if you
  identified them incorrectly? How could you help
  someone differentiate between them if they had
  never seen any of them before?

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Developing The Lesson

• Structured Inquiry -
• Build a dichotomous key on the board using
  student-generated questions.
• Reinforce that questions should be yes/no and the
  answers should direct you to the next set of
  questions
• Guided Inquiry
• Pose the question How can we create a
  dichotomous key for butterflies?
• Provide each student set of pictures of 6
  butterflies. (See Figure 1)
• Students then build a key for the butterflies.

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Closing The Lesson

• Book Talk How Dinosaurs Took Flight, by
  Christopher Sloan
• Read and discuss Pgs.20-21
• Ask questions similar to opening (e.g. How are
  birds and dinosaurs similar? How are they
  different? What are they called? Would it
  matter if you identified them incorrectly? How
  could you help someone differentiate between
  them?)

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Teacher Resources

• Assorted candy
• Butterfly pictures
• How Dinosaurs Took Flight, by Christopher Sloan
• Dichotomous Keys by Megan Miller
• Project Oceanica

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Enrichment Activities

• Students could create a dichotomous key for items
  in their homes.
• Students could research the links between
  dinosaurs and birds.

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Accommodations For Special Learners

• Small groups should be ability grouped
• Teacher should circulate and help as needed
• Peer tutors

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Standardized Test Item
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SWEET CLASSIFICATION for the Student
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Learning Goals

• You will be able to describe the similarities and
  differences between organisms.
• You will be able to classify animals into groups
  based on similar features.
• You will be able to infer how organisms are
  related.
• Use a simple classification key to identify an
  unknown organism.

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Assessment

• You will be graded on your completed dichotomous
  key of butterflies.
• Be sure to look over rubric and check of what you
  have done.
• See attached.

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Learning Activity

• You are an entomologist working for the Knoxville
  Zoo. You have been asked by an 8th grade class to
  help them identify 6 butterflies that they
  recently collected on a field trip. Design a
  dichotomous key that will identify each butterfly.

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Enrichment Activities

• Create a dichotomous key for items in your home.
• Research the relationship between dinosaurs and
  birds.