Summary: There are differences within and between groups of organisms; classification helps organise this diversity.
Classifying Living Things
“identify reasons for classifying living things”
“classify a variety of living things based on similarities and differences in structural features”
“use simple keys to identify a range of plants and animals”
Notes
- General reasons include ease of identification and communication with other scientists/experts
- Practical applications can be explored/investigated – e.g. identifying the small number of mosquito types (out of thousands) that can carry malaria
- Brainstorm activity (involving dragons) can be
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Literacy] Sorting | Basic activity: provide students with a bunch of candy of different brands. In groups, students can sort the candy into different groups, then justify their grouping to the class during discussion. |
| [Literacy] Sorting | This activity is originally inspired by an introductory activity from the Science Quest 7 for Victoria – Australian Curriculum Edition (2015) textbook. To summarise the idea behind it: many animals/plants share similar words in their name (e.g. fish, and from the textbook: dragon) but are very different from one another. E.g. goldfish, starfish, cuttlefish, jellyfish, crawfish, swordfish (this is an inconsistent and confusing way to classify organisms) You can provide students with a bunch of examples of animals that share similar parts in their names, and ask students to sort them in different ways (focusing on features) Bonus: students can also try to come up with a new naming system |
| [Research] Carl Linnaeus | Can serve as an introduction to taxonomy |
| [Literacy] Sorting | Give students a large set of animals (wide variety), and ask them to sort them into birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insects If students are unfamiliar with how to distinguish between types, you can provide them a reference guide, or encourage them to do further research Can also throw in fictional animals and get students to debate which category would be best |
| [Literacy] Guess Who | In pairs, students are given a matching set of animals (and/or plants). Each select one, then take turns asking questions to guess their partner’s chosen organism. |
| [Literacy] Dichotomous Key | Provide students a set of animals or objects (e.g. candy). Using this set, students design a dichotomous key Students can then present their key to the class and perform a blind test (the class selects different items and, without looking, the students presenting must correctly identify each item by asking questions to the class) |
Types of Living Things
“identify some examples of groups of micro-organisms”
“outline the structural features used to group living things, including plants, animals, fungi and bacteria”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
| [Literacy] Animal Analysis | Students/the class analyse an image of an animal, e.g. a dog Students write down and discuss words to describe the animal’s features, and how those features are beneficial to the animal |
Adaptations
“explain how the features of some Australian plants and animals are adaptations for survival and reproduction in their environment”
Notes
| Activity/Resource | Notes |
|---|---|
*Will continue adding/refining ideas here over time.
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