Classifying Organisms
7th Grade
WebQuest
SOL LS.5
Introduction
Task
Process
Created by
Paula Pulley
2008
Resources
Introduction
Suppose you had only 10 minutes to run into a
supermarket to get what you needed. Could you do it?
In most supermarkets this would be an easy task. You
would probably head straight to the area where the items
were located. But what if you had to shop for the same
items in a market where things were randomly placed
throughout the store. Where would you begin? You
would have to search through a lot of things before you
found what you needed! You could be there for a long
time!
Biologists have organized living things with similarities into
groups so that the organisms are easier to study. This
process is called classification.
Task
Working with a partner, you will research the
distinguishing characteristics of kingdoms
of organisms, the distinguishing
characteristics of major animal and plant
phyla and the characteristics of the
species.
As you explore keep the following questions
in mind:
Task, continued
•
•
•
•
•
Why do scientists classify?
What are the major levels of classification?
How are organisms classified?
What is binomial nomenclature?
What are the six different kingdoms of
organisms that are generally recognized by
scientists today?
• What are some examples of major animal and
plant phyla?
Process
• Follow the directions for each section
carefully.
• Answer all questions in your notebook or
on a sheet of paper.
Why Do Scientists Classify?
Classification is the process of grouping
things based on their similarities.
Biologists use classification to organize
living things into groups so that the
organisms are easier to study.
The scientific study of how living things are
classified is called taxonomy.
Classify Organisms Based on Physical
Features
• How might you classify a sunflower, a robin,
a lizard, a blue jay, and a tree? Copy the
table on paper and fill in your answers.
Plants
Animals
Classify Organisms Based on Physical
Features
What characteristics
may have been
used to group these
beetles?
Write answers on your
paper.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Levels of Classification
Species
Organisms are
grouped by their
shared
characteristics.
Genus
Family
Order
Class
Phylum
Kingdom
Understanding Classification
Imagine a room filled with everybody from the state of Virginia.
There may be some people from Suffolk.
There may be some people from your neighborhood.
There may be some people that live on your street.
You will be the only one that lives in your house.
Virginia
Suffolk
Harbour View
1st Street
#123
The most general
group you belong to is the state.
The most specific group you belong to is
the house.
The more levels you share with others,
the more you have in
common.
Levels of Classification
• Click on the following link to complete a
classification activity. Return to this
webquest when you are done.
http://www.quia.com/pp/51115.html?AP_rand=463451876
Binomial Nomenclature
• Linnaeus devised a system of naming organisms.
Linnaeus placed organisms in groups based on their
observable features. Each organism has a unique, twopart scientific name. This naming system is called
binomial nomenclature.
• Click on each picture below to see what their scientific
names are.
Kingdoms
• Any grouping of organisms into kingdoms is
based on several factors:
– Presence of a nucleus
– Unicellular or multi-cellular
– How organisms get their food.
• Six different kingdoms of organisms are
generally recognized by scientists today
–
–
–
–
–
–
Bacteria
Archaea
Protists
Fungi
Plants
Animals
Kingdoms, continued
Go to the following website find out what the main
characteristics of these kingdoms are. Complete the
following chart on paper.
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/science/sciber00/7th/classify
/sciber/5king2.htm
Protists
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Fungi
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Plants
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Animals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5
Kingdoms, continued
Go to the following website find out what some of the
characteristics of these kingdoms are. Complete the
following chart on paper.
http://student.ccbcmd.edu/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit1/3d
omain/3domain.html
Bacteria
1.
2.
3.
Archaea
1.
2.
3.
Recognize Examples of Major Animal
Phyla
Use the following websites to unscramble major animal
phyla and answer the questions that follow. Write the
words and answers on paper.
a r d c i n s n i a __________________
http://www.middleschoolscience.com/cniderians.htm
1. List 3 examples of this phyla.
l o l u k s s m ____________________
http://www.virted.org/Animals/Mollusks.html
2. Name the 3 groupings of this phyla.
n e a d i l s n _______________________
http://www.virted.org/Animals/Earthworms.html
3. How many species of this phyla are there?
Animal Phyla, cont.
Use the following websites to unscramble major animal
phyla and answer the questions that follow. Write the
words and answers on paper.
d o a r h r t o p s _________________
http://www.virted.org/Animals/Insect.html
4. This phyla is the first animal group to have _______ legs.
m r d e h c i o n e s ____________________
http://www.virted.org/Animals/Starfish.html
5. This phyla generally have ____ arms and dwell at the bottom of oceans’
levels.
e t a c o h r d s ____________________
http://www.virted.org/Animals/Chordate.html
6. Animal groups in this phyla include _____, _____, _____, ______and
_____.
Recognize Examples of Major Plant
Phyla
Use the following websites to unscramble major plant phyla and answer
the questions that follow. Write the words and answers on paper.
s m o s e s _____________
http://www.virted.org/Plants/Mosses.html
1. This plant phyla are found in _____ areas and do not grow vertically too high but
can spread out to be a yard long.
o f r e s c n i ______________
http://www.backyardnature.net/conifers.htm
2. This plant phyla bears ______, instead of real fruits.
n r s f e _______________
http://www.virted.org/Plants/Ferns.html
3. This plant phyla can mostly be found in ________ _______ _________.
w o f l r n i g e a l p s n t _________ ________
http://www.virted.org/Plants/Flower.html
4. The four basic parts of this plant phyla are ______, _______, _______, and
_______.
Resources
•
http://www.quia.com/pp/51115.html?AP_rand=463451876
•
http://pick4.pick.uga.edu/mp/20p?see=I_RB13&res=640
•
http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-364016/marbled-cat
•
http://www.wordwebonline.com/en/FELISDOMESTICUS
•
http://www.usoe.k12.ut.us/curr/science/sciber00/7th/classify/sciber/5king2.htm
•
http://student.ccbcmd.edu/courses/bio141/lecguide/unit1/3domain/3domain.
html
•
http://www.middleschoolscience.com
•
http://www.virted.org
•
http://www.backyardnature.net