Mrs. Wolodkowicz
Biology 1H
OOOOH That Smell…Stinky Feet Meet Classification
I.
Purpose: To create a dichotomous key utilizing fellow student’s shoes.
II.
Materials: 10 single shoes, masking tape, pencil, & paper.
III.
Procedure:
A. Assemble a group of 10 students.
B. Gather 10 different single shoes.
C. Place a strip of masking tape on the soles of each shoe and label it with the owner’s name.
D. Place the shoes on a central desk accessible to all.
E. Get into groups of 2-3 and make a table (refer to Chart A in the results section) that lists
some of the general characteristics of the shoes.
F. Using the information in the table, make a dichotomous key that can be used to identify
the owner of each shoe. Remember, a dichotomous key includes pairs of opposing
descriptions. At the end of each description, the key should either identify an object or
give directions to go to another specific pair of descriptions. The student’s dichotomous
key should be placed in the results section of the lab.
G. Exchange keys with other groups to determine if the key is accurate.
IV.
Results: Should include informational chart and dichotomous key
Chart A (Set up).
Left/Right
Men/Woman
Laced/Slip On/
Color
Size
Owner
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
V.
Conclusion: Incorporate a conclusion into the laboratory report followed by the following
questions.
A. What other characteristics might be used to identify shoes with a dichotomous key?
B. Was the student able to identify the shoes using the other group’s key? If not, describe the
problems encountered.
C. Does a dichotomous key begin with general descriptions and then proceed to more
specific descriptions, or vice versa? Explain the answer, giving an example from the key
the student made.
D. Are dichotomous keys based on a phylogenetic or morphological approach to
classification? Explain the answer.
Mrs. Wolodkowicz
Biology 1H