Classifying Organisms
7th Grade
WebQuest
SOL LS.5
Introduction
Task
Process
Created by
Paula Pulley
2008
Modified by S. Newcomb
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 (not grouped by item). Where
would you begin? You would have to search through
many, many 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
You will research the distinguishing characteristics
of kingdoms of organisms, the distinguishing
characteristics of animal and plant genera and
the characteristics of the species.
As you explore keep the following questions in
mind:
Task, continued
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•
•
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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 genera?
Process
• Follow the directions for each section
carefully.
• Read through everything and complete
activities.
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 lily, a blue jay and a tree?
Plants
Animals
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 Maryland.
There may be some people from North East.
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.
Maryland
North East
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.
QuickTi me™ and a
TIFF ( Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see thi s pi ctur e.
QuickTi me™ and a
TIFF ( Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see thi s pi ctur e.
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
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Bacteria
Archaea
Protists
Fungi
Plants
Animals