Though Next Generation Science Standards does not emphasize the memorizing of major groups anymore, students can benefit from learning the basics of how animals are classified. Taxonomy is often introduced with evolution, where students learn how to analyze phylogenetic trees and create cladograms.
This worksheet is a simple reinforcement exercise that covers the six kingdoms and the classification system developed by Carolus Linnaeus. I teach my students to learn this system with the mnemonic “King Philip Came Over For Great Soup” though there are many other versions. Each letter corresponds with a level of classification: Kingdom, Phylym, Class, Order, Family Genus, Species. You can add “darling” to the front of the sentence if you also want to include DOMAIN.
What I’ve found is that students can memorize this sequence, but they struggle with the actual concepts. Many will not be able to explain why there are more individual species within a class than there are within an order. Hierarchies can be difficult. I often uses boxes of varies sizes to show how each level fits into the next one.
Download PDF Google Doc Key (TpT)
My slides for classification are shown below. They are Google slides and can be edited if you make a copy.
Gini Mathews
Hello Shannan,
I am a bio teacher who was working in Saudi Arabia and now living in Perth. I received a contract to teach biology in a high school and the Lord enabled me to stumble upon your site which blew me off.
Thank you so much for your effort to help students and teachers alike in this journey of learning science and biology in particular. I am deeply obliged for this immense kindness of opening a forum for us all to benefit.
God bless you.
Jennifer Lucero
This site has been so helpful in the past for ideas, and even more so now as we are 100% online. You mention that we can make a copy of your google slide show on taxonomy and edit them ( I will of course give you credit)and usually I am pretty good with tech, but it appears your slide show is embeded in the page(?). How can I open the show in slides? Then I can proceed to make a copy.
Thank you for being so willing to share.
Admin
That’s weird, usually the embed slides can be opened. Here’s the direct link, don’t forget to make a copy if you want to edit. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ZcKMRbr-fosrmSWyPD1JSYZdhwF9fOiALUGswT1YGqU/edit?usp=sharing
Anndrea
First time seeing your site – it’s great!
I have a question about your Classification Slides show: What are those two animals on the first slide? I think the one on the right is an Elephant Shrew of some sort? I have no idea about the black and white one on the left! I am burning with curiosity! Please help!
Admin
The black and white one is a tapir, juveniles have different coloration from the adults to blend into the forest. The mouse looking one is an elephant shrew.