• To facilitate student’s learning of the original classification system and to teach students how to manipulate the Internet.

• Students will use pictures of familiar animals and classify them using the original classification system.  The Original classification system consists of the 5 kingdoms such as Monera, Animalia, Plantae etc.
• Students will learn to navigate around the online dichotomous key.
• Students will learn how to create their own dichotomous key.

• Computer connected to the Internet.
• Paper and pens.
• Chalk and blackboard (or white board and markers).

    1.    Write on the blackboard the words, “Dog” and “Shark”
    2.    Ask the students why they are named differently:
               “Why do these animals have different names?”
               “Why don’t we call them by the same name?”
    3.    Discus or starts a discussion on the physical differences between the two animals.
    4.    Explain that the scientists like to know exactly what each animal, plant and other organisms are, and so
            have developed a way of identifying each and every one.

            With plants and animals scientists use something called a dichotomous key.

            How a dichotomous key works is by looking at the physical characteristics of all the animals and by
            using a series of questions groups them into a hierarchy classification.  Starting at the Kingdom, then
            the Phylum, then Class, Order, Family, Genus and species.
    5.    Ask the students to identify which kingdom dogs and sharks belong to:
                “From what you know, what Kingdom do Dogs belong to?”
                …”and sharks?”
    6.    Go through the next classification name (?) as well, see how far they can go.
    7.    Ask students what human classification would be.
                 - Go through the classification hierarchy with them for humans.
    8.    Get the students to pull up the Dichotomous Key online.
    9.    Working singly, get the students to correctly identify each of the given animals.
   10.   Get the students to draw up a list of animals they would like to use for a dichotomous key of their own.
   11.   Use one of the links (find which one is best) to find the scientific name for each of their animals.
   12.   On paper get them to create their own dichotomous key, using the Dichotomous Key Outline as a
            reference.

    1.    If students have a working knowledge of the classification system.
    2.    Successful identification of all the given examples online.
    3.    Ability make their own key.