LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

Goal 4

The learner will develop an understanding of the unity and diversity of life.

Objective 4.01

Analyze the classification of organisms according to their evolutionary relationships.

  • The historical development and changing nature of classification systems.
  • Similarities and differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic organisms.
  • Similarities and differences among the eukaryotic kingdoms: Protists, Fungi, Plants, Animals.
  • Classify organisms using keys.

Resources aligned to this objective

A comparison of the plant ecology of two fields
Students will apply random sampling techniques to do a plant population/community/ecosystem study to model how these things are interrelated.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
By Linda Sutton.
Comparative anatomy: A continuum
In groups, students will design a presentation that will trace the development of an organ system through the major phyla of the animal kingdom looking for the relationships between structure and function by documenting adaptations.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Development, Information Skills, and Science)
By Joan Warner and Melissa Thibault.
Classification with pictures
Students learn taxonomy through presenting a project to the class.
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
By Lemuel Lamb.

Resources on the web

Survival of the fittest?
This lesson, from Xpeditions, introduces students to crocodilian species. Crocodilians, including crocodiles and alligators, are ancient animals that survived the period of mass extinction at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary about 65 million years ago. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Science)
Provided by: National Geographic
Classify that!
In this lesson from Science NetLinks, students will get acquainted with diverse forms of life by using modern biological classification systems to group animals that are related. Students will learn about basic scientific groupings like genus, species, mammals,... (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science)
Provided by: American Association for the Advancement of Science