7th grade Integrated Science

Standard V, Objective 2

Title: Classification Charades

Description: Students will recognize that classification is a tool made by science to describe perceived patterns in nature.

Materials: Copies of “organism charades” in envelopes (see templates below) Student sheet.

Time Needed: will vary depending on how long students play charades. 50 minutes should be enough.

Procedures:

1. Create enough envelopes of “charades” containing the information needed to classify the different organisms for every 2 or 3 students to have one (roughly 18 envelopes per class, they are reusable) This a key to the organisms:

#1 - #4 Animals

#5 - #8 Plants

#9 - #11 Protists

#12 - #14 Bacteria

#15 - #18 Fungi

2. Read the introduction with students and, if needed, describe in more detail the characteristics of each kingdom.

3. Allow students time to identify the 5 organisms pictured and had out envelopes while they work.

4. Explain that the characteristics in each envelope describe an organism in one of the five kingdoms. They are to read one trait at a time to a competing team. If the team doesn’t get the correct kingdom, they gain a point. The team with the fewest points wins (they have correctly identified the kingdoms quickest)

5. The students should not use a key during the game.

Student Sheet Name______

Period _____

Title: Classification Charades

Introduction: Once upon a time, the accepted pattern for classifying all living things was that they were either plants or animals. Animals included every living thing that moved, ate, and grew to a certain size and stopped growing. Plants included every living thing that did not move or eat and that continued to grow throughout life.

It became very difficult to group living things this way, so early in the past century the two kingdoms were expanded into five kingdoms: Protists, Fungi, Plants, Animals, and Monera. Many biologists now recognize six distinct kingdoms, dividing Monera into two groups. This system is accepted for now. It might even hold up for a century or two. Systems of classification have changed at a far faster pace than you might expect. But that is science for you, when new evidence is found, things change.

Directions:

1. Use the key on the next page to classify the organisms found in this table. Use the characteristics to help you.

Organism

Size / Single cell / multicellular / multicellular / Very small single cell / Multi-cellular
Moves / yes / yes / no / No and yes / no
Green (can make their own food) / Some yes, some no / no / yes / Some yes, some no / no
Cell structures / Nucleus, no cell wall / Nucleus, no cell wall / Nucleus, cell wall, chloroplasts / No nucleus or other organelles, cell wall / Has cell wall and nucleus
Name

Kingdoms Classification

1. Is it green or does it have green cell parts?

o  Yes - go to 2

o  No - go to 3

2. Could be a plant or a protist, or blue-green bacteria.

o  Single-celled? go to 6

o  Multicellular: cell walls, internal structures. …………………….It’s a Plant

3. Could be a moneran (bacteria), protist, fungus, or animal.

o  Single-celled - go to 4

o  Multicellular - go to 5

4. Could be a moneran or a protist. Can you see any detail inside the cell?

o  Yes - You should be able to see at least a nucleus and/or and a definite shape. Movement should be present, using cilia, flagella, or amoeboid motion. Cilia or flagella may be difficult to see. ………...……..it’s a Protist

o  No -Should be quite small. May be shaped like short dashes (rods), small dots (cocci), or curved or spiral shaped.. …………………..It’s a Moneran

5. Animalia or Fungi. Is it moving?

o  Yes - Movement can be by cilia, flagella, or complex, involving parts that contract. ……………………………………..…………………..It’s an Animal

o  No - Usually attached to some piece of decaying matter - may form a fuzzy coating on or around an object.…………...……………It’s a Fungus

6. Most likely Protista. If it consists of long, unbranched greenish filaments with no apparent structure inside, it is blue-green bacteria, a Moneran.

2. Use the envelopes your teacher has provided to play “Classification Charades”. These are the rules:

a. one team reads the contents of their envelop and decides which trait to start with. They read that trait to the opposite team who guess the organisms’ kingdom.

b. If the team doesn’t get the clue, a minus point is written down and another clue is read and so on until the team gets it right. Record only your team data.

c. Then the team that read the clues is the team that responds to the clues.

d. Trade envelopes when both teams have gone.

Data

Organism / Minus points / Organism / Minus points
1 / 10
2 / 11
3 / 12
4 / 13
5 / 14
6 / 15
7 / 16
8 / 17
9 / 18

Organism #1

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / yes
Green / no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Has sense organs

Organism #2

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / yes
Green / no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Breathes underwater

Organism #3

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / yes
Green / no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Has no internal skeleton

Organism #4

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / yes
Green / no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Lays eggs

Organism #5

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / yes
Cell Structures / Nucleus, cell wall, chloroplasts
Another trait / Has spores

Organism #6

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / yes
Cell Structures / Nucleus, cell wall, chloroplasts
Another trait / Has needles

Organism #7

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / yes
Cell Structures / Nucleus, cell wall, chloroplasts
Another trait / Has flowers

Organism #8

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / yes
Cell Structures / Nucleus, cell wall, chloroplasts
Another trait / Soft and spongy

Organism #9

Size / Single cell
Moves / yes
Green / Some yes, some no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Have cilia

Organism #10

Size / Single cell
Moves / yes
Green / Some yes, some no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Live in water

Organism #11

Size / Single cell
Moves / yes
Green / Some yes, some no
Cell Structures / Nucleus, no cell wall
Another trait / Moves by extending a cell part

Organism #12

Size / Very small single cell
Moves / No and yes
Green / Some yes, some no
Cell Structures / No nucleus or other organelles, cell wall
Another trait / Rod shaped cells

Organism #13

Size / Very small single cell
Moves / No and yes
Green / Some yes, some no
Cell Structures / No nucleus or other organelles, cell wall
Another trait / Round shaped cells

Organism #14

Size / Very small single cell
Moves / No and yes
Green / Some yes, some no
Cell Structures / No nucleus or other organelles, cell wall
Another trait / Spiral shaped cells

Organism #15

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / no
Cell Structures / Has cell wall and nucleus
Another trait / edible

Organism #16

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / no
Cell Structures / Has cell wall and nucleus
Another trait / Grow on trees

Organism #17

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / no
Cell Structures / Has cell wall and nucleus
Another trait / Have layers

Organism #18

Size / Multi-cellular
Moves / no
Green / no
Cell Structures / Has cell wall and nucleus
Another trait / Create gas that allows bread to rise.