A Phylogenic Tree of Organisms

(a brief description of activity sequence)

ACTIVITY 1: (some time before I give them the chart) I write this on the board…

Then, I divide them in two groups and challenge each group to classify themselves until each kid is in their own “box.” (This is also a chance to talk about kindness when pointing out “characteristics” in each other)

They usually come up with something like this:

Then, we can ask questions like:

  1. What things do Bob & Quentin have in common?
  2. What is the last thing Hugo & Julian have in common?
  3. Who has the most in common with Talia?
  4. Is one group’s tree “better” than the other? (nope)

ACTIVITY 2: Kids draw little pics and color-code the tree (see handouts below)

ACTIVITY 3: “game show” format. “Using your “finger of science”… can you tell me..

… Do sand dollars have body segments? (yes)

… What makes ferns different than flowers? (ferns don’t have seeds)

… What do earthworm have in common with a lobster? (body segments, body cavity, bilateral symmetry, heterotroph, etc…)

Then I laminate the charts and we refer to them periodically throughout the year.


A Phylogenic Tree of Organisms

PLEASE NOTE: It is important that you really take your time and do a nice job on these. I will have these laminated so that we can use them for the duration of the school year (look at all the stuff you don’t have to memorize!). Yes, you have to do all of it and yes, the pictures should be in color (or very high quality black and white sketches if you prefer.)

Instructions for today:

STEP 1: Color code your phylogenic tree (use class copy of handout)

STEP 2: Color at least 20 mini-pictures next to the name of the appropriate organism (see example “Tree of Life” on the board) It is strongly recommended that you do more. The purpose is to have a nicely illustrated chart – try for 50 if you’re up for the challenge! 

STEP 3: Read the instructions and answer the questions below thoughtfully. I’m more interested in the why than the what here, folks.

Explanation: READ THIS!

As you read this tree, start a the bottom left corner where it says, “Based on Time” with your “magic science finger.” This, according to the scientific theory of evolution is where life began. As your finger traces up the lines of the tree, the “branches” represent major changes in the evolution of living species. (Evolution means “change over time.”) Therefore, the organisms closest to the “Based on Time” are considered the oldest evolutionarily speaking, and the ones farthest away from the “Based on Time” (ex: humans) are considered the “youngest.”

Remember as you read the chart the ideas we discussed with the classifications of ourselves as a class. The farther two organisms “stay together” before branching off the tree, the more related they are. And the most closely related organisms will branch off the closest to each other, near the end of the branch. Finally, if you remember, as you move down the branch, for example, from “Boys” to “Braces” to “Dark Hair” and finally to “Billy Bob,” you can conclude that Billy Bob is a boy, wears braces and has dark hair. Similarly, as you move down the branches of this tree, an organism will have all of the characteristics on the branch before it. For example, follow the branch past Monerans towards Animals. You will pass 3 boxes: “Eukaryotic” “Multicellular” and “Heterotroph.” That means that all Animals past that point have those three characteristics. Plants are also eukaryotic and multicellular, but they are NOT heterotrophic because they branch off BEFORE that box was reached. Good luck. Remember that when I ask for an organism, I’m asking for “worm” or “elephant.” When I ask for a phylum, I’m looking for Mollusca or Chordata.

* Do your best. Think of it as a big “Where’s Waldo?” Game *

  1. List the KINGDOM in which you would find the following:

______spruce trees

______amebas

______sponges

______mushrooms

  1. Name one organism that closely related to the sea star? Explain how you got your answer.
  1. Name three orders of Mammals.
  1. To which Phylum do spiders belong? Name four other organisms in that phylum.
  1. What is difference between fern plants and pine trees? Explain how you got your answer.
  1. Which phylum has an “exoskeleton” or “skeleton on the outside”?
  1. Which class is most closely related to Reptiles? Explain how you got your answer.
  1. There are three classes in the phylum Molluska. One class has snails in it and one class has clams. Name one organism in the third class I did not mention.
  1. Name two organisms closely related to the guinea pig.
  1. Which two kingdoms have cell walls?
  1. Do octopuses have body segments? Explain your answer.
  1. Do ginko trees have flowers in the springtime? Why or why not?
  1. What organism is closely related to the pill bug or “roly-poly” bug? Explain.
  1. Are sand dollars living? Why or why not?
  1. List the following for HUMAN BEINGS:

kingdom : ______

phylum: ______

class: ______

order: ______

Finally, there are some new words on this chart that you will have to know.

PROKARYOTIC – cells that do not have a nucleus

EUKARYOTIC – cells that DO have a nucleus

UNICELLULAR – organisms made up of only one cell in their whole body

MULTICELLULAR – organisms made up of many cells

AUTOTROPH (“auto” means “self”) – organisms that make their own food (make the

food by their self)

HETEROTROPH (“hetero-“ means “other”) – organisms that eat other things for their

food (eats “others”)

Please fill out the chart below, describing each of the kingdoms.

Kingdom / Prokaryotic or Eukaryotic? / Unicellular or Multicellular? / Autotroph or Heterotroph?
MONERA
PROTISTS
FUNGI
PLANT
ANIMAL

Color-coding the Tree of Life Handout

Follow the instructions carefully in order to color-code your “tree of life”!

  1. Choose a color for KINGDOM (the largest and least specific group). Look under the KEY and color in the box for KINGDOM with that color. Then, with that same color, put a box around the following words:

MONERA

FUNGI

PROTISTS

ANIMALS

PLANTS

  1. Choose a different color for PHYLUM/DIVISON. (Kingdoms are broken into smaller groups called phylums.) Mark down that color in the KEY and then underline the following words on your chart.

SCHIZOPHYTAFERNS

ARCHAEBACTERIABRYOPHYTA

SARCODINAGINKOS

SPOROZOACONIFERS

“FUNGUS-LIKE”ANGIOSPERMS

“ALGAE-LIKE”PORIFERA

CILIOPHORACNIDARIA

ZOOMASTIGINAPLATYHELMINTHES

ZYGOMYCOTAMOLLUSKA

ASCOMYCOTAANNELIDA

BASIOMYCOTAARTHROPODA

IMPERFECT FUNGIECHINODERMATA

CHORDATA

  1. Take the same color you used for PHYLUM and make a dotted line underneatht he following words in that color. These are considered “sub-phylums” – although you will not need to know that term in particular. (these words are over by the “Arthropod” sections)

CRUSTACEANS

CHELICERATA

UNARAMIA

VERTEBRATES

  1. Choose a new color for CLASS. (Phylums are broken into even smaller groups called classes.) Mark that color in your key and underline the following words.

HYDROZOAASTEROIDEA

ANTHAZOAECHINODEA

SCYPHOZOAHOLOTHUROIDEA

GASTROPODATUNICATES

BIVALVEAGNATHA

CEPHALOPODSCHONDRICHTHYES

TRILOBITESOSTEOICHTHES

ARACHNIDAAMPHIBIANS

MYRIAPODSMAMMALS

INSECTAREPTILIA

AVES

  1. Choose a color for ORDER. (Classes are broken up into orders. Now, the groups are starting to get a little more specific!) Color in the key and underline the following. (These are all under “vertebrates”)

ANURAENDENTATA

URODELACETACEANS

CHELONIACHIROPTERA

CROCODILIAUNGULATE

SQUAMATAPROBOSCIDEA

MARSUPIALSCARNIVORA

MONOTREMAPRIMATES

INSECTOVORA

RODENTIA

LAGOMORPHA

  1. Lastly, choose a final color for EVOLUTIONARY CHANGE. Color in the key and the boxes that occur along the tree. Good work!

THERE ARE MANY, MANY MORE DIVISONS ON THIS TREE (I’ve left out classes and orders, and still need to divide the groups in FAMILY, GENUS, and SPECIES) UNTIL EACH SPECIES OF LIVING THINGS HAVE THEIR OWN “BOX” AT THE BOTTOM. OBVIOUSLY, I COULD NOT FIT ALL THOSE DIVISIONS ON THIS SHEET OF PAPER. (THERE ARE WELL OVER A MILLION DIFFERENT SPECIES!) HOWEVER, THIS SHOULD GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF JUST HOW COMPLEX THIS PHYLOGENIC TREE IS!

* IF YOU HAVE NOT MADE ANY MARKS ON THIS PIECE OF PAPER, PLEASE RETURN IT SO SOMEONE ELSE MAY USE IT. IF YOU DID MARK ON IT, KEEP THIS SHEET OR RECYCLE IT.