Sunday, May 12, 2013

Monday Science Freebie - Dichotomous Keys


This week I'm sharing a packet of materials on using and making dichotomous keys. You'll find a page of informational text, directions for using a key, directions for making a key, and two different student worksheets.

Here's a sneak peak at the contents.

Download Dichotomous Keys.

I hope you get a chance to use these in your home or classroom. Please let me know if you try these and how you like them!

**Updated January 2019. Please note that in the updated version the Blue-footed Booby has been replaced with another animal.

18 comments:

  1. This sounds really fun. My students would definitely be engaged. Thanks for the freebie :)

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  2. Thank you :) Would be a good starting point for my biology class.

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  3. Need solution to dichotomous key chart hammerhead shark, turtle, tortoise etc. Could not work it out

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  4. Could someone send an answer key for the Make your own dichotomous key? thanks, jeff

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  5. Please, can you upload the key answer for your own dichotomous key.Thanks

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  6. Hello All,

    There isn’t an answer key because the idea is for students to use what they know about animal characteristics and dichotomous keys to build their own. There are many possible answers. Here’s one example if you want to model for the kids.

    1 a. Reptile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 2
    b. Not a reptile . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 4

    2 a. Lives in water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sea Turtle
    b. Does not live in water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 3

    3 a. Has a shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Galapagos Tortoise
    b. Has no shell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Iguana

    4 a. Flies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 5
    b. Does not fly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hammerhead Shark

    5 a. Blue feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue-footed Booby
    b. No blue feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Frigatebird


    Here’s another example.

    1 a. Feathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 2
    b. No feathers . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 3

    2 a. Has red pouch (gular skin) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Frigatebird
    b. Has no red pouch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue-footed Booby

    3 a. No true bones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hammerhead Shark
    b. Has true bones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 4

    4 a. Has flippers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sea Turtle
    b. Does not have flippers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . go to 5

    5 a. Live in trees. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Iguana
    b. Do not live in trees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Galapagos Tortoise

    When I do this with kids we brainstorm characteristics we could use to sort the animals as a way to begin thinking about developing the key.
    Once kids create their own, we exchange keys and they solve each others.

    Let me know if this is helpful or if you need additional information.

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  7. Thankyou, these worksheets are great. Is it possible to edit them? The first page talks about bionomial nomenclature but this should be binomial.

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    1. Thank you for pointing out this error. I have corrected it.

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  8. Love the aliens. I'm using it with my 8th graders!!!

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  9. Where are you getting “go to 2 and go to 4 etc from?” I cannot figure it out?

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    1. When you create a key, you determine each of the steps. So, when the reader looks at the first set of traits, you have to send them to the next trait that will allow them to work through the key until the organism is identified. Does this make sense?

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  10. You can use Creately dichotomous key maker to create dichotomous keys online. There are templates and examples to get started as well.

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  11. Thank you so much. My students like this activity. It made, they understand about Dichotomous key.

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