Lesson Plan: Dichotomous Keys Biology
This lesson plan includes the objectives, prerequisites, and exclusions of the lesson teaching students how to design and use a dichotomous key.
Objectives
Students will be able to
- define a dichotomous key as a series of paired choices or descriptions,
- outline the purpose of a dichotomous key as a method of classifying organisms by physical appearance,
- use and design a simple dichotomous key to identify organisms.
Prerequisites
Students should already be familiar with
- different organisms having different physical features.
Exclusions
Students will not cover
- natural (phylogenetic) classification.
