 Unit EQ: How are living

things classified and

scientifically compared?
 Lesson EQ: How do
scientists classify living
things?
 Lesson EQ: How do
scientists classify living
things?

Answer: According to
their shared
characteristics.
 Activating Strategy
Brainstorm for three
minutes.
How are these items put
into groups at Wal-Mart?
Milk, eggs, mp3 player, TV,
shirts, and pants.
 Key Terms
Classification
Characteristics
Organisms
arrange into
groups Classification Linnaeus
 Charles Linnaeus
Swedish naturalist
1735 developed a
classification system.
Founder of modern
taxonomy.
 Charles Linnaeus
Grouped organisms according
to what they looked like.
While changes have been
made, his system is the basis
for our present classification
system.
 Lesson EQ: How do
scientists classify living
things?
Answer: According to
their shared
characteristics.
 What are the 7 major
classification levels for
organisms (p.214)?
Kingdom Family
Phylum Genus
Class Species
Order
 Kingdom

As we go up, the number

Phylum of organisms in each
group increases. But, the
number of common traits
Class
decreases. Organisms are
less alike.
Order
As we go down, the
number of organisms
Family in each group
decreases. But, the
number of common
Genus traits increases.
Organisms are more
alike.
Species
 Collaborative Pairs
Working with your partner,
complete the worksheet,
using the common housecat
as an example.
Teacher led review will
follow.
 Kingdom
Animalia

Phylum Chordata

Class Mammalia

Order
Carnivora

Family
Felidae

Genus Felis

Species catus
 Binomial nomenclature
Developed by Charles
Linnaeus
Two name system for
writing scientific names.
Binomial Nomenclature is
used for four reasons:
1. To help avoid mistakes
2. Organisms with similar
evolutionary histories
are classified together.
3. Scientific names give
descriptive information
about the species
4. Scientific names allow
information about
organisms to be organized
easily and efficiently.
 Think-Pair-Share
1. Why do scientists classify living
things?
2. What are the 7 major classification
levels for organisms?
3. Who was the first to develop the
classification system?
4. What is binomial nomenclature?
5. Why is binomial nomenclature used?
 TOTD
How do scientists classify
living things?

Answer: According to
their shared
characteristics.