Hands-on and Meaningful Classification

What a great idea! I love the idea of having students create the classification and identification key to help them understand these important concepts and skills. I would suggest that any... See More

What a great idea! I love the idea of having students create the classification and identification key to help them understand these important concepts and skills. I would suggest that any item could be used if there were enough of them with enough variety or differences. However, since I teach at a land-locked school, I think my students would really enjoy working with the seashells too! The article includes great student directions, which are easy to follow. I will try this one next year within our environmental science unit.

Understanding Scientific Cllassification

This article presents a seashell inquiry classification activity to use with middle school students. The classification key must follow five guidelines. Students must first name the differ... See More

This article presents a seashell inquiry classification activity to use with middle school students. The classification key must follow five guidelines. Students must first name the different shells and then create their own classification guide based on the physical characteristics of the shells. Worksheet instructions are provided and the resources at the end of the article include purchasing of shells and classification websites. This is a good introduction to scientific classification using inexpensive items yet durable items.