Science lesson plan · 8th grade (Year 9 in England) · 60 minutes
Classification levels and scientific (binomial) names
Animals and habitats
CCSS NGSS.MS-LS4-2England: GCSE Biology: Classification of living organisms
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Classification levels and scientific (binomial) names.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Sort living things into kingdoms
Leads to: Read cladograms and shared derived traits
Materials: Animal picture cards, Habitat maps, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Sort living things into kingdoms). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- Which kingdom does this belong to: the malaria parasite (Plasmodium)? (fungi / plants / prokaryotes (bacteria) / protists) → protistsPrompt: Is it one cell or many? Does it have a nucleus?
- Corals look like rocks or plants. Why are they classed as animals? (They live in water / Their cells have no walls and they catch food / They are hard / They are green) → Their cells have no walls and they catch foodPrompt: Look at how they feed and what their cells are like.
- Kingdoms of life: which statement is NOT true? (Plants and many algae make their own food using light. / Fungi are not plants: they cannot photosynthesise. / Viruses are a kingdom of living things. / Animals cannot make their own food.) → Viruses are a kingdom of living things.Prompt: Can a mushroom photosynthesise?
Hook · 6 min
- Show a picture of an unusual animal and ask where it might live and how it survives there.
- Share the objective: Classification levels and scientific (binomial) names. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 12 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Which two organisms are most closely related? Canis lupus, Ailuropoda melanoleuca, Ursus maritimus, Ursus arctos
- Step 1: Polar bears and brown bears share the genus Ursus.
- Step 2: So the answer is: Ursus maritimus + Ursus arctos
- Answer: Ursus maritimus + Ursus arctos
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 12 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Which two organisms are most closely related? Canis lupus, Ursus arctos, Canis latrans, Vulpes vulpes (Vulpes vulpes + Ursus arctos / Canis latrans + Ursus arctos / Canis latrans + Vulpes vulpes / Canis lupus + Canis latrans) → Canis lupus + Canis latransPrompt: The first word of a scientific name is the genus.
- Why do scientists use Latin binomial names such as Homo sapiens? (Everyone in every country uses the same name for a species / Common names are not allowed / Only Latin speakers study biology / Latin names are shorter) → Everyone in every country uses the same name for a speciesPrompt: A robin in the UK and a robin in the USA are different birds.
You do: independent practice · 17 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Which two organisms are most closely related? Fagus sylvatica, Quercus robur, Quercus ilex, Pinus sylvestris (Quercus robur + Quercus ilex / Quercus robur + Pinus sylvestris / Quercus robur + Fagus sylvatica / Quercus ilex + Pinus sylvestris) → Quercus robur + Quercus ilexPrompt: The first word of a scientific name is the genus.
- Lions (Panthera leo) and leopards (Panthera pardus) are in the same genus. Which other level must they also share? (only the kingdom, nothing in between / family / nothing else / species) → familyPrompt: Think about how the levels nest inside each other.
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Sort living things into kingdoms.
- Use concrete materials: animal picture cards.
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Move on to: Read cladograms and shared derived traits.
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-8.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder