Shoe Classification

Summary

Students will practice making a classification tree and key using the students' own shoes

Materials

• student worksheet attached
• overhead copy of worksheet
• overhead projector or front board
• students' shoes

Student Prior Knowledge

Exposure to making classification trees and keys

Instructional Procedures

1. Have the students put one foot with their shoe up on their tables. If they need to, they can remove the shoe. The students should lead the process of creating a classification tree and key for the shoes, with minimal assistance from the teacher. Fill in the worksheet with the characteristics chosen by the students. Students will need to add branches for the tree and rows for the key as needed.
2. Check understanding by asking why certain shoes could only go on a particular branch (items must be a part of the entire branch, all the way back to the start -- they cannot jump onto another branch part way through the process.)
3. At the end, have a student volunteer to go outside the classroom. Have the students use the key to give characteristics of the shoe, even though they cannot observe the shoe. Point out that if you use the key or tree from beginning to end, you identify an unknown organism. By using the key or tree backwards, you can find characteristics of a known organism or other object.

Assessment Plan

Scoring guide:
Try to get input from all the students during the construction process.

Bibliography

Lesson Design by Jordan School District Teachers and Staff.