Classifying Fruit

Summary

Students will classify fruit from pictures, using a scientific key, and by dissection of a real fruit. They will connect what they have learned to reading from their textbooks.

Materials

• fruit pictures (attached)
• fruit key (attached)
• student worksheet (attached)
• an unusual fruit (like star fruit)/1 per group,
• dissecting knife or razor
• biology text

Instructional Procedures

1. Show students the unusual fruit you have purchased. Ask if anyone knows what it is or what kinds of fruit it is related to. Describe that the objective of the lesson is to learn about scientific classification and to classify the fruit and find out what other fruits it is like.
2. Hand each group an envelope with all of the fruits pictured below, cut out separately. If they are laminated, they will last longer. Ask the students to put them into 3-7 categories and describe their reasoning on the student sheet.
3. After students have had time to work, ask each group to give an example of a group they chose and what fruits they put in it. The fruits have letters so that names are not important.
4. Hand out the fruit keys and have students reclassify their fruits and answer the questions under the data table.
5. Hand out the real fruit and ask students to use the knife or razor to dissect it and classify it. Have each group report which type of fruit they think it is.
6. Complete the assignment by identifying text for the students to read and respond to on their student sheet. The text should be introductory material on scientific classification.

Bibliography

Lesson Design by Jordan School District Teachers and Staff.