There are millions of kinds of living things, and nobody can keep that many in their head without a system. Here's where the system came from.
Not started yet.
Students will explain why living things are classified, describe Aristotle's system and where it failed, and build a scientific name using genus and species.
This lesson isn't about origins, so there's no sorting of observed against claimed. The textbook says a genus is a group of similar species with common ancestors. This lesson says only similar species, and the question of what the groupings mean about ancestry is taken up in the next lesson, where both accounts are given in their own words.
A classification system is only useful if everyone uses it the same way. That's why the two-word name is fixed: genus first with a capital letter, species second in lowercase.
Aristotle's grouping by habitat was a real attempt, and it failed on the animals that don't fit, like the frog.
The dates for Linnaeus are added from the record. The book's own parts are the zoo and the dairy aisle, Aristotle's system and its two exceptions, Linnaeus's two-word names, the house cat, the reasons for Latin and the oak species.
Read-aloud is not available in this browser. Try Chrome or Safari.
Before You Start
The words this lesson uses. Tap a card to see what it means, then come back to them whenever a question uses one.
Part One
Questions about the story you just read. Pick your answer straight off, or press Find it in the story if you would rather hunt for the sentence first.
Part Two
The word cards are at the top of this page. Look back at them as often as you need, then answer.