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Unit #6 – Animal Kingdom

Unpacking 6: Animal Kingdom (video)

Topics Covered in this Unit – 

  1. Biodiversity
  2. Animal Body Parts
  3. Development
  4. Life Cycles
  5. Taxonomy/Classification
  6. Phylogenetic Relationships

Exercise 3A Guess That Phylum (video)

This video describes an activity appropriate for grades 1 – 4. Students will be able to: (1) define the term phylum, (2) better understand how to classify organisms based on similar traits, and (3) better understand that organisms that are more closely related are grouped in more taxa, with species containing organisms that are most similar.

Exercise 4 Diagram Those Traits (video)

This video describes an activity appropriate for grades 3 – 12. Students will be able to: (1) distinguish between the regions of a Venn Diagram, and (2) create a Venn Diagram and explain its importance in biology.

Exercise 5A Sort These Animals (video)

This video describes an activity for grades K – 2. Students will be able to: (1) better understand how biologists classify living organisms based on similar characteristics, (2) discuss traits that organisms in a particular phylum have in common, and (3) understand  how a taxon within a taxon has shared characteristics.

Exercise 6A Understanding Historical Relationships (video)

This video describes an activity appropriate for grades 3 – 12. Students will be able to: (1) construct a phylogenetic tree based on similar relationships, and (2) demonstrate relatedness between organisms, thus creating patterns of historical relationships.

Exercise 6B Comparing Phylogenetic Trees (video)

This video describes an activity appropriate for grades 3 – 12. Students will be able to:  (1) describe the term phylogenetic tree as a hypothesized presentation, (2) better understand how relationships depicted on a phylogenetic tree could be arranged, and (3) distinguish between various depictions of phylogenies and make inferences regarding those relationships.

Printable Resources

Below are links to all documentation for this thematic unit.  Presentations are available in PowerPoint format, as well as PDFs for those wishing to print transparencies for overhead projectors.  Teachers may wish to review unit workbooks for more in-depth information before using the supplied presentations.

Curriculum Standard

Workbook with Exercises

Presentations

Additional Readings and Supplementary Files

Scientific Journal Articles

Supplementary File

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