Starter quiz
- Scientists classify living things to help understand and learn more about them. What is classifying?
- naming things
- sorting things into groups ✓
- researching things
- counting things
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- What does it mean to identify something?
- to compare it to other similar things
- to find out where something can be found
- to sort it into a group with other similar things
- to find out what something is and its name ✓
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- What does a taxonomist do?
- names, describes and groups living things ✓
- prevents living things from becoming endangered
- looks after the well being of living things
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- Which of these is not an organism?
- mushroom
- human
- fire ✓
- bacteria
- apple tree
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- What is a species?
- a distinct type of living thing ✓
- a unique type of animal
- a group of living things
- a habitat for living things
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- Which of these features of living things can not be used to help identify them?
- the shape of their bodies
- their body covering
- the place they were born ✓
- what they eat
- how they reproduce
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Exit quiz
Approximately how many new species do taxonomists describe every year?- none; they have already all been discovered.
- around 10-20
- around 500
- many thousands ✓
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- Why is it important for taxonomists to describe newly discovered organisms in lots of detail, including which features make it similar and different to close relatives?
- so they can reunite animals with their families
- so others can identify organisms of the same species accurately ✓
- so they can write lots of books about them
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- Which language is often used for the species names of living things?
- English
- Swedish
- Italian
- Latin ✓
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To avoid confusion and help taxonomists to make sure they are referring to the same organism, Carl Linnaeus created the ______ naming system.- 'binomial' ✓
Which of these names is the correct binomial name for this organism?- Crustacean oniscus asellus
- Oniscus asellus ✓
- Asellus
- Common shiny woodlouse
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- Which two parts are used to create a name in the binomial system?
- genus and species ✓
- family and species
- family and genus
- genus and family
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Worksheet
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Lesson Details
Key learning points
- Taxonomists describe thousands and thousands of new living species every year.
- New species must be described in detail, including which features make it similar and different to close relatives.
- Species are always identified by both a generic name and a species name.
- Species names are written in Latin, but many species names are based on words from other languages, and are Latinized.
Common misconception
Pupils may think that organisms have, and always have had, their own names, rather than them being named by scientists and others.
Use the lesson resources to explain the naming process for living things used by taxonomists and other scientists.
Keywords
Taxonomist - A taxonomist is a type of scientist who identifies, classifies and describes living things.
Classify - To classify things is to sort them into groups.
Identify - To identify something is to be able to name it correctly.
Species - A species is a group of animals or plants that are similar and can have babies together.
Latin - Latin is a language that comes from the ancient Roman empire and is still commonly used by scientists and other academics.
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