Classification WebQuest
	WebQuest Main Page
		Websites current as of July 7, 2010 This WebQuest addresses the following Utah State 7th Grade Core requirements: STANDARD V:  Students will understand that structure is used to develop classification systems. Objective 1:  Classify based on observable properties.             c. Defend the importance of observation in scientific classification. Objective 3:  Classify organisms using an orderly pattern based upon structure.             b. Arrange organisms according to kingdom (i.e., plant, animal, Monera, fungi, protist).             d. Report on changes in classification systems as a result of new information or technology. Introduction Classification is an important part of everyday life.  When you look for a phone number in a phonebook or go to a store, you are using classified information. You are going to be learning more about the science of classification.  Have fun learning! Task Uno Why do we classify the way we do?  How has classification changed over the centuries? Your first task is to write a report (three to five pages) about the history of classification.  Write your report as if you are a reporter asking questions, researching, and getting information your readers need to know.  Use the websites under “Process” to gather your information. Task, part Dos The highest level of classification is the Domain.  The next level of the classification hierarchy is Kingdom. There are six kingdoms.  Go to the Five Kingdoms of Living Things website and complete the worksheet.  This will give you an overview of five of the six kingdoms (Archae is not discussed!).  After you have completed the Super Searchers worksheet, try doing some simple classification.  Try the Classifying Critters website.  When you have completed the activity, take what you have learned and complete the graphic organizer, “Classify That.” Task, part Tres You have learned some basic information about the kingdoms.  It is now time to learn more detail about kingdoms. Your task is to research each kingdom and complete the Unlocking the Mysteries of the Kingdoms worksheet. Task, the Último Your assignment is to write a field guide.  The purpose of the field guide is to help someone identify specific species. Here are the requirements for the field guide:           1.  Limit your selections to species in Kingdoms Plantae or Animalia           2.  Select a type of organism (bird, flower, bacterium, etc.)           3.  Identify its hierarchy of classification from Domain to family.           4.  At that point, select four species that belong to that family.           5.  Identify the scientific name (binomial nomenclature).           6.  Write information about the species that would help someone identify the                species using your description.  You must include specific characteristics                (color, markings, beak/mouth, etc.), where it lives, a verbal description, etc.           7.  Draw a picture of your organism. You will be doing this in the classroom, so make sure you make good notes to use when you make your field guide. Here is a handout to help you make your field guide.  Following the Conclusion, there is an article about how to make a field guide for your information. Process Research the following websites: Task Uno Biological Classification Carolus Linnaeus Classification of Living Things:  Introduction History of Scientific Classification Task, part Dos Five Kingdom of Living Things Critters Task, part Tres Archaea (Kingdom) Examples of Archaebacteria Kingdom Archaea What Are Archaea? Kingdom Monera Kingdom Monera II Monera Examples of Protozoans Kingdom Protista Kingdom Protista II Protista Fact Sheet (select open using Microsoft Word) Common Characteristics of Fungi Fungus Kingdom Fungi The Kingdom Fungi Kingdom Plantae Natural Perspective – the Plant Kingdom Plantae Animalia Kingdom Animalia Task, the Último You are welcome to use Google to search for the information if you would like.  I recommend you go to the main page of Wikipedia.  In the search box, type a general term like bear, rose, bird, etc.  You should be able to get all the information you need. Evaluation History of Classification Report Rubric Download a Copy Category 4 3 2 1 Organization Information is very organized with well-constructed paragraphs and subheadings. Information is organized with well-constructed paragraphs. Information is organized, but paragraphs are not well constructed. The information appears to be disorganized. Mechanics No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. Almost no grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors A few grammatical spelling, or punctuation errors. Many grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. Quality of Information Information clearly relates to the main topic. It includes several supporting details and/or examples. Information clearly relates to the main topic. It provides 1-2 supporting details and/or examples. Information clearly relates to the main topic. No details and/or examples are given. Information has little or nothing to do with the main topic. Unlocking the Mysteries of the Kingdoms Rubric Download a Copy CATEGORY 4 3 2 1 Structure All required and optional information is well written and easy to understand. All required information is well written and easy to understand. Most of the required information is well written and easy to understand. Required information is poorly written and hard to understand. Quality of Information All required and optional information is correct. All required information is correct. Most of the required information is correct. Most of the required information is incorrect. Making a Field Guide Rubric Download a Copy CATEGORY 4 3 2 1 Writing - Organization Each section in the brochure has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Almost all sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Most sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Less than half of the sections of the brochure have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Attractiveness & Organization The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information. The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information. The brochure has well-organized information. The brochure's formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader. Writing - Grammar There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure. There are no grammatical mistakes in the brochure after feedback from an adult. There are 1-2 grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult. There are several grammatical mistakes in the brochure even after feedback from an adult. Content - Accuracy All facts in the brochure are accurate. 99-90% of the facts in the brochure are accurate. 89-80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate. Fewer than 80% of the facts in the brochure are accurate. Species Drawings The drawings accurately show markings, colorings, and other unique features. 99-90% of the drawings accurately show markings, colorings, and other unique features. 89-80% of the drawings accurately show markings, colorings, and other unique features. Less than 80% of the drawings accurately show markings, colorings, and other unique features. Conclusion You have had a chance to learn important principles dealing with classification by doing this rubric.  The information you have learned will help you as you learn more about classification over the next few weeks.

How to Write a Field Guide When You Are a Young Naturalist

Steps

1. Decide you can do it. A lot of people think that a kid cannot write a real book but do not let that discourage you. As long as you can write and you set your mind to it, you can write a credible resource; age does not matter. In order to write the book, however, you do have to become somewhat of a field expert, so do not think this will be an easy project. Just know that it is possible.
2. Find a passion. Your passion should be something you have an interest in and something that you have lots of access to (for example, the original book that inspired this article was about snakes). Choose something nearby where you live. Commit to success. That means, choose a subject that you know you will be able to find around you, something that is plausible to research and to find outdoors. The ancient Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu said that the wise general never fights a battle unless he is already sure of his victory. Do not enter a project that you do not think you can complete.
3. Write a list of objectives. The list should be composed of what you want your book to accomplish and what you want it to consist of. It helps to look at other books that are similar to what you will write; look at books of comparable size and depth, but about a different subject matter (like frogs instead of butterflies that you might like to write about). Some of them should be much bigger than your book and some of them should be just pamphlets. While looking at these books, you can agree and disagree with different aspects of them:
   • Look for (and write down about each one) the strengths and weaknesses of those you examine.
   • Try to figure out what each book is supposed to be used for. Some are for quickly identifying species, while others are meant to be used for research papers and the like. The different books probably have different target audiences too.
   • Choose your target audience/market and put that on the top of your list, right under the topic that you are writing about.
   • Think about if you want it to be big, small, pocket size, table size, expandable or complete.
   • Write down all the qualities that your want your book to have and write down those qualities in the list. Here is an example list, which you can use if you want:
     • small, accurate, easy to use, fun to read/use, help save the wildlife
   • Make a list of resources also. For example:
     • nature centers, zoos, books, internet, education centers near me, and teachers.
   • Go through each one of your qualities and resources and fill in with the names of those that might help you to learn what you need to learn.
4. Spend time getting to know whatever you chose. Spend time outdoors. Learn to love the outdoors. Get to know your home environment. Then focus on your topic (say, butterflies) and spend time outside with them (in a safe way). Look for them. Get books and read about them and you can also research online a little bit but make sure that the sites you use are credible. Keep track of every source that you use and what information you get from each source. Talk to experts if you can. Professional biologists and ecologists love it when kids show interest in their field and will go to great lengths to help you succeed. Be confident and show your interest and knowledge (without showing off) and they will really want to help you. Remember to stay organized throughout this process. Organization is absolutely vital to successfully completing any big project, especially like writing a book. Make sure everything is in neat, accurately labeled computer files so that you never have to search for anything you have done and everything is always at your command.
5. Write the book. Make sure you have an outline before you start. Write an introduction, table of contents with the chapters or sections, and whatever other tables or charts you want. Write the book in sections, one by one. Before you write the actual paragraphs in the document, have each chapter and section labeled so that then you can just fill in the content. To take the snake as an example, you might have a chapter for each snake and in each chapter have sections called: Caution: Approaching and Handling, Abundance, Description, Lifestyle and Death etc. If you like this chapter format, you can use it, although there will be differences depending on the book subject. For example, if you do birds, you might want a section on the song that it sings. The order that you write the chapters does not matter, but write a section all at once, or over a brief period of days. Try to do all the sections for one species before moving on, or do all of one section in a row (like all of the descriptions). Keep your pattern but you can take breaks if you want between sections. Have patience (do not burn out) and try to be disciplined with yourself. Do not expect the book to write itself. It is normal to take almost two years to complete a book, even though it could have been written in a couple of months, because it is better to pace yourself and just do a section or two and then break for a month before doing another one. Writing a book does not, and should not, be a full time occupation. Write when you have free time, but make sure you are getting it done, do not put it off forever because then it will never happen.
6. Take or find pictures. Field guides need to have pictures. As it is said, a picture is worth a thousand words. You can use illustrations, or photographs. Illustrations are much harder to use and not always as accurate, so unless you are very confident with your drawing or your illustrator, use a camera! Where a computer has a camera (such as XO's, new Macs), this can make it very easy. In most cases, color is better than black and white but not absolutely necessary. Some of the species you are looking for may be almost impossible to find. If this is the case, you can search for pictures online. Email the photographer who took the picture or group of pictures you are interested in using and ask if you can use it. Also ask your teacher in your school for help in getting you in contact with the photographer in question.
7. Cite your sources, write your acknowledgements, write the introduction, give credit where credit is due and write a short biography of yourself. Cite all of your sources, both of information and photographers. Make sure that each photograph that you use is labeled with the photographer's name (this might be you in some cases).
   • Write an acknowledgement section in order to thank everyone who helped you along the way (if your family was a big supporter, thank them all in the introduction to the book). Write your bibliography using proper format. One place to start is the US MLA format found at http://palomar.edu/dsps/actc/mla/ but any good format that your teachers recommend or that you used during your research will work.
   • Write an introduction that explains the purpose of your book and what you intend for it to accomplish.
   • Lastly, write a brief biography about yourself and your project.
8. Put the whole book together into a file in the correct format. This step is pretty self-explanatory. Put the book together into a file that is neat and in a nice format and labeled, ready for production.
9. Submit the book to a publisher. You need to use a publisher to get your book printed. You can find out about publishing companies by talking to various experts, talking to your teachers, and if you are part of the OLPC project, talking to any OLPC people that you may meet. Once the layout and design people and the publishers have your book, it could take up to a couple of years for them to get around to publishing it. This is because they have so many books to get through. Do not be discouraged. Your work is over. During this time you do not have to do anything at all except wait to see your book get published. If they decide not to publish it, then take their reasons; maybe you need to change something. Do whatever changes you deem necessary and then submit it again to the same, or a different publishing company. The bulk of your work will already be in the past by then.
10. Enjoy the aftermath, forever. Years after publishing, you will still get pleasure from your book. Good things come from writing and publishing a book. You will learn about an interesting subject. You will have learned all about how to write a book. You will have the respect of your peers, family and teachers alike. You may be able to sell your book for money. You will have helped educate people about nature, so that maybe they will be more careful about wrecking our precious and fragile environment. If you want to go to a university, they will be impressed by your hard work, because it shows that you are able to achieve long term projects. If there is an interesting, beautiful or rare species in your areas, tourists, especially scientists, will come to see it. All of these good things might come true for you too if you write a book on some kind of plant or animal where you live. You get to meet a lot of new people from the international science community that you would not have met otherwise and they might want your help, advice, and involvement in other awesome projects. These things can easily happen for you, even years after publication.

Tips

• You can also search for photos and illustrations that are in the "public domain". These are pictures that do not have any copyright and can be used freely.
• Do not assume that because you find a photograph without a copyright on the internet that it is in the public domain. It may have been published without permission of the photographer. The photographer owns the photo whether or not it has a written copyright on it. The exceptions are photos that have written notice that they ARE in the public domain and photos that were taken so long ago that the original copyright has expired. As copyright laws are in a state of nearly constant flux, it is better to ask permission than the get into trouble.
• Even though this article is about biology, you might decide to do something else, take on another project. For example, you might decide that the city you live in has a special, unique way that it makes paper, or pottery, or jewelry. Sometimes, it might be possible to create a book that highlights your city, and what is unique about it. This helps to save the history of your community, and may help it economically. With your writing, it might be possible that the rest of the world might see your city, and all because of the project that you began.
• The environment and the species in this world can be helped by us. But for that to happen, we have to know where they are. Toward that help, you can play an important role. There are many ways that your work might help your city and the species around you. For example, there are many areas in the world where the people began to protect the environment and the species and now those places are economically supported by the tourists and scientists coming to see that phenomenon. It is also possible that your work may lead to an economic discovery that could help the species and the community. For example, a particular plant may contain medicinal properties.

Warnings

• Remember, never take someone else's work and claim that it is your own. If you research in a book, then use the information but change the words, say it in your own language, and combine it with different books all into one. In your bibliography in the end you will give those other authors credit. This is called developing a secondary source, with those other books being primary sources. Taking another person's work is plagiarism, which is not thought too highly of in any sectors, and in fact it is an offense.

Things You'll Need

• Reference books
• Laptop / computer to keep track of everything and to write your book
• Camera (in computer or separate); or access to an illustrator

Related wikiHows

• How to Take Action to Help Save Animals
• How to Enjoy Nature
• How to Tell the Difference Between Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes
• How to Explain Photosynthesis
• How to Show Oxygen Is a By Product of Photosynthesis
• How to Build 3D Models of Animal and Plant Cells

Sources and Citations

• Misha Herscu, (2007), For the OLPC Student: 10 Easy Steps to Writing a Field Guide and Why You Should Do It, By a Kid Just Like You. Original source of article. Shared with permission.

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Write a Field Guide When You Are a Young Naturalist. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.