Classifying living things (age 9+)
Record data and results of increasing complexity using scientific diagrams, classification keys, tables, scatter graphs, bar and line graphs
What a learner can do afterwards
- Choose and create an appropriate graph type for the data (bar chart, line graph, scatter graph)
- Draw graphs with correctly labelled axes, appropriate scales, and accurate plotting
- Use classification keys and scientific diagrams to present complex findings
The lesson
As your investigations get more complex, one type of chart will not always fit your data. Bar charts, line graphs, scatter graphs, and classification keys each show something different. Picking the right one helps other people understand what you found.
A line graph is different. It shows something changing over time, like a plant's height measured every week. You plot each point, then join them with a line so you can see the trend.
A scientist measures the leaf length and leaf width of ten leaves. She wants to see if the two measurements are related, so she plots each leaf as a dot without joining them. This is a scatter graph.
A classification key sorts living things step by step using yes or no questions, so a busy set of findings becomes easy to follow. Whatever graph or key you choose, always label your axes and pick a scale that fits your numbers.
Bar charts show separate groups, line graphs show change over time, scatter graphs show a relationship, and classification keys sort living things step by step.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.