Science 7 Standard 4 08-06
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Page 133
Standard Indicator
7.4.1
That’s Classified!
Purpose
Students will explain that similarities among organisms are found in
external and internal anatomical features and will understand that
these similarities are used to classify organisms since they may be
used to infer the degree of relatedness of organisms.
Materials
For the teacher: overhead transparency of a picture of a fish and of
Black Line Master (BLM) Phylum Characteristics, chalk, chalkboard
For each student: copy of BLM Phyla Scavenger Hunt, pencil
For the class: specimens or pictures of several animals from each
of the major animal phyla (Annelida, Arthropoda, Chordata, Cnidaria,
Echinodermata, Mollusca, Nematoda, Porifera)
A. Pre-Activity Preparation
1. Gather specimens and pictures of animals belonging to the major
animal phyla (see BLM Phylum Characteristics).
2. Label organisms with any internal characteristics students
may not be able to see from the outside, such as the presence
of a hollow dorsal nerve tube and notochord in chordates.
3. Spread the specimens and pictures randomly about the room.
B. Pre-Activity Discussion
1. Show students the overhead transparency of the fish and ask:
“What is this? How do you know?”
2. After students have finished discussing how they were able
to identify the organism as a fish, tell them that they have just
classified the fish − in other words, they used its physical
characteristics to group it with other related organisms on the
basis of their similarities.
3. Explain to students that both external and internal features
of organisms can be used to classify organisms into groups.
4. Write the word “Kingdom” on the board and tell students that
all life on Earth is typically divided into five very large, general
groups called kingdoms.
5. Ask students if they can name any of the kingdoms (Animals,
Plants, Bacteria, Fungi, and Protists) and list their answers.
(continued)
Standard 4 / Activity 1
Indiana Science Grade 7 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
TECHNOLOGY
Have students use
the Internet to locate
pictures of organisms
in the different animal
phyla or phyla in other
kingdoms to create
a bulletin board
describing the
characteristics of each
and how they are
classified.
connecting
across the
curriculum
Visual Arts
Have each student
create a new organism
from art supplies,
classify the organism
on the basis of its
characteristics, and
produce a poster
describing his/her
organism and how
it is classified.
Standards Link
7.4.5
page 133
Standard 4
Activity
incorporating
Science 7 Standard 4 08-06
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Page 134
Activity (continued)
6. Tell students that each kingdom can be broken into more specific
groups called phyla and that organisms are placed into a phylum
on the basis of internal and external characteristics.
Standard 4
C. Phyla Scavenger Hunt
1. Show students the overhead transparency of the BLM Phylum
Characteristics and pass out copies of the BLM Phyla Scavenger
Hunt. Discuss any unfamiliar vocabulary and have students
copy the characteristics of each phylum onto the BLM Phyla
Scavenger Hunt.
2. Have students follow the instructions on the BLM Phyla
Scavenger Hunt for completing the scavenger hunt.
3. When students have finished, list each phylum on the board
and have two or three students draw an organism that belongs
in each.
4. Ask students why they placed each organism within the
phylum they did. As a class, determine if the organisms were
correctly classified.
5. Remind students that the organisms within each phylum are
related to each other. Ask students how they could tell if the
animals in each phylum are related to one another.
Classroom Assessment
Basic Concepts and Processes
As students complete the scavenger hunt, ask questions, such
as the following:
What does it mean to classify something?
What sorts of characteristics could you use to classify
an organism?
Are the characteristics we use to classify organisms always
external? Can you give an example of an external and an internal
characteristic you might use to classify an organism?
How did you determine in which phylum each
organism belonged?
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Standard 4 / Activity 1
Indiana Science Grade 7 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
Science 7 Standard 4 08-06
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Phylum Characteristics
(Kingdom Animalia)
Phylum Annelida
bilateral symmetry
uniformly segmented body
parapodia
bristles
Phylum Chordata
bilateral symmetry
have or had a tail
notochord
embryonic gill slits
Phylum Echinodermata
five-part radial symmetry
tube feet
spiny skin
Phylum Nematoda
bilateral symmetry
round, unsegmented body
cuticle
Standard 4 / Activity 1
Indiana Science Grade 7 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
Phylum Arthropoda
bilateral symmetry
segmented body
hard exoskeleton
jointed legs
Phylum Cnidaria
radial symmetry
ring of tentacles around mouth
stinging cells
Phylum Mollusca
bilateral symmetry
have or had a shell
soft bodied with a muscular “foot”
Phylum Porifera
asymmetrical or radial symmetry
has many “pores”
made up of a group of cells that
have aggregated but do not form
tissues
Black Line Master 1
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Science 7 Standard 4 08-06
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Phylum Characteristics (Kingdom Animalia)
Teacher Directions
Make and display a transparency copy of the BLM Phylum Characteristics. Have students copy
the characteristics of each phylum into the correct box on their copy of the BLM Phyla Scavenger
Hunt. Discuss any unfamiliar terms with students to ensure that they understand each
characteristic.
Answer Key
Annelida (segmented worms such as earthworms, bristle worms, and leeches)
bilateral symmetry − can be divided lengthwise into two equal parts
uniformly segmented body − most body sections are exactly alike
parapodia − fleshy “legs” used for locomotion
bristles − short, coarse, stiff hair-like extensions
Arthropoda (insects, spiders, crustaceans)
bilateral symmetry − can be divided lengthwise into two equal parts
segmented body − body is arranged into two or three distinct segments
hard exoskeleton − an external structure that provides support and protection
jointed legs − legs with parts that can be moved separately but are joined
Chordata (vertebrates, sea squirts)
bilateral symmetry − can be divided lengthwise into two equal parts
have or had a tail − tail may no longer be visible (as in humans)
notochord − flexible rod-like structure that develops into the spine in vertebrates
embryonic gill slits − gill slits are present in the embryos of all vertebrates but
are lost in those that breathe air with their lungs as they develop
Cnidaria (jellyfish, sea anemones, corals)
radial symmetry − can be divided into any number of equal parts because it is arranged
around a central point
ring of tentacles around mouth
stinging cells − called cnidocytes (sometimes called nematocysts), used for protection
and prey capture
Echinodermata (sea stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, sand dollars)
five-part radial symmetry − can be divided into five equal parts
tube feet − small suction-cup-like appendages that are used for locomotion and feeding
spiny skin − actual spines, as in urchins, or hardened ossicles protruding from skin,
as in sea stars
Mollusca (snails, slugs, bivalves, squid, octopus, chitons)
bilateral symmetry − can be divided lengthwise into two equal parts
have or had a shell − most mollusks have a shell however it is internal in squid
and lost entirely in many slugs and octopuses
soft bodied with a muscular “foot” − soft appendage for locomotion (i.e., the body of a snail)
Nematoda (round worms)
bilateral symmetry − can be divided lengthwise into two equal parts
round, unsegmented body
cuticle − protective layer external to epidermis
Porifera (sponges)
asymmetrical − cannot be divided into equal parts, regardless of the axis of division
has many “pores”
made up of a group of cells that have aggregated but do not form tissues
Black Line Master 1
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Standard 4 / Activity 1
Indiana Science Grade 7 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
Science 7 Standard 4 08-06
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Phyla Scavenger Hunt
Directions: Write the characteristics of each phylum in its box. Look at the organisms
around the room. Based on physical characteristics, find one organism for each phylum.
Sketch a picture of the organism and list two other members of the phylum in the box.
Annelida
Arthropoda
Chordata
Cnidaria
Echinodermata
Mollusca
Nematoda
Porifera
Standard 4 / Activity 1
Indiana Science Grade 7 Curriculum Framework, October 2002
Black Line Master 2
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Science 7 Standard 4 08-06
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Page 138
Phyla Scavenger Hunt
Teacher Directions
Have students copy the characteristics of each phylum into the correct box on their BLM Phyla
Scavenger Hunt. Have students locate a member of each phylum on the basis of its physical
characteristics, sketch the organism in the appropriate box, and list two related organisms.
Answer Key
Answers will vary, but in addition to text similar to that in the boxes below, students should
sketch an example of the phylum and list two other examples.
Annelida
bilateral symmetry, uniformly segmented
body, parapodia, bristles (includes
earthworms, bristle worms, and leeches)
Arthropoda
bilateral symmetry, segmented body,
hard exoskeleton, jointed legs (includes
all insects, arachnids, millipedes,
crustaceans, etc.)
Chordata
bilateral symmetry, have or had a tail,
notochord, embryonic gill slits (includes
all vertebrates as well as tunicates)
Cnidaria
radial symmetry, ring of tentacles around
mouth, stinging cells (includes sea
anemones, jellyfish, hydra, and corals)
Echinodermata
five-part radial symmetry, tube feet, spiny
skin (includes sea stars, brittle stars, sea
urchins, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and
sand dollars)
Mollusca
bilateral symmetry, have or had a shell,
soft bodied with a muscular “foot”
(includes snails, slugs, squid, octopus,
chambered nautilus, cuttlefish, bivalves,
and chitons)
Nematoda
bilateral symmetry; round, unsegmented
body; cuticle (includes round worms)
Porifera
asymmetrical, has many “pores,”
made up of a group of cells that have
aggregated but do not form tissues
(includes all natural sponges)
Black Line Master 2
page 138
Standard 4 / Activity 1
Indiana Science Grade 7 Curriculum Framework, October 2002