FROM BASIC OBSERVATIONS INTO MODERN TECHNOLOGY: A HANDS-ON APPROACH TO TEACHING TAXONOMIC CLASSIFICATION

Paleontologists today utilize techniques from a wide range of sciences, including biochemistry, mathematics, engineering, geochemistry, and other interdisciplinary fields to classify organisms into different taxonomic groups. Linnaean taxonomy, the earliest of these classification systems, defines and ranks groups of organisms in different levels (i.e. Kingdom to Species) based on shared characteristics. As the evolutionary relationships between different groups of organisms began to be explored, phylogenetic systematics arose as a way to classify an ancestor and all its descendants into clades based on shared derived traits. The nuances between these two systems can be difficult to understand, but the underlying principles behind these various methods are critical for students and the general public to understand as they form the basis for how scientists determine evolutionary relationships and how life has changed through time.

The fundamental method used to classify organisms into taxa is to sit down with a large array of fossil specimens and systematically identify the various anatomical differences. However, for K-12 classrooms, informal educational settings, and large undergraduate survey courses, where storage and laboratory space, financial and time constraints, and availability of good specimens are an issue, this standard practice is not feasible. Here we present a taxonomic classification activity that can be adapted for use across a wide range of age groups and educational settings with nothing more than a printer and some paper. By providing students with several dozen images of closely related organisms, letting them sort them, and then leading them through a guided discussion of the results, students can begin to explore the fundamental principles driving current paleontological research. K-12 teachers and informal educators can easily adapt this activity into their curriculum as it addresses several Next Generation Science Standards including analyzing and interpreting data, examining evidence of common ancestry and diversity, and exploring Earth’s place in the universe. Research into the effectiveness of this as inductive or deductive learning activity is ongoing and materials are available upon request.