Great Recycling Activity

This is a great activity that engages students in a creative classification of insects. Using recycled water bottles and a dichotomous key, students create insects models. Paying close att... See More

This is a great activity that engages students in a creative classification of insects. Using recycled water bottles and a dichotomous key, students create insects models. Paying close attention to the characteristics of each insect, students work in teams to create accurate models of different insects. This is a really great activity not only to teach about insects, but also to teach students about recycling and art.

Student Made Models to Teach Dichotomous Keys

As teachers, we are always aware of the importance of using models to help increase students’ understandings of important science concepts. The authors of this article show us a way to comb... See More

As teachers, we are always aware of the importance of using models to help increase students’ understandings of important science concepts. The authors of this article show us a way to combine student-made models to further their students’ understanding of how taxonomic keys work. This lesson was incorporated into an urban high school’s science class. Students worked in cooperative groups to construct a new model using recycled items. They had to determine and list characteristics their insect would exhibit using a dichotomous key in reverse. By keying out an unknown model, determining characteristics of a given insect order, and checking for accuracy of their own model, students had meaningful practice using a dichotomous key. This article provides a fun, creative way for students to learn how to use dichotomous keys and to understand the importance of having systems of classification.