Dichotomous Key: Educator’s Page
YOU'RE THE SCIENTIST!
A KEY FOR IDENTIFYING PRIMATE SPECIES
EDUCATOR'S PAGE
A lesson for understanding how a dichotomous key can help to identify organisms in nature
In this lesson we explore how to use dichotomous keys to scientifically identify nonhuman primate species
Recommended for middle school grades and higher
LEARNING GOALS
- The students will explore the benefits of creating and using dichotomous keys as a means of identifying an organism or object.
OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to:
- Define a dichotomous key as a series of paired choices or descriptions
- Outline the purpose of a dichotomous key as a method of classifying organisms by physical appearance
- Use and design a simple dichotomous key to identify organisms
- Apply a dichotomous key to identifying primate species
WHAT YOU’LL DISCOVER IN THIS LESSON:
DICHOTOMOUS KEY ANSWER KEYS
SOURCES:
- Evenor, Z. (2017). Shells-Ize-006-Black.jpg. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Commons. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shells-IZE-006-Black.jpg.
- Home: New England Primate Conservancy. New England Primate Conservancy – Committed to leaving a legacy of hope and tools to build a better tomorrow for all the Earth’s citizens. (2022). Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://neprimateconservancy.org/
- U.S. Department of the Interior. (2018, January 9). Using dichotomous keys. National Parks Service. Retrieved May 18, 2022, from https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/dichotomous-key.htm
Lesson developed by K. Scarlett Hebert , Spring 2022
Copyright © New England Primate Conservancy 2022. You may freely use, copy and share these Learning Activities for educational purposes.
For questions or comments, e-mail us at [email protected].
For questions or comments, e-mail us at [email protected].