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

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. 
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