Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you doing?

I hope you're doing well today.

My name is Miss Afsar and I'll be your teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling very pleased about that because today we're looking at plants and classification keys.

I wonder if you've heard of any of these things before.

I'm sure you've heard of plants, but I don't know if you've heard of classification keys.

Don't worry, either way if you have or if you haven't, it's all fine because we're going to be getting right into it in our lesson today.

Our lesson is called, Classification Keys to Identify Plants.

And it comes from the unit of work, Living Things and the Environment.

So, if you are ready to dive into classification keys, identifying plants, if you've got energy.

If you've got focus and enthusiasm, we'll begin our lesson now.

The outcome for today's lesson is, I can identify plants using classification keys.

I hope that sounds of interest to you.

We have some key words in our lesson, let's go through them.

My turn, your turn.

Classification key.

Identify.

Observable characteristics.

Structure.

Botanist.

Great to hear those words loud and clear.

Let's find out what these key words mean.

A classification key is a diagram which helps us identify objects using yes/no questions.

To identify something is to be able to name it correctly.

Observable characteristics are a feature, or property of a living thing that we can see or use our other senses to observe.

Structure, the parts of a plant are called its structure.

And a botanist is a scientist who studies plants.

Pause here and share with someone.

Had you heard of any of these key words before?

Thanks for sharing.

We are going to be hearing all of these key words in our lesson today.

So let's make sure we're on the lookout for them and we're thinking carefully about them.

Our lesson today is called, Classification Keys to Identify Plants.

And it has two learning cycles.

Using classification keys to identify plants and scientists use classification keys.

Let's begin by using classification keys to identify plants.

Andeep and Jacob are in the school gardening club.

Pause here and share with someone.

Do you have a school gardening club in your school?

And are you part of it?

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Andeep.

We've been asked to make a list of the plants we see in the school grounds, but there are some plants that I do not recognize.

And Jacob.

We could use a classification key to help us to identify the plants we do not know the names of.

What a great idea.

But what is a classification key?

Pause here and share with someone.

Do you remember?

Thanks for sharing.

A classification key is a diagram which helps us to identify living things using yes/no questions.

The questions on a classification key are based on the observable characteristics of living things.

What observable characteristics does this plant have?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Observable characteristics can be used to decide which group a living thing belongs to.

So first question, does it make flowers?

And the answer is yes, so it's a flowering plant.

Next question, does it have long, thin leaves?

The answer is yes, so now we go to the next question.

Does it produce purple flowers?

Yes or no?

And the answer is yes, so we know that it's lavender.

This is a lavender plant.

Let's have a check for understanding.

A classification key is a.

.

.

A, series of yes/no questions.

B, series of scientific definitions.

C, series of true/false answers.

Pause here while you decide.

What is a classification key?

Well done if you selected answer A.

A classification key is a series of yes/no questions.

Knowing the structure of a plant is useful when using classification keys.

The parts of a plant are its structure.

Pause here and show someone what are some of the parts of this plant that we can see on the screen.

The rose.

What are some parts of the rose that you can see?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if you spotted the petals.

Colorful, soft petals.

Did you notice the leaves?

And they are leaves with serrated edges.

And the stem, a long, thin stem.

And we can see some sharp, pointed prickles.

Or thorns.

These are all parts of the rose.

These are all parts of the structure of a rose.

The outer structures of a plant includes observable characteristics like bark, thorns, leaves, flowers, and fruit.

Here's an apple tree.

Let's consider some questions.

Does it have bark?

Pause here and share with someone, yes or no.

Well done if you said yes.

Does it have thorns?

Pause here and share with someone.

Yes or no?

Well done if you said no.

Does it produce fruit?

Pause here and share with somebody.

Yes or no?

That was a pretty easy answer that one.

Yes, because it's an apple tree.

The structure of these two plants is very different.

Can you spot the differences?

Pause here and share with someone.

Can you spot any differences to do with the leaves, the fruit, or the bark?

Thanks for sharing.

Let's see if we can spot the differences.

So the coconut tree has branched leaves.

Whereas the cactus has spines instead of leaves.

The coconut tree has hard, round fruit.

Oh my goodness, I think it might be my favorite fruit in the world, is coconut.

And the cactus has no visible fruit.

The coconut tree has rough, dry bark while the cactus has soft, fleshy stems.

Well done if you spotted these differences.

What do you observe about the structure of these plants?

Water lily and sea grass?

Pause here and share with someone.

Perhaps you observed that the water lily has pink and white flowers, so beautiful.

Sea grass has no visible flowers.

The sea grass has leaves that float in the water, and the water lily has leaves that float on the surface of the water.

Well done if you made these observations about the structure of the water lily and the sea grass.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of these do we use when using a classification key to identify plants?

A, the name of the plant.

B, where we bought the plant.

C, the structure of the plant.

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed, it's the structure of the plant that we use when using a classification key to identify plants.

Let's have another check for understanding.

Which of these plants has fleshy leaves that grow to a point?

Is it A, aloe vera?

B, cactus?

Or C, lily pads?

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected A, aloe vera.

This plant has fleshy leaves that grow to a point.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to look at the structure of the Norway spruce tree.

Here's the classification key to identify which plant group it belongs to.

So pause here while you work your way through this classification key to identify which plant group the Norway spruce tree belongs to.

I'll see you when you're finished.

It's good to be back with you.

So how did you get on with looking at the structure of the Norway spruce and using the classification key to identify which plant group it belongs to?

So first question, does it produce flowers?

Did you get the answer?

No.

So in which case, we move to our next question.

Does it produce cones?

And the answer is, yes.

So that tells us that the Norway spruce is a conifer.

That's the plant group it belongs to.

Well done for using the classification key to identify the plant group of the Norway spruce.

The Norway spruce is a conifer.

And now I'd like you to look closely at the plants on the next slide.

Make a list of observable characteristics of the plants, including the structure of each one.

And then use the classification key provided to identify each plant.

So pause here while you have a go at this task.

Here are your plants.

And here's your classification key.

I'll see you when you're finished, when you've identified the plants.

It's great to be back with you.

So, how did you get on with using the classification key to identify each plant?

So first of all you ask, does it have rough bark?

We answered yes.

Your next question was, does it produce red flowers?

And you answered yes.

That told you, that was the bottle brush plant.

And when you answered no, no red flowers.

That told you that the plant was a silver birch.

Let's go back to our original question.

Does it have rough bark?

No.

If you answered no, then our next question was, does it produce green pods?

If the answer was yes, it's a pea plant.

If the answer was no, we move unto another question.

Does it have smooth, flat leaves?

If the answer was yes, that's moss.

If the answer was no, it's a Venus flytrap.

Well done for identifying the plants using the classification key.

And now, it's time for our next learning cycle.

Scientists use classification keys.

Swedish biologist, Carl Linnaeus, born in 1707, used classification keys to help him identify different plants that he had discovered.

And there we can see a portrait of Carl Linnaeus.

He used his classification keys to ask questions about observable characteristics.

That only had a yes or no answer.

Since then, many other types of scientists have used classification keys to help with their work.

Do you know which type of scientist studies plants?

Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

Some scientists are called botanists, and their job is to discover, identify, and study plants in the local and wider environment.

And there we can see a botanist hard at work.

Here's Andeep.

I'm really interested in studying plants.

I think being a botanist sounds like a great job.

I agree.

Do you know the names of any famous botanists, so I can find out more about them?

Pause here and share with someone.

Do you know of any botanists?

Thanks for sharing.

Here's Jacob.

I've watched programs about gardening with my mom and some of the presenters know a lot about plants.

I wonder if they are botanists too.

Answers Jacob.

What about you, can you help?

Do you know any famous botanists?

Or how Andeep could find out about them?

Thanks for sharing.

Agnes Arber studied how plants reproduce and was the first woman botanist to be elected as a fellow of the Royal Society.

There she is.

George Washington Carver was a black American botanist born in the 1860s in Alabama.

He didn't go to school much and was not allowed into college at first because of his skin color.

He loved plants and spent time studying and drawing them.

He helped farmers grow more food using his plant knowledge.

And there we can see George Washington Carver.

Let's have a check for understanding, true or false.

Botanists work in shops that sell plants.

Pause here and decide, is this true or false?

Well done if you selected false.

And now, I'd like you to justify your answer.

Select from statements A or B.

A, botanists identify and study plants that live in the local and wider environment.

B, botanists only identify and study plants they have grown themselves.

Pause here while you cite one of these two justifications for your answer.

Well done if you selected justification A.

Indeed, Botanists identify and study plants that live in the local and wider environment.

Here's Andeep.

Scientists, including botanists and naturalists, use classification keys to help them in their jobs.

And Jacob.

When botanists discover a plant they have not seen before, they use classification keys to help identify and group them.

And there we can see someone identifying plants.

I really do think it sounds like a fantastic job, being a botanist.

George Washington Carver may have used a classification key to identify an unknown plant like this.

What are the observable characteristics of this plant?

Pause here and share with someone.

What can you observe?

Thanks for sharing.

So, can you identify this plant?

Let's go through this classification key.

Are its leaves all one color?

Yes or no.

Pause here and share with someone.

The answer is yes, so now we go unto the next question.

Does it make yellow flowers?

Pause here and share with someone, yes or no?

The answer is yes, which means this is a peanut plant.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which type of scientist might use a classification key to identify and group plants in the environment?

Is it A, a botanist?

B, physicists?

Or C, a zoologist?

Pause here while you decide.

Well done if you selected answer A, botanist.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to use the classification key on the next slide to identify these plants.

Andeep says, these are plants that I saw in the school garden, but I don't know what type of plants they are.

So take a look at this classification key and take yourself through the questions in order to identify each of the plants.

Let's begin with plant A.

Pause here while you have a go at identifying plant A.

It's good to be back with you.

Did you identify that plant A is a cabbage?

Perhaps you went down this route.

Are its leaves all one color?

Yes.

Does it produce yellow flowers?

No.

Does it have a stem?

No.

That means its a cabbage.

Next one.

Can you identify this plant by taking yourself through the questions on this classification key?

Pause here while you do this.

It's good to be back with you.

We only had to ask one question this time.

Are its leaves all one color?

The answer is no, which means plant B is a hosta.

Next, can you identify this plant, plant C.

Pause here while you have a go.

It's good to be back with you.

Did you take this route?

Are its leaves all one color?

Yes.

Does it produce yellow flowers?

No.

Does it have a stem?

Yes.

Does it have serrated leaves?

No.

Which means it's a foxglove.

And finally, can you identify this plant, plant D.

Answer the questions on this classification key.

Pause here while you do this.

It's good to be back with you.

Did you identify this plant?

And did you take this route?

Are its leaves all one color?

Yes.

Does it produce yellow flowers?

No.

Does it have a stem?

Yes.

Does it have serrated leaves?

Yes.

That means this plant is a nettle.

Well done for using the classification key to identify plant D.

In our lesson, Classification Keys to Identify Plants, we've covered the following.

A classification key is a series of yes/no questions about the observable characteristics of living things.

Knowing the structure of plants is useful when using classification keys.

Botanists discover, identify, and study plants in the local and wider environment.

Scientists, including botanists, use classification keys to identify and group plants.

Well done, everyone, for becoming botanists yourself.

Using classification keys, answering a series of yes/no questions to identify various plants.

You've done a great job and hopefully learnt a lot about classification keys and identifying plants.

I've really enjoyed teaching you, and I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

And I look forward to seeing you at another lesson soon.

Until then, stay curious.