======Classification Card Sorting======


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**Alternative titles:** Kingdoms and Domains Intro Activity 
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Provide each group of students with a set of 20 organism cards (pictures with species names).  
  - Ask students to sort the cards into groups they think make sense. Encourage them to explain their reasoning.  
  - Introduce the five kingdoms system and have students re-sort the organisms into: animals, plants, fungi, protoctists, and prokaryotes.  
  - Point out the limitations of this system, particularly with prokaryotes.  
  - Guide students to separate prokaryotes into archaebacteria and eubacteria, using the hint that archaebacteria often live in extreme environments.  
  - Explain the three domains system (Archaea, Bacteria, Eukarya) and have students classify organisms accordingly.  
  - Conclude with a discussion about why scientists prefer the three domains model today.



====Links==== 
📄 Classification Card Sort - tes: [[https://www.tes.com/en-au/teaching-resource/classification-card-sort-11472838]]\\

====Variations====
  * Add cards for viruses to discuss whether they should be classified as living or non-living.  
  * Challenge students to design their own classification systems and compare them with accepted models.  
  * Provide short fact cards (habitat, cell type, reproduction) to support sorting.



====Safety Precautions====
  * If extended with live cultures or specimens, follow microbiology safety protocols.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why do scientists classify organisms? (To organize biodiversity and understand relationships.)  
  * What are the main differences between the five kingdoms and three domains systems? (The five kingdoms group all prokaryotes together, while the three domains separate archaea and bacteria.)  
  * How can we distinguish archaebacteria from eubacteria? (Archaebacteria often live in extreme environments; they also differ in genetics and cell membrane composition.)  
  * Why is classification sometimes controversial? (New discoveries, genetic data, and differing criteria can lead to disagreements.)  
  * Why is the three domains system more widely accepted today? (It better reflects evolutionary relationships based on genetic evidence.)