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~Rachel~
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| Posted: Aug 27 2007 at 1:34pm | IP Logged
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OK, so I realized today that DS is ready to learn some more about classification. And it strikes me that this is the perfect time to use some of the wonderful Montessori 'matching' and 'sorting' activities.
I just wanted some brainstorming ideas here, so I can figure out where to start.
What would *you* include?
Obviously I am thinking of starting right with the Kingdoms and moving on quickly to vertebrates and invertebrates.
Obviously we can start out with pictures of various animals so he can group them according to kingdom etc. (Heck I even remember the whole classification order  )...
And it strikes me that this and this can introduce Linnaeus and give us a literature CM aspect, but what else is there that I can include?
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 27 2007 at 11:59pm | IP Logged
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I guess I am not sure exactly what you are asking, but I will give you some of my thoughts on classifying.
Be sure to emphasize the reason behind various classification schemes. The kingdom, phylum, class, etc scheme is based on shared characteristics of anatomy (morphology) and genetic relationships.
But there are other ways to classify living things.
Ex: by habitat (fresh water, rainforest, temperate forest, desert, etc.)
By means of making a living (producer, carnivore, detritivore, herbivore, etc)
Predator/prey relationships.
Leaf shapes.
Types of homes (burrows, nests, caves, hollow trees, etc.)
Time of greatest activity (nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular)
Migratory vs non-migratory
hibernation vs winter-active
egg-layers vs live birth
salt vs fresh water
air, land, or sea.
Lots and lots of different ways to classify. Have fun!
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Theresa
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ozlouise
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| Posted: Aug 28 2007 at 6:37am | IP Logged
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lapazfarm wrote:
But there are other ways to classify living things.
Ex: by habitat (fresh water, rainforest, temperate forest, desert, etc.)
By means of making a living (producer, carnivore, detritivore, herbivore, etc)
Predator/prey relationships.
Leaf shapes.
Types of homes (burrows, nests, caves, hollow trees, etc.)
Time of greatest activity (nocturnal, diurnal, crepuscular)
Migratory vs non-migratory
hibernation vs winter-active
egg-layers vs live birth
salt vs fresh water
air, land, or sea.
Lots and lots of different ways to classify. Have fun!
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I also like to re-classify the same group of animals within the same activity to see how animals share characteristics/are related to different animals eg anaconda can go with death adder because they are both snakes, it can go with the sloth because they both live in South America etc. He can explain the similarities/differences between animals in this way.
Louise
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~Rachel~
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| Posted: Aug 28 2007 at 8:03am | IP Logged
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Great, thanks ladies!
I am basically just asking for ideas to follow through with classifying things, so these are precisely what I am looking for! More ideas are very welcome!
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Meredith
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Wow, super ideas here! Thanks for bringing this up Rachel! So for those of us who may not know what a *detritivore* is, could you expand here 
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~Rachel~
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| Posted: Aug 28 2007 at 11:18am | IP Logged
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Meredith wrote:
| Wow, super ideas here! Thanks for bringing this up Rachel! So for those of us who may not know what a *detritivore* is, could you expand here |
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Think of them as 'bottom feeders' as in they eat 'detritus'  Fungi, shrimp... etc.
You can read more here and here and here
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Meredith
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Okey-dokey, that makes sense  Appreciate the links  Have fun with this, it will surely be interesting!
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Land O' Cotton
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The picture in the first link of the dung beetle rolling a ball of dung made me chuckle. It reminded me of the attraction at DisneyWorld called "It's a Bug's Life". That's one of our favorites there, so this will be something we'll relate to for sure!
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~Rachel~
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It would make a great 'detritivore' card picture too. I don't think the kids would ever forget that!!
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~Rachel~
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OK I realize that apparently fungi are considered decomposers rather than detritivores... sorry
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Aug 28 2007 at 4:32pm | IP Logged
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~Rachel~ wrote:
| OK I realize that apparently fungi are considered decomposers rather than detritivores... sorry |
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Oh, it's ok, Rachel. Very small detail. Scientists are so dang picky, right?
On the bright side, now you have another level of classification- you can classify organisms that eat dead things into scavengers (animals that eat dead animals), detritivores (animals that eat dead plant and animal material), and decomposers (fungi and bacteria that break down dead plant organic material).
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~Rachel~
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I am SO LUCKY my son LOVES organizing. I just wish I could remember more of this from school... AND I did it at high school level! I just happen to know a young man who loves to classify things
Good job I have a couple of weeks to work on it
He once told me he wanted to be a scientist when he grows up. Of course he was thinking Dr. Benton Quest from Jonny Quest, but there you go... 
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4Real Forums : Nurturing the Years of Wonder
Topic: Classification Montessori Style
