Dichotomous key practice with sea turtle picture cards¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

A pre-visit classroom activity in which student teams "use a dichotomous key to identify the five species of sea turtles normally found off the North Carolina coast." Students study an anatomy diagram, cut out picture cards, record their choices at each level of the key on the back of each card, and verify identifications with a characteristics sheet. The teacher demonstrates key-reading step by step and leads a debrief on what caused difficulty.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Printed Turtle Key, picture cards, anatomy diagram, and characteristics sheet for each pair of students

Constraints¶

• Classroom activity intended before the park visit

Target Learners¶

• Grades 5-8 students working in pairs

Target Learning Goals¶

• Taxonomy
• Sea turtle external anatomy
• Scientific key reading

Related Strategies¶

• Cooperative adaptation-card sorting to compare two turtle species

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Bland, Samuel S. (1995). Sea Turtle Trek, Hammocks Beach State Park: An Environmental Education Learning Experience Designed for Grades 6-8. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED401095