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LIVING THINGS AND THEIR HABITATS

CLASSIFICATION

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Why do we need to classify?

Think about shopping in a supermarket - how do we

know where to find what we are looking for?

Each type of food is in its own place and we can

easily tell how items have been classified by looking

at the signs above the aisles.

Can the you think of other situations where

classification is essential? How does it make our lives

easier?

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KEY WORDS

Classification- organising things into groups.

Species- a category within the classification

system. Living things of the same type belong to

the same species.

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Scientists

estimate that

Planet Earth is

home to 8.7

million

species.

Classification

makes sense of

this huge

diversity.

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There are millions of types of living things in the

world, so it would be very difficult if we tried to

describe and name each one individually.

To help us understand living things, scientists organise

them into groups, according to features they share -

this is called classification.

Scientists are always looking for characteristics or

“observable features” which allow them to group

different species together and see how they are

related to each other

Photo: Elizabethe

Aristotle 384BC – 322BC

“In all things of nature

there is something of the

marvellous”

The classification of plants

and animals can be traced

back to Ancient Greece.

Aristotle was a famous

philosopher and scientist

who lived 2,500 years ago

and he was the first

person to try and classify

living things into groups.

Aristotle’s Ladder of Life

Aristotle decided there was a hierarchy of

living things which he called the Ladder of

Nature/Life; it ranked living things on

their ability to move and sense.

There were 2 major groups - plants and

animals, that he called Kingdoms. We still

use this term today for the broad division

of living things. Animals were divided into

two large subgroups - those with red blood

and those without; this corresponds closely

with the vertebrate and invertebrate

grouping we use today.

Aristotle’s Ladder of Life

Human Beings

Can think and be creative

Animals

Can move around to search for food

and escape predators

Sensitive to their surroundings

Plants

Usually green and stationary

Can grow and reproduce

Non-living Things

e.g. rocks

Aristotle’s Ladder of Life

Human Beings

Can think and be creative

AnimalsCan move around to search for

food and escape predatorsSensitive to their surroundings

Plants

Usually green and stationaryCan grow and reproduce

Non-living Things

e.g. rocks

Create your own ladder of life!

Carolus Linnaeus 1707 - 1778

Photo: Stuart Rankin

Linnaeus was a Swedish

scientist who developed a

system of organising living

things Linnaeus made it his

life’s work to develop a

way to classify and name

all life on Earth. It forms

the basis of the

classification and naming

system we use today. https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/class-clips-video/science-ks2-the-work-of-carl-linnaeus/zhnjf4j

The Seven Levels of Linnaeus’ System

Kingdom

Phylum

Class

Order

Family

Genus

Species

More specific

This phrase will help

you remember the

order:

Keep ponds clean or frogs get sick

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoZUNdOUj9g

Photo: Chester Zoo

Kingdom:

Animalia

Phylum:

Chordata

Class:

Mammalia

Order:Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Panthera

SpeciesLeo

Panthera leo (lion)

Backbone

Hair/fur, live young etc

Meat eating

Retractable claws

Roars

Research Task

Research Carolus Linnaeus.

Find out about his childhood, his interests, achievements and the contribution he made to the classification of living things.

Linnaeus‛ favourite plant was named after him - can you find out what it is?

Present your research in a fact-file like the example on

the next slide.