Pre Assessment: Respond to the prompt in your field notebooks.

1. You come across a species you are unfamiliar with. How would you go about identifying it?
2. Without telling anyone what it is, pick an animal in the room.
3. Using small letters, write down the name on one side of your flash card.
4. OnOnOOnOnOOOnOnOOnOnOOOnOnOnOOnOnOOOnOnOOnOnOOOnOnOn the opposite side of your flashcard, list 10 things about this animal.
5. 
   
6. 
   

Objective: Identify species of wildlife found in North America and demonstrate use of a dichotomous key.

Enduring Understandings:

• Dichotomous keys are useful tools when identifying organisms that are unfamiliar.
• Dichotomous keys and field guides can help identify species.

• Activity 2: Candy Bar Lab

• Activity 3: Dichotomous Key worksheet

• Activity 4: Directional Terminology

In Lab:

Activity 3: Using Field Guides

• In the field, use a field guide (book or app) to identify one species of observed wildlife.
• Record your species name in your field notebooks along with your field notes.

Field Notebook Reflection:

1. Which tool did you prefer to use to identify the specimens, dichotomous keys or a field guide? Why?
2. What was most challenging part of using the dichotomous keys? How did you overcome this challenge?
3. What did you like best about the dichotomous keys?
4. Are there different scenarios when you would use one resource over another?

Homework: Species Identification (ID) Bell Ringer

• Create an informational display that will educate your classmates on the species you have been assigned.
• Your display must include at least one piece of physical evidence.
• In class, you will share your information with your classmates.
• At the end of the week, we will have a quiz on the species displayed.
• Assessment:
  • Display (Project): WPS Communication Rubric
  • Species Identification (Quiz): Points awarded for the number of species correctly identified.

Post Assessment:

• Species Identification Quiz

Additional Resources:

• Peterson Field Guide Apps
• Audubon Field Guide Apps
• eBird App to record observations in the field
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology Macaulay Library
• Mammal Skull Identification
• Tracking and Sign of North American Mammals
• Frog calls