Lesson 2 - Linnaeus and the System of Classification
Introduction
Scientists rely on a system to organize all living things. But who came up with this system and how are newly discovered organisms named and added? In the 18th century, a Swedish man named Carolus Linnaeus thought it was important to organize living things, and he developed a system to do that. He started out interested in plants, but he ended up ordering all life as he knew it. We still use the basics of his system today. Scientists are constantly refining the system based on new knowledge. Maybe you will make a change in how animals are organized!
Putting animals in order like this is called taxonomy. The taxonomists — people who name organisms— use a book called the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, or ICZN, to tell them the rules for classifying living things.
Classification
In your Science Journal:
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- Write down today’s Lesson Title at the top of your next Journal page.
- Write today’s learning objective on the first line.
- Explore the Module 4 - Lesson 2 presentation below. Today, we’ll learn about the system invented nearly 300 years ago to organize living things. We’ll be exploring a Google Slides presentation about the classification system. It is a presentation that will help you understand the characteristics of a scientific name (binomial nomenclature) and the different groupings in the system.
- Write down the important terms and their definitions (yellow boxes) in your science journal.
Video
Watch this video to learn about taxonomy.
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