Applied Taxonomy Biodiversity Expedition

A simulation-based biology sequence where 9th-grade students act as field biologists discovering and classifying life on a newly explored planet, Sector X. Students engage in observation, naming, hierarchical grouping, and evolutionary modeling to understand the principles of taxonomy.

Expedition to Sector X

Students are introduced to the Sector X mission and practice detailed scientific observation by documenting traits of newly discovered 'specimens'.

Grouping and Sorting Taxa

Students collaboratively sort their specimen cards into groups based on shared characteristics, establishing the criteria for hierarchical classification.

The Naming Ceremony

Students invent Latin-sounding or descriptive scientific names for their organisms following standard rules (capitalization, italics, descriptive roots). They create a 'Field Guide' entry for their assigned species.

Systematics and Common Ancestry

Students arrange their fictional organisms into a proposed evolutionary tree. They must hypothesize which form was likely the ancestor and how the others diverged, writing a brief 'natural history' of the group.

Peer Review and Publication

Teams present their taxonomy systems to the class ('The Scientific Community'). Other teams critique the logic of their groupings and the validity of their names, simulating the peer review process.