Classiciation: Silly Science

If the Doodads and Gismos classification activity is a bit too much for your students, you might want to start them with this Silly Science dichotomous key from The Science Spot. 

It uses equally common objects, but not quite as many and the key itself is simpler than the other version. 

The objects used are:

• Sharpened pencil
• Unsharpened pencil
• White marble
• Colored marble
• White Chalk
• Wooden Splint
• Die
• Eraser
• Small paperclip
• Large paperclip

I had plenty of these objects around my classroom, so I was able to create bags of objects that I could store and reuse each year.  A little work the first year, but from then on you just need to pull out the box the day you need it and away you go.