Classification: An Inquiry Skill

Classify

What does it mean to classify items?

Classify

To classify means to organize items into groups

Can you think of anything that is classified into groups?

We can classify…

Animals Plants

Rocks And much, much more!

Different kinds of classification

• We can classify items in different ways• A very simple way to classify is to put things in

order

Serial classification

• For example, you could classify the students in your class by arranging them in order from tallest to shortest

• In science class, you could arrange a set of graduate cylinders in order from the greatest volume to the least volume

• What else could you classify using serial classification?

Binary classification

• Another way to classify is to divide items into two groups, based on a property

• When items are classified this way, one group has the property, and the other group does not

Binary classification

What are some things that you could classify this way?

Living/Nonliving

Magnetic/Nonmagnetic

Metal/Nonmetal

How are these classified?Vertebrates

Invertebrates

Multi-stage classification

• In this kind of classification, we organize items into multiple groups

• Usually, the groups do not overlap—items fit into one and only group

Multi-stage classification

Multi-stage classification

There are more categories, of course!

You can classify!

• What are some things that you classify each day?

• What kind of classification do you use?– Serial (putting things in order)– Binary (two groups)– Multi-stage (several groups)

Why do scientists classify?

Why do scientists use the skill of classification?