The Plant Kingdom: First Classification of the Plant Kingdom

Age
6-9.

Materials

 * Classification Charts with phyla, mute charts, loose pictures, labels, folders with classes.

Preparation
It is important - especially in the classification of plants - that you have as many representations of the plants as possible. The scientific names are given here, but it is not necessary to give them unless you know their etymology. The scientific names will be meaningless to the 6-9 child without that. Plants and their classification are not familiar to many American families. It is important to make them interesting and play up the stories of the plants just as you do the animals.

Presentation

 * 1) Tell stories from the Prentice-Hall Parade of Life Book about three phyla at a time, just as the animals.
 * 2) Show some of the examples of their classes with each.
 * 3) Have the children do some work or work with that part of the classification chart before they go on to the end.
 * 4) Give them time to get to know the definitions.
 * 5) Finish the work with them when you know they understand.
 * 6) They may work with the material in the sequence of pictures, labels, definitions matching with control - then pictures, labels, definitions with mute charts and folders.
 * 7) The phyla of the plant kingdom are:

Bryophyta (Mosses, liverworts and hornworts)

Psilophyta (whisk ferns)

Lycopodophyta (club mosses)

Sphenophyta (horsetails)

Filicinophyta (ferns)

Cycadophyta (cycads)

Ginkgophyta (Ginkgo)

Coniferophyta (conifers)

Gnetophyta (Welwitschia,etc)

Angiospermophyta (flowering plants)