I made a flowchart-style dichotomous key for identifying skulls in owl pellets. Why flowchart? Because that's the format used on the performance part of the NY State 8th grade exam. My feeling is that once students use a dichotomous key and see the practical benefit of a dichotomous key, it will be easier to get them to do the other activities necessary to learn how to create a dichotomous key in the first place.

For more dichotomous key activities, look at these NY State Ed Dept. tasks:

http://pals.sri.com/pals/tasks/k-4/Candy2/directs.html

http://pals.sri.com/pals/tasks/k-4/Candy1/directs.html

http://pals.sri.com/pals/tasks/k-4/Candy3/directs.html

-- Michael Gatton (mgatton@vzavenue.net), March 08, 2004

Answers

Oops:

Forgot to the link to the owl pellet dichotomous key:

http://middleschoolscience.org/activities.htm

-- Michael W Gatton (mgatton@vzavenue.net), March 08, 2004.