How to Use a Dichotomous Key Lesson Plan - Shelterwood Books ...

Part I Direct Instruction
©2009 L Delo
How to Use a Dichotomous Key Lesson Plan
Use the Monster Dicot Key below as a demonstration to show your student/class. You
have several options depending on the equipment and materials you have one hand.
1. Photocopy the worksheet and slip it into a plastic page protector. Make a class set.
Then have your students write the answers on a separate sheet of paper or in their
notebooks. Work through each monster as a class.
2. Project the monster worksheet on the board with an
overhead/computer/smartboard and fill it in as you work through the different
species of monsters, demonstrating to your students how to use the key.
Part II Guided Instruction
Use the Flags of Africa worksheets. These have to be in color for this key to work. If you
don’t have a color printer, substitute the key for Norns at:
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/dichoto.html. If you use this key, print a
copy of the Norns and them draw the ear points and ear tufts more distinctly for your
students. Otherwise, it is difficult for them to tell what they are.
If you want to have just a classroom set of flags for your students to identify, then copy the
page of flags and insert it in a plastic page protector. Print the page with the dichotomous
key and blanks from the Flags of Africa for each student/group. Help your students to
identify the first four flags.
Part III Independent Practice
Using the Flags of Africa worksheets above, have your students complete identifying the
rest of the flags.
Part IV Assessment
Either individually or in small groups have your students identify the Norns at
http://www.biologycorner.com/worksheets/dichoto.html. Print a copy of the Norns and
then draw the ear points and ear tufts more distinctly for your students. Otherwise, it is
difficult for them to tell what they are. If you don’t have access to the Internet then have
them do some from the Monsters Dichotomous Key again.

©2009 L Delo
Monster Dichotomous Key
Identify the species of these monsters using the dichotomous key provided.
____________________ __________________ __________________
____________________ __________________ ____________________
__________________ ____________________ __________________

©2009 L Delo
Dichotomous Key for Identification of Monsters
1. Wings Go to 2
1. No wings Go to 3
2. Tail Greedy rodento
2. No Tail Go to 4
3. 0 to 2 legs Go to 7
3. More than two legs Go to 5
4. Horns Maxter wingus
4. No Horns Bug eyed slinx
5. One eye Go to 6
5. Two eyes Slurp opotomous
6. Teeth Poly opicus
6. No teeth Mono octopus
7. Four eyes Quarto slugo
7. Two eyes Go to 8
8. Antennae Sniggle
8. Horns Horned lab monster

©2009 L Delo
Answer Key
Monster Dichotomous Key
Identify the species of these monsters using the dichotomous key provided.
Maxter wingus Poly opicus Slurp opotomus
____________________ __________________ __________________
Quarto slugo Horned lab monster Greedy rodento
____________________ __________________ ____________________
Bugged eyed slinx Mono octopus Sniggle
__________________ ____________________ __________________

Flag graphics came from:
http://www.paulsquiz.com/picturerounds/African_Flags.pdf
©2009 L Delo
Flags of Africa
Use the dichotomous key provided for Flags of Africa to identify these flags.
A. B. C.
D. E. F.
G. H. I.
J. K. L.

©2009 L Delo
Dichotomous Key for Flags of Africa
1. It has a star. Go to 2
1. It does not have a star. Go to 3
2. It has stripes or rectangles. Go to 4
2. It does not have stripes or rectangles Somalia
3. It has a triangle Go to 7
3. It does not have a triangle Go to 8
4. It has green. Go to 5
4. It does not have green Ghana
5. It has three colors Go to 6
5. It has four colors Ethiopia
6. It has a crescent Algeria
6. It does not have a crescent Cameroon
7. It has a plant Eritrea
7. It does not have a plant South Africa
8. It has an object on it Go to 9
8. It does not have an object on it Go to 10
9. It has a sun Rwanda
9. It does not have a sun Egypt
10. It has white Go to 11
10. It does not have white Chad
11. It has two colors Nigeria
11. It has three colors Cote d'Ivoire

©2009 L Delo
Flags of Africa Dichotomous Key Activity
Student/Group Name(s) __________________________ Date: _______
______________________________________________________ Period: _____
A. ____________________________
B. ____________________________
C. ____________________________
D. ____________________________
E. ____________________________
F. ____________________________
G. ____________________________
H. ____________________________
I. ____________________________
J. ____________________________
K. ____________________________
L. ____________________________

Answers to the Flags of Africa
A. Algeria
B. Cameroon
C. Ghana
D. Ethiopia
E. Somalia
F. Eritrea
G. South Africa
H. Nigeria
I. Chad
J. Rwanda
K. Cote d'Ivoire
L. Egypt
©2009 L Delo