“Taxonomy is described sometimes as a science and sometimes as an art, but really it’s a battleground.”
Bill Bryson – A Short History of Nearly Everything
#baldguysci #edchat #kicksomeclass #animalencounters #ngss #ngsspractices #fisher
When scientists classify an organism, and declare it is “related” to other organisms in a group they are essentially applying their skills of observation, inference, and questioning. The physical, observable and sometimes behavioral characteristics of an organism leave clues to the similarities and differences it has with other organisms. The goal of taxonomy, the study of classification, is to help scientists draw conclusions about organisms by grouping them based on similarities and separating them based on differenzcess.
One common activity students engage in when classifying is to compare and contrast observable features. In this animal encounter, Bald Guy Sci encourages students to compare a fisher, occasionally referred to as a “fisher cat”, with other organisms they know, including the common house cat. What evidence can you come up with that supports the idea of calling a fisher a fisher cat? What evidence leads you to support the counterclaim that a fisher is NOT a cat?
The fisher lives in forested regions of the North East and all across Canada but may not be a common sight to anyone who spends time indoors or lives in another part of the country. Fishers are actually a large weasel, the largest weasel in New York State where the video was shot, but due to some of their physical characteristics and movement style, they are often mislabeled or mis-categorized as “cats”.
Science teachers should use this video to talk about identifying traits that can be used in classification schema. They can talk about how to use observations as evidence to support a claim but that reasoning must be present to make a compelling argument.
On a side note, as a science teacher myself, I use activities like this to talk about the difference between being accurate and right. Students will often have an egocentric motivation to be right, rather than an inquiry-based motivation to be accurate. As we help them. Kick Some Class, we should encourage them to be honest, humble, and open-minded to reach the best and most accurate conclusions in our quest for scientific accuracy and literacy!
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