DuckstersDucksters
History Biography Geography Science Games

Biology for Kids

Scientific Classification

Biological Classification is the way scientists use to categorize and organize all of life. It can help to distinguish how similar or different living organisms are to each other.

An example of Classification

Biological classification works a bit like the library does. Inside the library, books are divided up into certain areas: the kids books in one section, the adult books in another, and the teen books in another section. Within each of those sections, there will be more divisions like fiction, non-fiction. Within those sections there will be even more divisions such as mystery, science fiction, and romance novels in the fiction section. Finally you will get down to a single book.

Biological classification works the same way. At the top there are the kingdoms. This is sort of like the adult section vs. the kids' section. The kingdoms divide up life into big groups like plants and animals. Under the kingdoms are more divisions which would be like fiction, non-fiction, mystery, etc. Finally, you get to the species, which is sort of like getting to the book in the library.

7 Major Levels of Classification

There are seven major levels of classification: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species. The two main kingdoms we think about are plants and animals. Scientists also list four other kingdoms including bacteria, archaebacteria, fungi, and protozoa. Sometimes an eighth level above the Kingdom called the Domain is used.

Classification for Humans

Here is an example of how humans are classified. You will see that our species is homo sapiens.

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Primates
Family: Hominidae
Genus: Homo
Species: Homo sapiens

Fun ways to Remember Biological Classification

A good way to remember lists is to make up a sentence using the first letters in a list. In this case we want to remember Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, and Species: K, P, C, O, F, G, S

Here are some sentences:
Interesting Facts about Biological Classification Activities

More biology subjects:
The Cell
Bacteria
Photosynthesis
Trees
Animals
Scientific Classification
Nutrition
Vitamins and Minerals

Back to Kids Science Page

Back to Kids Study Page



Ducksters Footer Gif with Ducks


About Ducksters Privacy Policy 

 

This site is a product of TSI (Technological Solutions, Inc.), Copyright 2024, All Rights Reserved. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use.