Year 4 Science · Classification keys · Summary
Year 4 Science Classification keys: summary and key words
Part of the Year 4 Science classification keys chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Chapter summary
| Skill | Method |
|---|---|
| What a key is | A classification key is a set of yes or no questions about features. It leads to the name of a living thing. |
| Animal key | Start at step 1. Answer yes or no, and follow the yes or no column until a name is reached. |
| Leaf key | Look at the edges and the lobes of a leaf. Holly, sycamore, oak and birch can be named by their leaves. |
| Minibeast key | Count the legs, and look for a shell. Spiders have 8 legs, insects have 6, woodlice have 14. |
| Making a key | Write yes or no questions that split living things into two groups, in a sensible order. |
Can you…?
- I can explain that a classification key asks yes or no questions
- I can follow an animal key step by step to name an animal
- I can use a leaf key to name a tree from its leaves
- I can use a key for minibeasts found nearby, and say which step gives the name
- I can write a yes or no question that separates two living things
Key terms
- classification key
- a set of yes or no questions about features that leads to the name of a living thing
- identify
- to say what a living thing is, by naming it
- feature
- something about a living thing that can be seen, counted or checked
- step
- one question in a key, and the answer that you follow next
- lobe
- a rounded or pointed part of a leaf that sticks out from its middle
- minibeast
- a small animal, such as a spider, insect, snail or worm, that lives in a garden or park
- evergreen
- a plant that keeps its leaves all year, such as holly
- woodlouse
- a small animal with 14 legs that lives under logs and stones; it is not an insect