Classifying Living Things

Germination of a plant

By Carlos Jiménez

Have you ever tried to sort laundry? How do you do it? You might not have known it, but sorting Laundry is a way to classify items. When you classify, you place things that share properties in groups.

To classify, you have to decide what characteristics to use to define groups.​

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How are organisms classified?

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To classify organisms into large groups, scientists study many traits. A trait is a characteristic of a living thing.

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Living things can be divided into six kingdoms. Members of each kingdom can be grouped into PHYLUM, CLASS, ORDER, FAMILY, GENUS, AND SPECIES

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Traits

Six Kingdoms

Scientists divide living things into six kingdoms. A kingdom is the largest group into which organisms can be classified. All the members of a kingdom share the same basic traits. Plants have their own kingdom. So do animals. There are so many kinds of bacteria, they get two kingdoms! There is also a kingdom for protists (PROH•tists) and one for fungi (FUN•jye). The chart shows which traits the organisms in each kingdom share.

Critical Thinking

Some bacteria make their own food. Why are they not classified as plants?

Classify

Into which kingdom would you classify an organism that has many cells, does not make its own food, and moves?

Quiz Check

Now, let's practice...

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Multiple Select

Q. 

Which one is the name of the five kingdoms?

• plants, animals, fungi, monera, bacteria

• plants, animals, fungi, monera, bacteria

• plants, animals, fungi, vertebrates, protists

Multiple Select

Q. 

 

All living things can reproduce.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• I DON'T KNOW

Multiple Select

Q. 

 

Size is not important to life. Microscopic organisms are living things.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• I DON'T KNOW

Multiple Select

Q. 

 

Everything that can move is living.

• TRUE

• FALSE

• I DON'T KNOW

Multiple Select

Q. 

 

The three main functions of living things are:

• Movement, interaction, reproduction.

• Nutrition, interaction, colour.

• Nutrition, interaction, reproduction.

Multiple Select

Q. 

 

Nutrition, interaction, reproduction.

• The animal cell hasn´t got vacuoles.

• The animal cell hasn't got a cell wall.