Classification involves organizing items into groups based on shared properties or characteristics. There are several types of classification including serial, binary, and multi-stage. Serial classification involves ordering items from a particular trait like height. Binary classification divides items into two groups based on whether they have a specific property or not. Multi-stage classification organizes items into multiple non-overlapping groups. Scientists use classification to systematically organize the natural world into meaningful categories.

1. Classification: An Inquiry Skill

2. Classify
What does it mean to classify items?

3. Classify
To classify means to organize items into groups
Can you think of
anything that is
classified into
groups?

4. We can classify…
Animals Plants
Rocks And much, much
more!

5. Different kinds of classification
• We can classify items in different ways
• A very simple way to classify is to put things in
order

6. Serial classification
• For example, you could classify the students in
your class by arranging them in order from
tallest to shortest
• In science class, you could arrange a set of
graduate cylinders in order from the greatest
volume to the least volume
• What else could you classify using serial
classification?

7. Binary classification
• Another way to classify is to divide items into
two groups, based on a property
• When items are classified this way, one group
has the property, and the other group does
not

8. Binary classification
What are some things that you could classify
this way?
Living/Nonliving
Magnetic/Nonmagnetic
Metal/Nonmetal

9. How are these classified?
Vertebrates
Invertebrates

10. Multi-stage classification
• In this kind of classification, we organize items
into multiple groups
• Usually, the groups do not overlap—items fit
into one and only group

11. Multi-stage classification

12. Multi-stage classification
There are more
categories, of course!

13. You can classify!
• What are some things that you classify each
day?
• What kind of classification do you use?
– Serial (putting things in order)
– Binary (two groups)
– Multi-stage (several groups)

14. Why do scientists classify?
Why do scientists use the skill of classification?