Reading Cladograms

ScienceDinosaurs & PaleontologyAges 9–11

Read and create simple cladograms (branching diagrams) that show how groups of dinosaurs are related based on shared features, understanding that species sharing more features are more closely related

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Teaching Table

Set out your lesson

Trace common ancestors on a branching tree and add a hypothetical species using a stated shared-feature model.

Activity

Compare two dinosaur groups and say what a shared feature is. Revisit the dinosaur-classification prerequisite if necessary.

If Not Ready

Pause and explicitly teach or revisit the named hard prerequisite; do not treat its allocation or authored status as learner readiness.

About 25 minutes. Use diagrams on screen or sketch their lines onto scrap paper. Trace from tips toward the root with a finger. No cutting or app manipulation is necessary. Cover Show/G before T1. T2 is a deliberately hypothetical trait model, not a newly discovered dinosaur phylogeny.

Use the supplied paper cases only unless the optional paper prototype test is explicitly chosen. Do not handle electrical chargers, heat materials, mix chemicals, approach floodwater or volcanoes, or disturb animals. For the optional prototype, an adult checks a clear tabletop; use only paper and a blunt pencil, keep paper away from faces, and stop if the setup feels unsafe. Missing equipment, discomfort or no test means not performed: leave observations blank. No personal health, disaster or family experience is required.

Retain your actual plan and observations on paper between steps. If not performed, leave results blank. Record response mode and assistance; do not infer mastery.

Use the complete materials on screen or print only the current sheet. Keep adult guidance out of learner view. Retain an earlier model only when the current step supplies it as context.

Teaching limits and safe use

These are finite task opportunities, not proof of mastery. Record what was attempted and what support was used.

Shared feature tallies alone do not establish ancestry.
Text connectivity supports adapted reasoning, not independent visual reading; oral answers do not demonstrate drawing.
These bounded source-based examples and task opportunities do not establish learner mastery or general scientific performance.

Retain your actual plan and observations on paper between steps. If not performed, leave results blank. Record response mode and assistance; do not infer mastery.

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Trace common ancestors on a branching tree and add a hypothetical species using a stated shared-feature model.

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Check understanding

Explain that a cladogram shows evolutionary relationships based on shared features
Read a simple cladogram to identify which two dinosaurs share the most recent common ancestor
Add a new species to a partially completed cladogram based on its listed features

“If your child saw a branching tree diagram showing dinosaur relationships, could they explain which dinosaurs are most closely related by looking at where the branches split?”

Curriculum record

Type: Representational
Subject: Science
Domain: Dinosaurs & Paleontology
Age range: Ages 9–11