Holiday Dichotomous Key

Name ___________________________________

The Dichotomous Key to Holiday Giving 

and Community Service

Directions:  Key to the Family Faveo

1. Obtain the following items from your teacher:  

• 1 stocking
• 1 Hershey bar
• 1 Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup
• 1 packet M & M’s
• 2 pieces of each of the following: Peppermint Patties, candy canes, round peppermints
• 1 Quart sized Ziploc storage bag
• 1 Shampoo
• 1 Deodorant
• 1 Toothpaste
• 1 Toothbrush
• 1 bottle liquid body soap
• 1 bottle lotion

2. Use the dichotomous key “Key to the Family Faveo” found below to determine the scientific name of each of your “organisms.”  As you work through the key, use the data table below to record the common name, the path, and the scientific name (Genus and species) of each “organism.”  

Dichotomous Key to the Family Faveo

1 a.  Can be used as a source of nutrition ----------------------------------------- Go to 2

b.  Cannot be used as a source of nutrition  ------------------------------------ Go to 7

2 a.  Made from the seeds of the cocoa tree  ------------------------------------- Go to 3

b.  Not made from the seeds of the cocoa tree -------------------------------- Go to 6

3 a.  A colonial candy (A group of candies that co-exist but have 

no dependence upon one another)  -------------------------------- Chocolatus nomelticus

b.  A unicellular candy ------------------------------------------------------------- Go to 4

4 a.  A homogeneous candy --------------------------------------------------------- Chocolatus hersheyminicus

b.  A heterogeneous candy -------------------------------------------------------- Go to 5

5 a.  Outer membrane of chocolate; cytoplasm of peanut butter ----------- Chocolatus nuttyicious

b.  Outer membrane of chocolate; cytoplasm of minty deliciousness --- Chocolatus myfavoritus

6 a.  Has bilateral symmetry ------------------------------------------------------- Mentha elongus

b.  Has radial symmetry ---------------------------------------------------------- Mentha roundus

7 a.  Used in the extreme anterior (head) region of the body --------------- Go to 8

b.  Used in other regions of the body  ------------------------------------------ Go to 10

8 a.  Used to cleanse the protein fibers found on the scalp   ----------------- Cephalo scrubicus

b.  Used as protection against bacteria in the oral cavity ------------------ Go to 9

9 a.  Exists in nature as a semi-liquid  -------------------------------------------- Dental hygienicus

b.  Exists in nature as a solid ----------------------------------------------------- Cavitus preventicus

10 a. Used to remove unwanted bacteria from the body ---------------------- Go to 11

b.  Used to soothe the irritations of the epidermis -------------------------- Skin sosoftae

11 a.  Can be applied to the epidermis of the entire body ---------------------- Pheromonus eliminatus

b.  Applied to a particularly odiferous region of the body  ----------------- Pheromonus armpiticus

Data Table:

Common Name	Path	Scientific Name

NOTE: Once you have completed the scientific classification of these “organisms”, place the edible ones in the stocking, and place the non-edible ones (toiletries) in the Ziplock bag.  Place the stocking and the Ziplock bag in the collection area specified by the instructor.

Copyright © November 2012 Amy Brown (aka Science Stuff)

Tips for the Teacher:

1. Very rarely in my high school biology classes do we have the time to devote to a holiday activity.  I make an exception each year for this fun, but very important activity.  I do this activity each year to remind my students of the importance of  community service and “giving back” to our community.  

The purpose of the activity is very simple:  To put together stockings of candy and Ziplock bags of toiletries that can be donated to a local charity.

2. We donate the stockings and the Ziplock bags of toiletries to our local food bank.   You might also consider donating the items to a nursing home, an orphanage, a homeless shelter or the Salvation Army.

3. Check before your donate!!  You may need to use only candies that are available in a sealed wrapper.  For example, a Hershey kiss is not in a sealed wrapper.  The candies listed above can all be purchased in sealed wrappings.

4. Materials needed per student:

• Small stocking
• Quart-sized Ziploc bag
• 1 Hershey bar (I buy a bag that has the smaller bars, but not the miniatures)
• 1 Reese’s peanut butter cup (I buy the regular size, individual cup.)
• 1 packet of M & M’s (I buy a bag of the small packets.)
• 2 Peppermint patties
• 2 small candy canes
• 2 round peppermints
• travel size shampoo
• travel size deodorant
• travel size liquid soap
• travel size toothpaste
• travel size lotion
• toothbrush

These travel-sized toiletries can be found at your local Wal-Mart.

5. The keys above are easily editable.  You might choose to include different items.  If so, you can easily adjust the dichotomous key for your preferences.

6. Just before Thanksgiving, I place a donation box in my room.  I explain to my students that I am collecting their spare change for a service project that we will do just before school is let out for the holidays.  I talk briefly about being thankful for what we have, and that we have an obligation to help others who are less fortunate than us.  I ask them to place their donations in the collection box whenever they have a bit of change in their pockets to spare.  I encourage them to give what they can, and that all donations are a personal and private matter.   I accept the donations for about 3 weeks prior to the activity.  The students are not allowed to ask each other how much they donated, etc.  I use this change to purchase the items needed for the activity.   

7. This activity can be used before any holiday by simply changing the clip art at the top of the handout.

8. The dichotomous key assumes that the student will have knowledge of each of the items being classified/identified.  I made up these keys as just a fun activity and a way to have my students participate in a community service activity.  There is nothing scientific about the activity!  Feel free to change the key to meet your needs.

9. “Faveo” is the Latin word for Help.   Faveo is defined as: be favorable to, aid, support, help.

10. Terms that you might need to review with your students:  homogeneous, heterogeneous, bilateral symmetry, radial symmetry, colonial organism, unicellular organism, anterior, posterior,  and epidermis.  

Answer Key:

Common Name	Path	Scientific Name
Hershey bar	1a, 2a, 3b, 4a	Chocolatus hersheyminicus
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup	1a, 2a, 3b, 4b, 5a	Chocolatus nuttyicious
M & M’s	1a, 2a, 3a	Chocolatus nomelticus
Peppermint Patty	1a, 2a, 3b, 4b, 5b	Chocolatus myfavoritus
Candy Cane	1a, 2b, 6a	Mentha elongus
Round peppermints	1a, 2b, 6b	Mentha roundus
Shampoo	1b, 7a, 8a	Cephalo scrubicus
Deodorant	1b, 7b, 10a, 11b	Pheromonas armpiticus
Toothpaste	1b, 7a, 8b, 9a	Dental hygienicus
Toothbrush	1b, 7a, 8b, 9b	Cavitus preventicus
Body soap	1b, 7b, 10a, 11a	Pheromonas eliminatus
Lotion	1b, 7b, 10b	Skin sosoftae

Created by Amy Brown – Science Stuff

Copyright © November 2012 Amy Brown (aka Science Stuff)

All rights reserved by author.

This document is for your classroom use only.

This document may not be electronically distributed or posted to a web site.