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Cladistics Activity

Complete the following activities. This will help us get into fossils and animals.

Part 1- Cladistics

This Cladistics activity needs for you to look at a penny, dime nickel and quarter. Think about the visual differences between each coin and image those are animals.

-how are they the same, how are they different?

File: Understanding Cladistics Part IDownload Understanding Cladistics Part I

Part 2- Cladistics with animals

Read through the handout and view the animal images.

Place and X in the appropriate boxes as the instructions show.

Cladistics Activity

Files:

Understanding Cladistics part 2.pdfDownload Understanding Cladistics part 2.pdf

Cladistics PhotosDownload Cladistics Photos

When finished scan and upload both the associated files. I only need the 2 answer pages not the photo page (it is jsut for reference)

1. How are the penny  dime  nickel and quarter the same and different (imagining them as animals)?,

2. What activity is required in Part 1 regarding coins and cladistics?,

3. What must you do after reading the handout in Part 2?,

4. What task is required with the Cladistics Photos file?,

5. What must be submitted after completing the activity?

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Comprehensive General Response:

1. Coin Similarities & Differences (Imagining Them as Animals):
   The penny, dime, nickel, and quarter are all similar because they are round, flat, and made of metal—just as animals in cladistics may share basic features like limbs or backbones. However, they differ in size, color, edge texture, and markings—similar to how animals differ in traits like fur, number of limbs, or body structures. For example, the dime is the smallest, the quarter is the largest, and the nickel has a smoother edge than the quarter or dime.

2. Part 1 Activity:
   You’re asked to analyze the coins (penny, dime, nickel, quarter) as if they were animals. You need to observe and compare their characteristics to practice identifying similarities and differences, which mirrors how cladistics is used to classify organisms based on shared traits.

3. Part 2 Task:
   In Part 2, you must read the handout carefully and examine the provided animal images. Following the instructions, you will place an “X” in boxes to indicate whether each animal has a certain trait, helping to build a cladogram (a branching diagram showing evolutionary relationships).

4. Using Cladistics Photos:

6. Cladistics Activity
   You’ll use the animal photos as a reference guide to identify traits, but you don’t need to upload the photo page itself—only the two answer pages where you placed the X’s and recorded your answers.

7. Submission Requirement:
   After completing both activities, you need to scan and upload the two answer pages from the assignments. These pages show your completed trait chart and cladogram.