Plant Phylogeny Line Up Game

Engaging biology activity on plant evolution and classification. Students organize themselves by phylogenetic relatedness.
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Plant Phylogeny Line-Up Game: Plant Evolution & Classification Review Activity**

Interactive Biology Game | Evolution, Taxonomy, & Phylogeny | Great for Exam Review

Turn the classic birthday line-up icebreaker into a lively evolution review game! In this hands-on activity, each student receives a card with the name of an organism - ranging from bacteria to eudicots - and must line up in order of evolutionary relatedness. Students collaborate, discuss traits and ancestry, and refine their lineup to reflect the major branches of plant evolution.

This activity makes a perfect review for evolution, taxonomy, or phylogeny units and gets students moving, thinking, and talking about what they’ve learned. It reinforces key ideas about common ancestry, classification, and the evolutionary tree of life in a memorable, interactive way.

What’s Included:

Teacher instructions and setup guide

Printable organism cards (editable)

Answer key / reference phylogeny

Learning Objectives:

Classify plants and plant relatives based on shared evolutionary traits

Explain the concept of common ancestry and relatedness

Interpret and apply phylogenetic relationships

Perfect for:

High school or introductory college biology

Evolution, taxonomy, or plant diversity units

Exam review or substitute plans

Keywords:
evolution activity, phylogeny game, taxonomy lesson, plant diversity, classification activity, biology icebreaker, evolution review, tree of life worksheet, relatedness activity, hands-on biology