This Science video introduces teachers to the Linnaean system of classification, developed by Carl Linnaeus in the eighteenth century, and why it was a turning point in scientific organisation. Before his work, scientists in different countries used separate methods, causing confusion and duplication. Linnaeus introduced a universal system based on comparing physical characteristics, dividing living things into increasingly specific groups – from the broadest category, kingdom, to the most specific, species. The lesson also introduces the binomial naming system, still used today, which gives every species a two-part Latin name.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s Science – groups. It explains that while Linnaeus’s method remains at the heart of classification, modern science also uses additional techniques, such as microscopes to study cells and chemical analysis to compare DNA and trace evolutionary history. Pupils do not need to know the detailed processes of these methods, only that they are used alongside physical observation to classify living things.

Science, key stage 2, Year 6, Living things: Classifying big and small, Lesson 1: Carl Linnaeus and classification