Strand 2: Life
Science (Biology)
Life Science (Biology)

Learning standards for PreK–2 fall under the
following four subtopics:
Characteristics of Living Things;
 Heredity;
 Evolution and Biodiversity;
 Living Things and Their Environment.

Learning standards

for grades 3–5 fall under the following four
subtopics:
Characteristics of Plants and Animals;
 Structures and Functions;
 Adaptations of Living Things;
 Energy and Living Things.

grades 6–8


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The organisms are composed of cells and that some
organisms are unicellular and must therefore carry out
all of the necessary processes for life within single cell.
Other organisms, including human beings, are
multicellular, with cells working together.
Students should observe that the cells of a
multicellular organism can be physically very different
from each other, and should relate that fact to the
specific role that each cell has in the organism
(specialization).


At the macroscopic level, students focus on the
interactions that occur within ecosystems.
They explore the interdependence of living
things, specifically the dependence of life on
photosynthetic organisms such as plants, which
in turn depend upon the sun as their source of
energy.

Learning standards for grades 6–8 fall under the
following eight subtopics:
Classification of Organisms;
 Structure and Function of Cells;
 Systems in Living Things;
 Reproduction and Heredity;
 Evolution and Biodiversity;
 Living Things and Their Environment;
 Energy and Living Things;
 Changes in Ecosystems Over Time.

Learning Standard
Ideas for Developing
Investigations and Learning
Experiences
Characteristics of Living Things
1. Recognize that animals
(including humans) and plants
are living things that grow,
reproduce, and need food, air,
and water.
•Draw and record the growth of a
plant grown from seeds with
different light exposures (vary the
duration and intensity of light
exposure).
2. Differentiate between living
and nonliving things.
Group both living and
nonliving things according to
the characteristics that they
share.
•Compare and contrast groups of
animals (e.g., insects, birds, fish,
mammals) and look at how
animals in these groups are more
similar to one another than to
animals in other groups.
3. Recognize that plants and
animals have life cycles, and
that life cycles vary for
different living things.
Using either live organisms or
pictures/models, observe the
changes in form that occur during
the life cycle of a butterfly or frog.
Discuss the life cycle of a tree.
Heredity
4. Describe ways in which many
plants and animals closely
resemble their parents in observed
appearance.
•Look at and discuss pictures of
animals from the same species.
Observe and discuss how they
are alike and how they are
different.
Evolution and Biodiversity
5. Recognize that fossils provide us
with information about living
things that inhabited the earth
years ago.
•Look at a variety of fossils or
pictures of fossils, including
plants, fish, and extinct species.
Guess what living organisms
they might be related to.
How many runners shown in the picture?
 Answer:
Which one is the oldest runner?
 Answer:
A runner is a special kind of ……………………
 (choose one right answer:
Stem/root/leaf/flower/plants)
Living Things and Their Environment
6. Recognize that people and other
animals interact with the
environment through their senses of
sight, hearing, touch, smell, and
taste.
Observe small animals in the
classroom while they find food,
water, shelter, etc.
Talk about how people use their
senses every day.
7. Recognize changes in appearance
that animals and plants go through
as the seasons change.
•Observe and record changes in
plants (e.g., trees, flowers, grass) on
the playground and around the
school during fall, winter, and spring.
8. Identify the ways in which an
organism’s habitat provides for its
basic needs (plants require air, water,
nutrients, and light; animals require
food, water, air, and shelter).
•Create a garden habitat that will
attract and provide shelter for birds
and butterflies. Research and plant
appropriate flowers.
Life Science (Biology), Grades 3–5
Learning Standard
Ideas for Developing
Investigations and
Learning Experiences
Suggested Extensions
to Learning in
Technology/Engineeri
ng
Characteristics of Plants and Animals
1.Classify plants and animals
Sort plant and animal pictures
according to the physical
based on physical
characteristics that they share.
characteristics.
Use a dichotomous key to
identify plants.
Structures and Functions
2. Identify the structures in plants Observe plant/pollinator
(leaves, roots, flowers, stem, bark, interaction and seed dispersal
wood) that are responsible for
methods.
food production,
Study maple trees and go
support,
maple sugaring.
water transport,
Identify the structures in the
reproduction,
maple tree and their functions.
growth,
protection.
3. Recognize that plants and
animals go through predictable
life cycles that include birth,
growth, development,
reproduction, and death.
•Grow plants from seed.
Document the complete life
cycle of the plant. Describe
emergence of structures and the
functions of these structures.
Record changes in height over
time.
•Graph the data.
4. Describe the major stages that
characterize the life cycle of the
frog and butterfly as they go
through metamorphosis.
•Using either live organisms or
pictures/models, observe the
changes in form that occur
during the life cycle of a
butterfly or frog.
Structures and Functions (cont.)
5. Differentiate between observed
characteristics of plants and
animals that are fully inherited (e.g.,
color of flower, shape of leaves,
color of eyes, number of
appendages) and characteristics
that are affected by the climate or
environment
(e.g., browning of
leaves due to too much sun,
language spoken).
•Make frequency tables of the
number of students with
certain inherited physical traits,
e.g., eye color, hair color,
earlobe free or attached.
Adaptations of Living Things
6. Give examples of how inherited
characteristics may change over time
as adaptations to changes in the
environment that enable organisms
to survive, e.g., shape of beak or feet,
placement of eyes on head, length of
neck, shape of teeth, color.
•Compare and contrast the
physical characteristics of plants
or animals from widely different
environments (e.g., desert vs.
tropical plants, aquatic vs.
terrestrial animals).
•Explore how each is adapted to
its environment.
7. Give examples of how changes in
the environment (drought, cold) have
caused some plants and animals to
die or move to new locations
(migration).
•Investigate how invasive species
out-compete native plants (e.g.,
phragmites and purple
loosestrife).
•Discuss how some native plants
die as a result.
Adaptations of Living Things (cont.)
8. Describe how organisms meet
some of their needs in an
environment by using behaviors
(patterns of activities) in response
to information (stimuli) received
from the environment.
*Recognize that some animal
behaviors are instinctive (e.g.,
turtles burying their eggs), and
others are learned (e.g., humans
building fires for warmth,
chimpanzees learning how to use
tools).
Discuss how newly born sea turtles
find their way to the ocean.
Discuss how pets are trained to learn
new tricks.
Discuss how migrating birds navigate.
Discuss the actions that coastal
species take to adjust to the changing
levels of the tide.
Observe an earthworm placed on top
of soil in a container that is exposed to
light.
Discuss how its ability to sense light
helps it survive (by burrowing) and
how its structure allows it to burrow
through soil.
9. Recognize plant behaviors, such as
the way seedlings’ stems grow toward
light and their roots grow downward in
response to gravity.
*Recognize that many plants and
animals can survive harsh
environments because of seasonal
behaviors, e.g., in winter, some trees
shed leaves, some animals hibernate,
and other animals migrate.
•Set a germinating bean in a glass
filled with water next to an
asymmetric source of light.
•Allow the root and stem to grow
a few inches. Rotate the bean so
that the roots are now touching
the water at an angle and the stem
is away from the light source.
Observe how the root system and
stem respond to this change by
changing their direction of growth.
10. Give examples of how organisms
can cause changes in their environment
to ensure survival.
*Explain how some of these changes
may affect the ecosystem.
Discuss the importance of
wetlands to human survival.
Investigate how an invasive
species changes an ecosystem.
Research local projects where
humans are changing the
environment to ensure a species’
survival.
Energy and Living Things
11.Describe how energy derived
from the sun is used by plants to
produce sugars (photosynthesis)
and is transferred within a food
chain from producers (plants) to
consumers to decomposers.
•Make a food chain. Begin
with the sun as the source of
energy and end with
decomposers. Create links that
show the relationships of
plants and animals in the chain.
•Show the direction of the
flow of energy.
•Discuss results if various
links in the chain are broken.
Life Science Learning Standards Grades 3–5


1. Classify plants and animals according to the
physical characteristics that they share.
2. Recognize that plants and animals go
through predictable life cycles that include birth,
growth, development, reproduction, and death.
Which labeled parts
of the grass absorb
most of the minerals
needed by this plant?
A. flowers
B. leaves
C. stems
D. roots
Which of the
following
characteristics do all of
these animals have
that allows them to be
classified in the same
group?
A. fur
B. claws
C. big ears
D. webbed feet
What is the main function of this
structure?
A. protection
B. pollination
C. competition
D. reproduction
What are the main
functions of wood in a
living tree?
A.support and reproduction
B. water transport and
support
C. protection and
reproduction
D. water transport and
protection
Which of the
following would occur
first as a result of a
drought?
A. The tulip’s leaves
would wilt.
B. The tulip’s flowers
would turn blue.
C. The tulip’s stems
would grow longer.
D. The tulip would
produce more flowers
From the shape of its beak
and the length of its legs,
this bird is best adapted
for feeding on which of
the following?
A. insects that feed on
plants
B. small fish in shallow
water
C. nuts from riverside trees
and plants
D. birds in ground nests

The complete removal of decomposers from an
ecosystem will have the greatest effect on which
of the following?
A. the spread of disease
 B. the availability of water
 C. the recycling of nutrients
 D. the distribution of organisms

What physical characteristics did Tamara most likely use
to sort the organisms into the two groups?
Which organism will immediately decrease in
population if the xxxx is taken out?

Which of the following best represents one
particular stage in a life cycle?
A. a fish swimming
 B. a seed sprouting
 C. a leaf growing
 D. a dog eating


Which of the following statements best
describes how this change helps arctic hares?
A. It lowers their body temperature.
 B. It protects their eyes from sunlight.
 C. It helps them move on slippery ice.
 D. It makes them less visible to predators.


Which of the following structures does a frog
develop as it changes from a tadpole to an adult
frog?
A. eyes
 B. heart
 C. lungs
 D. tail


Rayna is collecting seeds from a sunflower. She notices
that most of the leaves on the sunflower plant have
patterns of holes made by chewing insects, as shown in
the picture below. Next year, she will plant the sunflower
seeds that she has collected. How many of the sunflower
plants that grow are expected to inherit the chewed leaf
pattern?
A. all of the plants
 B. most of the plants
 C. half of the plants
 D. none of the plants


Which of the following best explains why many
species of birds in New England fly south for
the winter months?
A. to find a place to hibernate
 B. to move away from strong sunlight
 C. to find an environment with more food
 D. to move away from crowded environments

Life Science (Biology), Grades 6–8
Ideas for Developing Investigations
and Learning Experiences
Learning Standard
Classification of Organisms
1.Classify organisms into the currently
recognized kingdoms according to
characteristics that they share.
*Be familiar with organisms from each
kingdom.
Structure and Function of Cells
2. Recognize that all organisms are
composed of cells, and that many
organisms are single-celled (unicellular),
e.g., bacteria, yeast.
*In these single-celled organisms, one
cell must carry out all of the basic
functions of life.
•Observe, describe, record, and
compare a variety of unicellular
organisms found in aquatic
ecosystems.
3. Compare and contrast plant
and animal cells, including major
organelles (cell membrane, cell
wall, nucleus, cytoplasm,
chloroplasts, mitochondria,
vacuoles).
4. Recognize that within cells,
many of the basic functions of
organisms (e.g., extracting energy
from food and getting rid of
waste) are carried out. The way
in which cells function is similar
in all living organisms.
•Observe a range of plant and
animal cells to identify the cell wall,
cell membrane, chloroplasts,
vacuoles, nucleus, and cytoplasm
when present.
Systems in Living Things
5. Describe the hierarchical
organization of multicellular
organisms from cells to tissues to
organs to systems to organisms.
6. Identify the general functions of the
major systems of the human body
(digestion, respiration, reproduction,
circulation, excretion, protection from
disease, and movement, control, and
coordination) and describe ways that
these systems interact with each other.
Reproduction and Heredity
7. Recognize that every organism requires a set of
instructions that specifies its traits.
*These instructions are stored in the organism’s
chromosomes.
*Heredity is the passage of these instructions from one
generation to another.
8. Recognize that hereditary information is contained in
genes located in the chromosomes of each cell.
*A human cell contains about 30,000 different genes on 23
different chromosomes.
9. Compare sexual reproduction (offspring inherit half of
their genes from each parent) with asexual reproduction
(offspring is an identical copy of the parent’s cell).
Evolution and Biodiversity
10. Give examples of ways in
which genetic variation and
environmental factors are causes
of evolution and the diversity of
organisms.
11. Recognize that evidence
drawn from geology, fossils, and
comparative anatomy provides
the basis of the theory of
evolution.
12. Relate the extinction of
species to a mismatch of
adaptation and the environment.
•Is the pterodactyl a flying reptile
or the ancestor of birds? Discuss
both possibilities based on the
structural characteristics shown in
pterodactyl fossils and those of
modern birds and reptiles.
•Relate how numerous species
could not adapt to habitat
destruction and overkilling by
humans, e.g., woolly mammoth,
passenger pigeon, great auk.
Living Things and Their Environment
13. Give examples of ways in
•Study several symbiotic
which organisms interact and
relationships such as oxpecker (bird)
have different functions within
with rhinoceros (mammal).
an ecosystem that enable the
•Identify specific benefits received
ecosystem to survive.
by one or both partners.
Energy and Living Things
14. Explain the roles and relationships
among producers, consumers, and
decomposers in the process of energy
transfer in a food web.
•Distribute pictures of various producers,
consumers, and decomposers to groups of
students. Have each group organize the
pictures according to the relationships
among the pictured species and write a
paragraph that explains the roles and
relationships.
15. Explain how dead plants and
animals are broken down by other living
organisms and how this process
contributes to the system as a whole.
•Observe decomposer organisms in a
compost heap on the school grounds, a
compost column in a plastic bottle, or a
worm bin. Use compost for starting seeds
in the classroom or in a schoolyard garden.
16. Recognize that producers (plants
that contain chlorophyll) use the energy
from sunlight to make sugars from
carbon dioxide and water through a
process called photosynthesis. This food
can be used immediately, stored for
later use, or used by other organisms.
•Test for sugars and starch in plant leaves.
Changes in Ecosystems Over Time
17. Identify ways in which
ecosystems have changed
throughout geologic time in
response to physical conditions,
interactions among organisms, and
the actions of humans. Describe
how changes may be catastrophes
such as volcanic eruptions or ice
storms.
18. Recognize that biological
evolution accounts for the diversity
of species developed through
gradual processes over many
generations.
•Study changes in an area of the
schoolyard or a local ecosystem
over an extended period.
Students might even compare
their observations to those made
by students in previous years.
A wisteria (dicot plant) branch was cut and put in red
ink. After 3 hours, the leaves as well as the stem
turned red.

If a new organism were discovered, which of
the following would most likely be used to
classify it into the appropriate kingdom?
A. the color of the organism
 B. the organism’s natural habitat
 C. the structure of the organism’s anatomy
 D. the location where the organism was found


The terms gas exchange, diaphragm, and inhale
are most closely associated with which system in
the human body?
A. circulatory
 B. digestive
 C. excretory
 D. respiratory


What are the basic structural units of living
organisms?
A. cells
 B. nuclei
 C. organs
 D. tissues


The following diagram shows a caterpillar, mold, and
a fern. What do these organisms have in common?
A. They are made of cells.
 B. They produce their own food.
 C. They decompose other organisms.
 D. They are disease-causing organisms.



The diagram below shows the chromosomes from a
cell after they were photographed under a microscope.
Which of the following questions may best be
answered by studying an organism’s chromosomes?
A. What sex is the organism?
 B. Is the organism endangered?
 C. Where is the organism’s ecosystem?
 D. How does the organism obtain its food?

The drawings below show a turtle embryo and a chicken
embryo. Which of the following statements is supported
by the similarities between these embryos?
A. The turtle is more advanced than
the chicken.
B. The chicken has more offspring
than the turtle.
C. The turtle and the chicken are
similar as adults.
D. The chicken and the turtle share a
common ancestor.

The bones of a whale flipper are similar to the bones of a bat
wing as shown in the illustration below.

What does this similarity in bone structure suggest about the
whale and the bat?




A. They use the same methods to travel.
B. They evolved from a common ancestor.
C. They can migrate to the same locations.
D. They can manipulate objects in the same way.

Based on the diagram, which of the following
statements is true?




A. Lemurs were the most recent to evolve.
B. Gorillas evolved directly from chimpanzees.
C. Spider monkeys and lemurs evolved at the same time.
D. Gorillas and baboons evolved from a common ancestor.






The four pictures below show
how a pond environment
changed from 1900 to 2000.
Which of the following
processes was most directly
responsible for the changes
that occurred in the pond
environment?
A. freezing
B. evaporation
C. sediment deposition
D. chemical weathering


The praying mantis is a predatory insect that often
eats moths. The graph below shows the relative
numbers of two species of moths over 12 weeks after
the introduction of the predatory praying mantis.
What characteristic of this ecosystem is best indicated
from this graph?
A. Species B was preferred as food
over species A.
B. Species B may replace species A in
this environment.
C. Species B will reproduce more
rapidly than species A.
D. Species B was more abundant at the
beginning of this time period than
species A.





The illustration below shows three types of unicellular
organisms commonly found in pond water. Based on
the illustration, which of the following can be used to
separate these organisms into three different groups?
A. length of lifespan
B. number of offspring
C. presence of a nucleus
D. method of movement
a frog’s life cycl
The diagrams below represent
forms of reproduction. In
which form of reproduction
will the offspring differ most
from the parent?

The numbered drawings
below show the organization
within a multicellular
organism from simple to
complex. Which of these
numbered drawings
represents a tissue?
A. 1
 B. 2
 C. 3
 D. 4


Spirogyra are green algae that can reproduce sexually.
Which of the following features identifies
reproduction in Spirogyra as sexual reproduction?
A. The cells of parent algae have nuclei.
 B. Each offspring contains chloroplasts.
 C. Several offspring may be produced at once.
 D. Genetic material is contributed by two parent cells.


Both organisms can be seen only with a microscope.
Since these are one-celled organisms, each cell must be
able to carry out all important life functions, such as
moving from place to place and getting food.

a. Compare the ways these two organisms move.

b. Compare the ways these three organisms obtain
nutrients.

What does the bottom image in the diagram
represent?
 A. host cell engulfing viruses
 B. new viruses bursting out of a host cell
 C. several viruses attacking a host cell
 D. viral hereditary material entering a host cell
bird-flu-viruses
H1N1
What is it?



It is a new strain of Influenza virus A/H1N1. There
have been reporting of influenza-like illness (ILI) and
sever pneumonia cases in Mexico and USA.
Cases began to appear on 17 March 2009 in Mexico.
Two cases in children were reported in
Southern California in USA on 17 April, 2009. Neither
child had contact with animals.
Between 17 March and now, clusters of outbreaks have
appeared in multiple locations in Mexico and USA.
These clusters are consistent with human-to-human
spread.
What are the characteristics of the virus?


The virus causing this illness is being described
in the USA as a new subtype of
A/H1N1 not previously detected in swine or
humans.
Genetically it is a reassortant
of America-Eurasian swine influenza viruses.
What is the current situation?


As of 25 April 2009, 878 cases of severe
pneumonia with 60 deaths were reported
between 17 March to 25 April 2009 in Mexico.
Samples are being tested to see if they are due to
the new virus. A total of 7 laboratory confirmed
cases of novel A/H1N1 have been reported in
the US. Most of these cases had mild ILI.
Who are affected?

Most of the cases in Mexico have been found in
healthy young adults between the age of 4 and
45 years old. In the USA, the cases range in age
from 7 years to 54 years.
How does it spread?


It is believed to spread in the same way as
seasonal influenza.
That means through direct contact (being within
one meter of an infected person) or indirect
contact (touching a contaminated surface)
What are the clinical symptoms?


Patients experience high fever, cough, and sore
throat, symptoms similar to typical influenza,
with some patients experiencing diarrhoea and
vomiting.
The cases can rapidly progress to severe and
unusual pneumonia.
Compare these two things
Nuclear
envelope
Nuclear envelope
NUCLEUS
ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM (ER)
NUCLEUS
Nucleolus
Rough ER
Nucleolus
Chromatin
Smooth ER
Flagellum
Chromatin
Rough endoplasmic
reticulum
Smooth endoplasmic
reticulum
Ribosomes
Centrosome
Plasma
membrane
Central vacuole
Golgi
apparatus
CYTOSKELETON:
Microfilaments
Microfilaments
Intermediate
filaments
Intermediate
filaments
Microtubules
Microtubules
Ribosomes
Mitochondrion
Microvilli
Peroxisome
Chloroplast
Plasma
membrane
Golgi
apparatus
Peroxisome
Cell wall
Plasmodesmata
Mitochondrion
Wall of adjacent cell
Lysosome
CYTOSKELETON
Compare these two things
Nuclear
envelope
ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM
(ER)
Rough
Smooth ER
Flagellum ER
Nucleolus
NUCLEUS
Chromatin
Centrosom
e
Plasma
membrane
CYTOSKELETON:
Microfilament
s
Intermediate
filaments
Microtubules
Ribosomes
Microvilli
Golgi
apparatus
Peroxisome
Mitochondrio
n
Lysosome

The complete removal of decomposers from an
ecosystem will have the greatest effect on which of
the following?
A. the spread of disease
 B. the availability of water
 C. the recycling of nutrients
 D. the distribution of organisms


Sugar is composed of carbon, hydrogen, and
oxygen. Sugar is an example of which of the
following?
A. an atom
 B. a compound
 C. an electron
 D. a mixture


Which of the following best describes the
purpose of the chromosomes in the nucleus of
a cell?
 A.
to store the genetic instructions needed to
specify traits
 B. to release energy by breaking down food
molecules
 C. to transport nutrients into and out of the
cell
 D. to protect the cell from microorganisms

Which of the following structures is not present
in animal cells?
 A.
cell membrane
 B. cell wall
 C. mitochondrion
 D. nucleus

The organisms in an ecosystem interact in many ways to
survive. For example, a rosebush, aphids, beetles, spiders,
and orioles all interact in a rosebush ecosystem. The diagram
below shows how these organisms interact in a partial food
web.


a. Identify the producer organism in this
food web. Explain the reasoning for your
answer.
b. Identify the primary consumer organism in this food
web. Explain the reasoning for your answer
c. Describe what would most likely happen to each of
the other organisms in the food web if the beetle
population were suddenly destroyed. Explain the
reasoning for your answer for each organism.
Physical Sciences (Chemistry and Physics), Grades 6–8

Students are studying the process of
photosynthesis in plants. Which of the following
is a product of photosynthesis?
A. carbon dioxide
 B. nitrogen
 C. sodium chloride
 D. sugar
