Life: Origins and Developments
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 49-51
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Life began on Earth more than 3.8 billion years ago. Since then, an astonishing variety of plants and
animals has evolved from single-celled organisms.
All plants and animals have developed through a process of gradual change known as evolution.
Plants and animals died out because the conditions where they lived changed. They were replaced by
other species that were better able to adapt to these changes.
Animals who are better adapted to their environment are more likely to survive and have children
and pass on the adaptation to their offspring. This process is called natural selection. Evolution is the
process of gradual change through natural selection.
Additional reading:
The Universe Tells Our Story, Jennifer Morgan (Born with a Bang, From Lava to Life, Mammals who
Morph)
The Pebble in My Pocket, Meredith Hooper & Chris Coady
One Smart Fish, Chris Wormwell (Emma to read to Noa)
Our Family Tree, Lisa Peters (Maya to read to Emma & Noa)
Life on Earth, Steve Jenkins
The Story of Life, Catherine Barr & Steve Willliams
When the Whales Walked, Dougal Dixon
Tooth by Tooth, Sara Levine
Bone by Bone, Sara Levine
Classification of Living Thigs & Biodiversity
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 52-53
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Classification is the method by which living things are grouped into categories. It is based on the
appearance of and relationship between the organisms.
The highest level is called a kingdom. There are five kingdoms. All animals belong to the kingdom
Animalia, and it is by far the largest of the five. Plants belong to the kingdom called Plantae (from
Latin).
Animals, plants, and other organisms gradually change as the conditions around them change. In this
way, species may evolve into new organisms.
Animals are distinguished further by their body structures. One big category are the vertebrates,
animals that have a backbone. There are five main classes within that category: Fish, Reptiles,
Mammals, Amphibians and Birds.
Additional reading:
Classification, Holy Wallace
Animalium, Katie Scott & Jenny Broom
Tree of Life, Rochelle Strauss
The Great Kapok Tree, Lynne Cherry
Ancient Ones, Barbara Bash
Plants
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 55-67
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All plants share the same anatomy, or structure, from the tiny grasses to the tallest trees.
There are two main classes of plants: vascular and non-vascular. Non-vascular plants, like mosses and
liverworts, do not have parts to carry food and water from one part of the plant to another.
All plants need light, because they use energy from sunlight to make their food. They need water and
minerals, which most plants obtain through leaves and roots.
Deciduous trees are flowering trees that shed their leaves in the fall. Evergreen trees do not.
Additional reading:
Living Sunlight, Molly Bang
A tree is a plant, Clyde Bulla
How do apples grow?, Betsy Maestro
A Seed is Sleepy, Dianna Aston
In a Nutshell, Joseph Anthony
How a Seed Grows, Helene Jordan
From Seed to Plant. Gail Gibbons
What do Roots do? Kathleen Kudlinski
A Weed is a Flower, Aliki
Perfectly Peculiar Plants, Chris Thorogood
Wangari’s Trees of Peace, Jeanette Winter
Tree of Life, Barbara Bash
The Dandelion Seed, Joseph Anthony
Biomes and Habitats
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 68-69, 90-95
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A biome is a large area where certain types of plants grow. It also includes the animals that feed on
the plants.
The main biomes are freshwater, marine (saltwater), desert, forest, grassland, tundra, though not
everyone agrees on these terms.
Together, all the biomes make up the biosphere, the region of Earth that supports life. [Review
atmosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere]
A biome is made up of smaller, distinct regions called habitats. The organisms that live in a particular
habitat are called a community.
Additional reading:
What is a Biome?, Bobbie Kalman
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 68-82
The Rainforest Grew All Around, Susan Mitchell
A Walk in the Deciduous Forest, Rebecca Johnson
Many Biomes, One Earth, Sneed Collard
The Desert, Alan Baker
Why or Why are Deserts Dry? Tish Rabe
What if there were no Bees?, Suzanne Stade
What if there were no Gray Wolves? Suzanne Stade
Coral Reefs, Jason Chin
Life in the Ocean, Claire Nivola
Did you hear that? Animals with super hearing, Caroline Arnold
Mammals
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 86-87
Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, look through pp 231-303
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Mammals are a very varied group of animals. They are warm-blooded, so they can remain active
when it is cold.
Most mammals give birth to live young, but a few, like the platypus, lay eggs. All mammals feed their
young with milk produced in special glands called mammary glands.
They are the only animals that have hair.
The earliest mammals lived on land, but modern mammals also live in fresh water, sea water, and the
air.
Additional reading:
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 40-67
Animal Life Cycles, Bobbie Kalman
Oak Tree, Gordon Morrison
Who Pooped in the Park?, Gary Robson
Birds
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 84-85
Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, look through pp 162-210
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Birds make up the largest group of warm-blooded vertebrates. All birds have feathers, beaks, and two
front limbs that have been modified into wings.
Feathers protect birds’ skin from the sun and keep birds warm during winter. They are lightweight and
help birds fly.
All birds have wings, but not all birds can fly. Penguins waddle across surfaces, their wings work like
flippers in water and help them swim fast. Ostriches and emus have long, strong legs for running.
Additional reading
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 36-39
Bald Eagle, Gordon Morrison
Birds, Winged and Feathered Animals, Suzanne Slade
Seabird, Holling Holling
Reptiles & Amphibians
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 80-83
Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, look through pp 130-161
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Amphibians and Reptiles are cold-blooded, which means their bodies stay at the same temperature as
their surroundings.
Most amphibians begin their life in water and breathe with gills. As they grow, they develop lungs and
legs and are able to move on dry land.
Toads, frogs and salamanders are all examples of amphibians.
Unlike amphibians, reptiles have tough skin covered by scales, and their eggs have waterproof shells.
This allows them to live away from water.
Turtles, crocodiles, alligators, snakes and lizards are all examples of reptiles.
Additional reading:
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 29-35
From Tadpole to Frog, Shannon Zemlicka
Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor, Felicita Sala
Assignment:
Chart showing differences & similarities between amphibians & reptiles
Fish
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 78-79
Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, look through pp 94-133
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Fish were the first animals with backbones (vertebrates), and skeletons made of bone. They are the
animals best adapted to life in water.
There are three groups of fish: sharks and rays, jawless fish, and bony fish. All three groups of fish are
found in fresh and saltwater.
Additional reading:
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 24-28
Swimming with Sharks, Heather Lang
Manfish, Jennifer Berne
The Cod’s Tale, Mark Kurlansky
Magic School Bus on the Ocean Floor, Joanna Cole
Spiders & Insects
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 74-75
Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, look through pp 32-37, 47, 48-89
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Spiders and scorpions are known as arachnids. Almost all arachnids are hunting animals, armed with
venomous fangs. Spiders paralyze their prey with the venom and squirt digestive juices into their
victims to turn them into liquid that is then sucked up by the spider. Spiders and scorpions have eight
legs.
Centipedes and millipedes are myriapods. Centipedes and hunters, but millipedes are herbivores.
Some millipedes are poisonous, but they use their venom only in self-defense against predators.
All insects have a similar body plan. The head has eyes, jaws and feelers. The thorax is the middle
part, to which the legs and wings are attached. The rear section, the abdomen, contains the stomach,
the reproductive organs, and breathing tubes called spiracles. All insects have six legs, and many have
one or two pairs of wings.
Additional reading:
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 16-23
Brilliant Bees, Linda Glaser
Small Wonder, Matthew Smith
The Clover & The Bee, Anne Dowden
From Caterpillar to Butterfly, Deborah Heiligman
Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies, Mel Boring
Other animals
Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia, pp 70-73
Kingfisher Animal Encyclopedia, look through pp 12-31, 38-46
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Crustaceans get their name from their exoskeleton, which from chalky crusts around their bodies.
Crustaceans are arthropods, like insects, arachnids, and myriapods, that are characterized by a tough,
protective, semitransparent exoskeleton, a segmented body, and jointed appendages (legs).
Mollusks have soft, unsegmented, bodies and many have shells (like snails). Some have no shell at all,
like the octopus. They range from tiny snails to enormous giant squid and some live on land, though
most live in water.
Worms are legless invertebrates – animals without backbones. Some live in soil, some in water.
Others are parasites and live inside other animals.
Additional reading:
The Natural World (Usborne), pp 14-15
An Earthworm's Life, John Himmelman
Giant Isopods and Other Crafty Crustaceans (Creatures of the Deep), Heidi Moore
Final project
Report on animal/plant of their choice;
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Trip to the zoo to research (hopefully)
Picture (drawn & photo)
Kingdom/Phylum/Class/Order/Family/Genus/Species (and examples of others in each level)
What they eat (carnivore/herbivore/omnivore)
Does it have any predators?
Where they live (biome/habitat/community)
What type of home does the animal have?
How does it take care of its young?
Lifespan
Interesting facts