Name:_____________________________________
Period:_______
THE MYSTERY OF THE CHAMBER OF LIVING THINGS
You are a historian who just opened a secret chamber at the Library of Congress. The chamber was apparently once the laboratory
of a scientist. The laboratory notes explain that this scientist was an expert in organism classification. In this laboratory, you found
his notes that describe 10 types of organisms. However, his classification system is not the same as ours. Use his descriptions to
identify what modern kingdom each of these 10 types of organisms belong to.
For each entry determine which of the 6 modern kingdoms of life is described and underline three reasons why.
JOURNAL ENTRY
1. This type of organism lives in the water and can be
from the size of my fist to much larger than I am.
They can swim and they eat other things in the
water for food. When I found one
of these organisms dead on the side of the stream, I
took it apart and observed its cells under the
microscope. Each of the cells had a very large,
darkened circle inside of it as well as other small
structures that had lines around them.
KINGDOM
ANIMALIA
JOURNAL ENTRY
5. This type of organism can be anywhere from
the size of my fist to 3 times as large as I am.
They can walk or run. They have either 2 or 4
legs and have to hunt for their food. Their cells
are very similar to the cells of the organisms in
group 1 and 3. I belong to this group of living
things.
2. This type of organism is very small and can only be
seen by looking through a microscope. They are just
made of one cell. Inside of them, there is only a small
string of material and not much else. I discovered this
organism in the really hot springs that are just
outside of town. I have not been able to find them
anywhere else.
6. This type of organism is completely green.
They are all different sizes, from smaller than
my finger, to larger than myself. They do not
move or have to be fed, but I know they are
living things because if I place them in a dark
room and don't give them any water for more
than a few days they lose their green color and
eventually die.
3. This type of organism can fly in the sky. They are
all different sizes, from smaller than my finger to
almost as large as myself. They come down to the
ground to eat things and drink water. I have
observed that they can have anywhere from 2 to 6
legs. I caught one of the smaller creatures and
noticed that it has cells very similar to the cells the
organisms in group 1 have.
7. This type of organism is very tiny and moves
around with the help of a little tail. I can only
see this organism when looking through the
microscope, and it is only made of one cell.
Inside of this organism is a large darkened
circle and other structures, including tiny green
circular objects. This type of organism lives in
water and does not have to be fed, but if I
store them in the dark, they die.
4. This type of organism is about the size of my fist.
They grow off of dead trees and they do not move at
all. They are bright red and orange. When I took one
apart and looked at its cells under the microscope,
there weren't any of those tiny green circular objects
inside the cells, but they did have cells that looked
similar to the cells of organisms in groups 1 and 3.
8. This type of organism is very small and can
only be seen by looking through a microscope.
They are just made of one cell. Inside of them,
there is only a small string of material and not
much else. This organism is very similar to the
organisms in group 2, except these organisms
live in my home. I have also discovered some
of these organisms living inside the bodies of
some organisms in groups 1, 3 and 6.
KINGDOM