Lesson 1 Checkpoint
1) How do scientist classify organisms?
Scientist classify similar organisms in one group, and an organism that is very different from other
known organisms is placed in a new.
2) Describe one advantage of having a classification system:
A classification system makes it easier to communicate clearly because each organism has only
one name, and each name belongs only to one organism.
3) What kinds of observations did scientists use at first to group organisms into a phylum or
class?
An organism’s structure.
Lesson 2 Checkpoint
1) What are 3 of the features that make animals different from other organisms?
Animals are multicellular and they cannot make their own food, but they can move on their own
during part or all of their life.
2) Compare and Contrast: How would you compare and contrast a squirrel and a bear?
Similarities:
Both: are vertebrates, breathe air using lungs, have fur or hair, have young that
resemble their parents when born, and nurse young with milk
Differences:
Squirrels are small and nest in trees, whiles bears are large and generally live on the
ground.
3) How are some bird wings like airplane wings?
The front edge of some bird’s wings are wide and the top surface curves to a thin back edge
similar to an airplane’s wings.
4) In addition to them both being vertebrate animals, how else are amphibians and fish similar?
Both are cold-blooded
5) Compare and Contrast: Mammals and fish:
Similarities:
Both: have backbones and are vertebrates
Differences:
Mammals are warm blooded, covered with hair or fur, breathe using lungs, have
young that develop in their mother’s bodies, and mammal mothers feed their young.
Fish are cold-blooded, are covered with scales, use gills to obtain oxygen from the
water, and most have young that hatch from eggs outside the mother’s body.
6) Name the classes of living vertebrates discussed in the lesson. Give one example from each
class.
(YOU MAY HAVE DIFFERENT EXAMPLES THAN MINE…..you only need one example)
Mammals – pig, wolf, rabbit, person, gorilla
Reptiles – lizards, turtle, snake
Birds – chicken, turkey, sparrow, duck, penguin
Amphibians – frog, toad, salamander, newt
Fish – salmon, parrotfish, clownfish, pomfret, mackerel
7) What characteristics do dinosaurs and today’s animals share?
Skeletons with backbones, scales, some had feathers and wishbones; some had similar heart
structures to modern day animals.
Lesson 3 Checkpoint
1) List at least 3 different invertebrates. How are they alike?
Some possible examples (yours may be different than mine)
Jellyfish, moth, Earthworm, clam, mussel, lobster, mosquito
They are all alike because they are animals that do not have backbones.
2) Compare and Contrast: How are worms and clams alike?
How are they different?
Similarities:
- Neither worms nor clams have backbones
Differences:
- Clams have a hard outer shell. Worms do not have a hard outer shell.
3) Choose two animals on page 21 of your textbook and use the key to classify and identify
them:
Answer will vary:
A = Black Widow Spider
B = Green Scarab Beetle
C = Red Slug
D = Giraffe Weavil
E = Ladybird Spider
4) Choose 5 or 6 objects from the classroom. Create a dichotomous key with which you could
identify them:
Answers will vary – remember that a dichotomous key should only have two answers for each
question and should eventually narrow down the search to only one object.
Lesson 4 Checkpoint:
1) How would you classify a plant that has seeds, is vascular, and has needle-like leaves?
Conifer
2) How do protists help some animals?
Protists are food for some animals and also help some animals digest the food they eat.
3) How are the needs of single-celled organisms similar to the needs of plants or animals?
Single-celled organisms, plants, and animals need food, water, waster removal, and gases. Plants
and animals need these same things to live.
4) Why has the classification system changed over the years?
New information is learned about organisms, or additional organisms are discovered that do not
easily fit in the system, so it must be changed to include the new organisms.
5) Compare and Contrast: Compare the fungi and protest kingdoms:
Similarities:
- Both need food, water, gases, and a waste removal system to live
Differences:
- Fungi may be multicellular or single celled, they cannot make their own food. Protists are
often single celled (but can be multicellular – sometimes), they may live in colonies, and may help
animals to digest their food. Most protists CANNOT make their own food, but some can.