Lyrical Life Science
Bacteria to Birds
Volume 1 Update
Part 1
When I wrote the songs in 1990 for what later became the first of three life
science volumes, I decided not to get into too much detail about cell
organelles. I figured that if I started in on the rest of them—ribosomes,
endoplasmic reticulum, etc.— then I’d have to cover them all. Instead, I
included only the cell structures important in classifying living organisms
into the five kingdoms, namely the presence or absence of a nucleus, cell
wall, and chloroplasts. Over the years I’ve had requests to write a song about
all the cell organelles, as students have been expected to learn about them at
younger and younger ages. So I finally did, and it was as hard or harder than
I thought! Bobby Horton recorded “Cell Organelles” (written to the old Irish
tune “Gary Owen”—the score for which can be found on-line), and it’s a
mouth-full! This is one of those challenging content-rich songs that I’m
hoping kids have fun learning, as they do tongue twisters. I didn’t change the
text much, as I didn’t want to write a whole additional chapter about the
functions and interactions of all the organelles, but I did make workbook
pages for the new song.
The other revision I wanted to make had to do with biological classification:
in Part 1 I include a change in the big groupings, that of kingdoms and the
addition of domains; and in Part 2 I have updated what had been the
kingdom Protozoa, and written a new song (as well as text and workbook
pages) about Protists as they are currently classified.
This Part 1 update includes updated text, instructions for merging text into
the original book, new workbook worksheets and answer key. An MP3 of
one new song, “Cell Organelles” may be downloaded separately.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 1
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Lyrical Life Science
Bacteria to Birds
Volume 1 Update
Part 1
The following pages replace pages 13 through 17 of Volume 1, starting with
the section titled “The Cell.”
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 2
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
“Cell Organelles”
Plasma membrane envelops the cell all around
Cytoplasm is where organelles will be found
The thick fluid it’s made of is called cytosol
The organelles in cells are all mighty small
All membranes are selectively permeable
So there’s movement of ions and of molecules
By diffusion to the higher concentrations
By osmosis through membranes this balancing’s done
In the nucleus there’s DNA
It controls with messenger RNA
And DNA makes up chromosomes
Nucleoli do synthesize new ribosomes
And the cytoskeleton provides
Reinforcement and support besides
Motility is by cilia
Which are hair-like, or else from whip-like flagella
Endoplasmic reticulum—here are the facts:
They are networks of membranes with tubes and with sacs
There are some having ribosomes making them rough
That’s where proteins and membranes are made, sure enough
But the smooth endoplasmic reticulum makes
Lipids, that’s where the cell changes carbohydrates
Storing calcium; poisons detoxified there
These functions take place in smooth and rough ER
Mitochondria inside each cell
Is the respirating organelle
Where energy from food is released
Inner membrane is folded—the surface increased
Protein synthesis in ribosomes
And digestion in the lysosomes
In Golgi bodies what is synthesized
Can be stored or secreted or else modified
(Lyrics continued on next page.)
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 3
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
(Lyrics continued from previous page.)
Plants and algae have chloroplasts with chlorophyll
Changing energy from light into chemical
Photosynthesis stores in the sugars produced
Energy respiration releases for use
Plants and algae and fungi have hardened cell walls
And a hollow space called central vacuole is
What stores water and waste products in older cells
And that is enough about cell organelles
When cells reproduce there are two ways
In the sperm and egg there is a phase
Pairs of chromosomes in half all divide
Meiosis—from both parents how genes are supplied
When all other cells divide they first
Copy chromosomes to each dispersed
The nuclei move and separate
So mitosis is when nuclei duplicate
OSMOSIS AND DIFFUSION
Osmosis and diffusion are processes that balance concentrations. In
diffusion, particles such as ions or molecules move from an area of
high concentration to an area of low concentration. An example is a
drop of food coloring in a glass of water. At first, there is an area of
high concentration (the drop) and an area of low concentration (the
rest of the water). Eventually, the food coloring spreads out, and the
concentration is the same everywhere in the glass. Diffusion can
happen across a membrane, and that is one way for things to move
into or out of a cell. Osmosis is a special kind of diffusion that
happens only when there is a membrane. Osmosis is the movement of
water from a lower concentration to a higher concentration across a
membrane that lets through water, but not the ion or molecule
dissolved in the water. In both diffusion and osmosis, the end result is
that concentrations are the same everywhere.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 4
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Replaces pages 13-15 of Volume 1.
THE CELL
Consider the toy building block. Although simple, it is
the basic unit from which complex structures can be
made. The basic block determines what the creation
looks like and what it can do. With specialized blocks or
attachments, new structures can be created which can function in new
ways.
With the invention of microscopes, scientists were able to see that
living things were all made of tiny units that looked like
compartments. Therefore these units were called cells and were
found to be the “building blocks” for all structures and functions of
living things.
What became known as the cell theory states these three things:
1. living things are all made up of cells.
2. cells are the basic unit of structures and functions of all
living things.
3. all cells come from other living cells (not from dirt, or
mud, or nonliving matter as in the theory of spontaneous
generation.)
CLASSIFICATION
There are things about cells that are important to understand for the
purpose of classifying (organizing or grouping) living things. First of
all, the outer covering of cells includes a thin, flexible cell membrane.
In plant, fungi, bacteria, and some protist cells, a stronger and more
rigid cell wall is outside of the cell membrane. Within the cell, acting
like the control center, is the nucleus (plural is nuclei). This round or
oval structure has within it a thread-like mass; each “thread” is called
a chromosome. All living cells have chromosomes in their nucleus
except the single-celled organisms in the domains Bacteria and
Archaea (discussed below) in which the chromosomes spread within
the center of the cell. The classification of living things into the major
groups is based upon the cells having or not having a nucleus, and
having or not having a cell wall.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 5
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Plant cell
Cell wall
Cell membrane
Nucleus
Chromosomes
Chloroplast
Animal cell
Cell membrane
Nucleus
Chromosomes
For more on the parts of
cells, called organelles, the
Internet has websites with
diagrams and explanations
of what each part does, as
well as the sometimes very
involved processes of
movement of chemicals
through cell membranes.
Listen to the new song
about the fundamentals of
cell organelles, written to
the old Irish melody “Gary
Owen”. There is so much
information about cells that
this song barely
summarizes, but if you
learn this much, you’ll
know the basics of cell
biology.
In the mid 1700s, a Swedish botanist named Carolus Linnaeus,
categorized all living things into either plants or animals based upon
their morphology—their physical similarities and differences. From
the late 1960s, biologists who classify living organisms, called
taxonomists, developed five kingdoms instead of just two. In
addition to plants and animals, they made a special kingdom for
fungi, which differed from animals by not being able to eat or move
on their own, and from plants by not having chlorophyll to make
their own food by photosynthesis. These three kingdoms classified
the living things that were multicellular and seen without
magnification, but not the microscopic organisms. Two additional
groups took care of those: the Monerans, mainly bacteria, which were
easy to distinguish as being single cells with no nucleus; and Protists,
a group which basically included any and all single-celled organisms
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 6
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
which didn’t fit easily into the other four kingdoms. More recently,
molecular make-up—mainly the genetic material called DNA—as
well as the fossil record, have given rise to new ways to approach
classification.
Domains
One of the outcomes of new discoveries,
and especially new ways of interpreting
those discoveries, has been the
development of a level larger than
kingdoms, namely domains. Currently
there are three domains: Bacteria; Archaea;
and Eukarya. Monerans are no longer one
of the kingdoms since bacteria are now
their own domain.
Cell wall
Flagellum
Three Domains
Bacteria
 no nucleus
 cell wall
Archaea
 no nucleus
 cell wall
Eukarya
 nucleus
 some with cell
wall
Bacteria and Archaea include single-celled organisms that do not
have a nucleus. They are therefore called prokaryotes, which means
“before nucleus.” Bacteria, which will be discussed later, now include
organisms which had been thought of more as fungi or algae, but
which live in colonies. One example is the subgroup actinomycetes,
which were previously considered a kind of fungus. Organisms in
this group cause the diseases tuberculosis and leprosy. Others in this
subgroup are partly responsible for the “earthy” odor given off by
rich, fertile soil, and still others for the characteristic smell of creeks
and streams.
Archaea includes newly found organisms which live in habitats
thought to be too extreme for any living thing: very hot deep-sea
volcanic vents and hot springs; very salty water, such as in the Dead
Sea; and habitats with little or no oxygen, such as in the digestive
systems of termites as well as cattle.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 7
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Eukarya, the third domain, includes all organisms whose cells have a
nucleus. There has been a lot of reclassifying in this domain, not as
much with plants, animals, and fungi, but with what had been called
protists.
Four Eukarya Kingdoms
Plants
 nucleus
 cell wall
 chlorophyll
 (makes its own
food)
Fungi
 nucleus
 cell wall
 no chlorophyll
 (absorbs food)
Animals
 nucleus
 no cell wall
 no chlorophyll
 (ingests food)
Protists
 nucleus
 not clearly a plant, fungi, or animal
The system of classification of eukaryotes
(those organisms having nuclei, in the
domain Eukarya) usually involve these
seven levels, beginning with the most
general similarities in the cells:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. -
Kingdom:
Phylum:
Class:
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
main groups
divisions of kingdom
divisions of phyla
divisions of classes
divisions of orders
divisions of families
divisions of genera
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 8
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
However, in the never-ending challenge taxonomists have of finding
similarities and differences, they have come up with in-between
levels such as super-families (combining two or more families in the
same order), and subfamilies (combining two or more genera in the
same family). Species are further divided into subspecies, varieties,
breeds, and sub-breeds. Think of dogs, or roses, and how many
subgroups there are. Yet part of what defines a species is the ability
to interbreed with others of the same species to make a new breed.
Scientists have also developed a system for naming individual
organisms. This nomenclature, as it is called, uses the genus and the
species as the scientific name. Common names can vary from place to
place and can be confusing, but scientific names are the same
everywhere and in every language. Two ancient languages, Latin and
Greek, are used for scientific nomenclature. (See Insect Orders chart
on page 25 for examples of names and English translations.)
The sometimes huge but completely harmless crane fly has the common
names of Flying Daddy Longlegs, Giant Mosquito, and Mosquito Hawk.
The scientific name of the family is Tipulidae; there are about 1,500 species.
There is a species in the Pacific Northwest that is actually this large!
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 9
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Lyrical Life Science
Bacteria to Birds
Volume 1 Update
Part 1
The following pages include worksheets and answer keys for the “Cell
Organelle” material.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 10
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Cell Organelles - Lyrics
__________ _______________ envelops the cell all around
_______________ is where organelles will be found
The thick fluid it’s made of is called __________
The organelles in cells are all mighty _________
All membranes are selectively ______________
So there’s movement of ______ and of _____________
By _______________ to the higher concentrations
By _____________ through membranes this balancing’s done
In the nucleus there’s ______
It controls with messenger ______
And ______ makes up ____________________
Nucleoli do synthesize new _______________
And the ___________________ provides
__________________ and ____________ besides
Motility is by ________
Which are hair-like, or else from whip-like ____________
_______________ ______________—here are the facts:
They are networks of ________________ with _______ and with ______
There are some having ______________ making them rough
That’s where _____________ and ______________ are made, sure enough
But the smooth ________________ _______________ makes
__________; that’s where the cell changes ___________________
Storing ___________; poisons ________________ there
These functions take place in smooth and rough ____
__________________ inside each cell
Is the ________________ organelle
Where _____________ from food is released
Inner membrane is ___________—the surface increased
Protein synthesis in _________________
And digestion in the _______________
In _________ _________ what is synthesized
Can be stored or secreted or else ____________
(Lyrics continued on next page.)
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 11
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
(Lyrics continued from previous page.)
Plants and algae have ________________ with _______________
Changing energy from __________ into ______________
___________________ stores in the sugars produced
Energy _______________ releases for use
Plants and algae and fungi have _____________ cell walls
And a hollow space called central ____________ is
What stores _________ and _________ products in older cells
And that is enough about cell organelles
When cells reproduce there are _____ ways
In the sperm and egg there is a ________
Pairs of chromosomes in half all _________
__________—from both parents how genes are __________
When all other cells divide they first
Copy chromosomes to each ____________
The nuclei move and ____________
So __________ is when nuclei _____________
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 12
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Cell Organelles – Objective
True (T) or False (F)
1) ____
All cells have both a cell wall and a membrane.
2) ____
All cells in Eukaryotic organisms have nuclei.
3) ____
The only known function of endoplasmic reticulum is the production
of proteins.
4) ____
The central vacuole stores oxygen for cell respiration.
5) ____
Mitosis is when nuclei duplicate.
Matching (put the letters from the definitions on the right next to the correct terms
on the left)
1) _____ Chlorophyll
A. Thick fluid within the cell.
2) _____ Chloroplasts
B. The movement of ions and molecules to higher
concentrations.
3) _____ Cytoskeleton
C. The green pigment in some plants and algae.
4) _____ Cytosol
D. The respirating organelle from which energy is
released.
5) _____ Diffusion
E. The balancing of concentrations of liquids through
membranes.
6) _____ Lysosomes
F. The main function is digestion.
7) _____ Mitochondria
G. The pigmented structures in plants and algae.
8) _____ Osmosis
H. Provides reinforcement and support for the cell.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 13
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Fill in the Blanks
1) Ribosomes synthesize _________________ and are synthesized in the
________________.
2) Rough endoplasmic reticulum make _________________ and
______________________.
3) Energy from light is changed to a usable form by the process of
_______________________.
4) The three parts of all Eukaryotic cells are: ______________; _______________;
_____________.
5) __________________ has to do with the division of chromosomes.
6) The inner membrane of mitochondria are ____________, which increases the
surface area.
7) Motility (movement) of cells is often by either __________ or ______________.
8) Ions and molecules can move through membranes that are _______________
______________.
9) Endoplasmic reticulum membranes are networks of ___________ and
________.
10) Chromosomes are made up of _______.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 14
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Lists
Four functions of smooth endoplasmic reticulum:
1) __________________________
2) __________________________
3) __________________________
4) __________________________
Four things that can happen to substances in Golgi bodies:
1) __________________________
2) __________________________
3) __________________________
4) __________________________
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 15
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Cell Organelles – Essay
1) Why is meiosis necessary in the reproduction of organisms? ________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
2) Why is mitosis necessary in the reproduction of non-reproductive cells? ______
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Digging Deeper Question
Why is knowledge and understanding of cell structures and functions important?
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 16
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Answer key to Lyrics Test: “Cell Organelles”
Plasma membrane envelops the cell all around
Cytoplasm is where organelles will be found
The thick fluid it’s made of is called cytosol
The organelles in cells are all mighty small
All membranes are selectively permeable
So there’s movement of ions and of molecules
By diffusion to the higher concentrations
By osmosis through membranes this balancing’s done
In the nucleus there’s DNA
It controls with messenger RNA
And DNA makes up chromosomes
Nucleoli do synthesize new ribosomes
And the cytoskeleton provides
Reinforcement and support besides
Motility is by cilia
Which are hair-like, or else from whip-like flagella
Endoplasmic reticulum—here are the facts:
They are networks of membranes with tubes and with sacs
There are some having ribosomes making them rough
That’s where proteins and membranes are made, sure enough
But the smooth endoplasmic reticulum makes
Lipids, that’s where the cell changes carbohydrates
Storing calcium; poisons detoxified there
These functions take place in smooth and rough ER
Mitochondria inside each cell
Is the respirating organelle
Where energy from food is released
Inner membrane is folded—the surface increased
Protein synthesis in ribosomes
And digestion in the lysosomes
In Golgi bodies what is synthesized
Can be stored or secreted or else modified
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 17
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Plants and algae have chloroplasts with chlorophyll
Changing energy from light into chemical
Photosynthesis stores in the sugars produced
Energy respiration releases for use
Plants and algae and fungi have hardened cell walls
And a hollow space called central vacuole is
What stores water and waste products in older cells
And that is enough about cell organelles
When cells reproduce there are two ways
In the sperm and egg there is a phase
Pairs of chromosomes in half all divide
Meiosis—from both parents how genes are supplied
When all other cells divide they first
Copy chromosomes to each dispersed
The nuclei move and separate
So mitosis is when nuclei duplicate
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 18
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Answer key to objective questions
True or False
Matching
Fill in the Blanks
1)
F
1)
C
1)
proteins; nucleoli
2)
T
2)
G
2)
proteins; membranes
3)
F
3)
H
3)
photosynthesis
4)
F
4)
A
4)
membrane; cytoplasm; nucleus
5)
T
5)
B
5)
Meiosis
6)
F
6)
folded
7)
D
7)
cilia; flagella
8)
E
8)
selectively permeable
9)
tubes; sacs
10)
DNA
List - Smooth
List - Golgi bodies:
1) makes lipids
1) synthesize
2) changes carbohydrates
2) store
3) stores calcium
3) secrete
4) detoxifies poison
4) modify
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 19
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning
Answer key to essay questions
1) Why is meiosis necessary in the reproduction of organisms?
Meiosis is necessary for reproduction because organisms pass only one
chromosome from each pair to their offspring. To make a sperm or egg cell,
chromosome pairs need to be separated.
2) Why is mitosis necessary in the reproduction of non-reproductive cells?
Mitosis is necessary for the division of non-reproductive cells because each
of the two cells formed during the division needs a full set of chromosomes.
Digging Deeper
Why is knowledge and understanding of cell structures and functions
important?
All living things are made of cells, so understanding how a cell works is
important in understanding how an organism works. Some cell structures
are used to classify organisms, so knowing about an organism's cells will
tell you something about what group it might belong to.
Volume 1 Update – Part 1 – Page 20
Copyright 2010, Lyrical Learning