Lesson 1:

What are 6 traits shared by all organisms?
Movement
Growth
Response to Environment

Digestion
Cellular Respiration
Development Reproduction
Made of cell(s)
Describe how living things are classified:
Living things are classified in a 7 level system based on an organisms’ physical characteristics. (Modern: Also
look at similarity of DNA, which shows evolutionary history)

Know the 7 levels of classification, and how they show relationships between species
Kingdom 
Phylum 
Class 
Family 
Genus 
Species
Order 
The groups are arranged from the most general (kingdom) to the most specific (species) (remember the upside
down triangle?). The closer you get to the kingdom level, the fewer characteristics the organisms have in
common

Describe the 2 part naming system used to identify an organism:
Scientific names are made up of the organism’s Genus and species name. The name often reflects
characteristics of the organism as expressed in Latin or Greek.

Vocabulary:
o Scientific name
It is the Genus and species name given to the organism. The name is unique—each species has its own scientific
name.
o Genus & Species
Genus & species are the 2 most specific levels of the 7 level classification system. Members of the same genus
have a lot of characteristics in common. Members of the same species naturally live & reproduce together.
o Digestion
Digestion is the process of breaking down food (chemically or mechanically) to make nutrients available for the
organism. It gets molecules ready to go into the cells where they can be used.

Cellular Respiration
Process of breaking down nutrients (usually glucose, a simple sugar) inside of each cell, to release ENERGY,
making ENERGY available for cell processes
o Life Processes
Life Processes are the things done to keep a living organism alive and healthy. They include things done to
obtain oxygen, provide nutrition, eliminate wastes, reproduction, movement, to respond to the environment, or
otherwise surviving in its environment.
Lesson 2:

Describe the proper use of a microscope, and focus on high power in 1 minute or less

What is the function of a microscope? Why is it valuable to scientists?
The microscope allows scientists to see things too small to be seen with the naked eye with clarity and in detail.
It has allowed scientists to discover microorganisms, and to see and understand cell structure & function.

Calculate magnification: Formula:
Eyepiece x Objective = Total magnification
Example: 5x eyepiece & 50x objective are in place. Total magnification?
Eyepiece: 5x
Eyepiece
Objective: 50x
x Objective
5x
Total magnification
x 50x
250x (times larger)

=
=
=
Total magnification
Total magnification
Identify the significance of Hooke and Leeuwenhoek’s contributions-Use of microscope & discoveries
Hooke: Used microscope to study living tissues-discovered cork cells, all things have cells. Named “cells” for
the first time.
van Leeuwenhoek: Improved lenses, used simple, compact, single lens microscope; Discovered
microorganisms-led to adding other kingdoms

Describe the characteristics shared by all insects
3 body parts (head, thorax, abdomen);
4 wings (2 pair)
6 segmented legs
exoskeleton
Compound eyes

Give examples of how insects are helpful to humans, and how they are harmful to humans
Helpful:
Pollinate Crops-food supply, maintain plant life in the ecosystem
Provide food (honey)
Parasitic wasps-control pest population
Harmful:
Spread diseases
Destroy crops
Sting, bite people/animals

Vocabulary:
o Compound microscope
Microscope with a single eyepiece & an objective lens
o Objective lens & eyepiece
2 antennae
Eyepiece: Lens nearest the eye
Objective lens: Closest to object
o Coarse and Fine Adjustment knobs
Coarse Adjust: Larger dial that is used on low power, but NEVER on high power. Moves stage large amount.
Fine Adjust: Smaller dial used to fine tune adjustment of microscope on medium & low power
o Parasite
An organism that lives off of another living organism. The Parasite is helped while host is harmed/ killed.
Lesson 3:

Compare (similarities) & contrast (differences) blackworms & earthworms
Similarities:
•
Both segmented
•
Have similar shapes
•
Have tiny hairs on each segment
•
Move by contracting two layers of muscle
•
Have blood vessels and digestive tracts
•
Both regenerate
Differences:
•
Earthworm is generally larger than Blackworm
•
Earthworm has five later pulsating vessels that function as a heart
•
Earthworm regeneration-Only part with clitellum regenerates; Blackworm regeneration from both partstail grows head, head grows tail

Be able to label the parts of a Blackworm
Including blood vessel, digestive tube, segments, muscular wall

Contrast the pulse of a Blackworm with the pulse of a human
Blackworm: Different parts have different pulse rates; Humans-Pulse echoes heart rate
Vocabulary:
o Regeneration
Process of rebuilding lost body parts. In some organisms, this can be a form of asexual reproduction
o Pulse rate
Number of times per minute that a blood vessel (or heart in more complex animal) beats to move blood
throughout the body
Lesson 4:

Describe/define an ecosystem
All of the living (plants, animals, microorganisms) and non-living things functioning together as a system

Explain how our pond functions as an ecosystem
o What organisms can be found in a pond?
Microorganisms, including bacteria, paramecium, elodea, other algae; fishes, frogs, other larger animals;
cattails, lily pads, duckweed, other plants
o Describe how we created a model pond, including materials
We used gravel, soil, lake water (complete with paramecium, bacteria, algae, other microorganisms), and added
duckweed, plant parts such as cedar leaves, lily, twigs,

What is a niche? Give an example of an organism and its niche
Niche is the role that a population/organism plays in the ecosystem. This includes what it consumes from the
ecosystem, what it produces for the ecosystem, and how it affects other species in the ecosystem.
Example: Bees in a forest ecosystem: Bees are consumers that take nectar from plant flowers. In the process, the
bee pollinates many species of plants (including trees). Without the bees, many trees and other plants would not
produce seeds, and be eliminated from the ecosystem. This would eliminate the food source and home habitat
for many other species.
What is a habitat? Contrast a desert and forest habitat.
The natural environment that a species lives in, including the physical (non-living, non-moving parts) and
vegetation that make up the population’s home.
Desert habitat includes the land (sand, air, etc.), and cactus, other desert plants, microorganisms in the sand, and
other living things that an organism interacts with.
Forest habitat includes soil, trees, other plants and living things, and microorganisms in the soil, that a living
thing regularly interacts with

Vocabulary:
o Ecosystem
All of the living (plants, animals, microorganisms) and non-living things functioning together as a system
o Community
A group of organisms living and interacting in the same environment
o Habitat
The natural environment that a species lives in, including the physical (plants, other non-living, non-moving
parts) and living organisms that make up the population’s home
o Niche
Niche is the role that a population/organism plays in the ecosystem. This includes what it consumes from the
ecosystem, what it produces for the ecosystem, and how it affects other species in the ecosystem.