Unit 6: Cells
Notes/Examples
Learning Target
1. Students will describe
the relationship between
cells, tissues and organs
in order to explain their
function in multicellular
organisms.
Provide the definition and an example
Definition
Example
Cells
Basic unit of life
Muscle cell
Tissues
Group of cells working
together
Group of tissues
working together
Groups of organs
working together
Group of organ
systems working
together
Group of same kind of
organism living
together
2 or more populations
Muscle tissue
Organs
Resources from class:
Organ systems
Organism
Population
Community
Heart
Digestive System
A tree, person, cat
Group of camels
Group of people,
trees, and cats
Ecosystem
All living and nonGroup of people,
living organisms
trees, cats, water,
together
air, dirt, sunlight
***TO be living the organism must 1. Have cells, 2. Use energy, 3.
Reproduce 4. Respond to stimuli, 5. Grow and develop, 6. Have DNA
How do these work together to help on organism survive?
It all starts with the cell, but you need the one before to get to the
next level. The further you go, the more complex (complicated or
parts) the organization of life is.
2. Students will explain
how specialized cells
perform specialized
functions in multicellular
organisms.
Do unicellular organisms have specialized cells? Why or why not?
No, uni-cellular organisms are only one cell that are considered living.
Mulitcelluar organisms can have up to millions and trillions of cells
that are all specialized for a particular function. Organisms can be 1
to many millions of cells.
Resources from class:
Provide 2 examples of specialized cells and explain their functions.
Red blood cells are small and round to fit through veins easily so that
they can deliver oxygen to the body.
Nerve cells can be as long as 100 cm (1 meter) long so that they can
quickly send messages to the brain.
Structures (shape and size) of cells match their function (job).
Unit 6: Cells
3. Students will make
inferences about the
factors influencing
behavior based on
data/evidence of various
organism’s behaviors.
Resources from class:
4. Students will classify
organisms and identify
limitations to the
classification system.
What are inherited traits? Explain and give examples.
Inherited traits are the traits such as eye color, hair color, etc.
that are passed down to you from parents. You cannot choose
these things, your DNA determines them.
What are learned traits/behaviors? Explain and give examples.
Learned traits and behaviors are things that you get from your
environment, not your DNA and not something you are born with
or do at birth. Examples include reading, writing, driving a car,
etc.
Are all traits, behaviors, and characteristics of living things just
learned or just inherited? Explain your reasoning.
Some are a mixture of both inherited and learned
behaviors/traits. Examples include you are born knowing how to
cry, but must learn language. Some people are born with a
natural ability to sing or be athletic, but practice/learning can
make them better.
How do scientists classify organisms? Are there any limitations to
these systems?
Scientists use categories of similar characteristics to group items.
Dichotomous keys (like below) are an example of a classification
system. Limitations include, not having enough categories to classify
all organisms.
Names of organisms from left to right: Alienus quad., Alienus blob.,
Alienus fuzz., Alienus stripicus, Alienus tritooth, Alienus hairicus
Indentify each monster below: