Students Learn










An organism is a
complete living thing,
An organism can be
composed of one or
more cells.
All living organisms
undergo the
fundamental life
processes: food
getting, digestion,
cellular respiration,
reproduction,
excretion, movement,
response, and
circulation.
Scientists name and
classify organisms for
identification and
organizational
purposed.
How to use a
compound light
microscope.
That scientist
communicates through
scientific drawings that
incorporate clear
labels, magnification,
scale, and perspective.
The WOWBug is a
parasitic wasp, in size
between macroscopic
and microscopic.
Grooming is vitally
important to all
organisms for
maintaining their
bodies in prime
condition.
Lumbriculus has a
segmented body that
is similar to that of an
earthworm.
Blood pulsates though
the dorsal blood
vessels of Lumbriculus
Lesson
Students Do

Lesson 1: What are
Organisms?




Lesson 2: The WOWBug:
Getting a Closer Look






Lesson 3: Investigating
Lumbriculus


Develop a list of traits
common to all living
things.
Construct a working
definition of the word
“organism”
List some of the
physical
characteristics of the
organisms shown on
the organism photo
cards.
Assign each organism
a genus and species
name.
Determine
appropriate place for
each organism on the
class habitat poster.
Learn the parts of a
microscope and practice
manipulating them to obtain
the best image of slidemounted specimens.
Measure the diameter of the
field of view under different
magnifications.
Learn how to handle,
manipulate and recapture
WORBUGS.
Prepare dry mount slides of
live WOWBUGS.
Observe WOWBUG grooming
behavior.
Draw, label, and measure a
WOWBUG, following specific
guidelines for scientific
drawings.
Observe, sketch, and measure
a blackworm and compare its
structure to that of a related
organism.
Measure and record the
average pulse rate of a
blackworm.









from the posterior
toward the anterior
end.
A Lumbriculus
fragment can
regenerate a lost head,
tail, or both.
Blackworms reproduce
asexually trough
fragmentation
followed by
regeneration of new
body parts.
An ecosystem is a
community that
includes living things
and their environment,
which function
together as a unit.
A macroorganism is an
organism you can
directly view; a
microorganism is an
organism you need
magnification to see.
A pond ecosystem
includes macro- and
microorganisms
The seed is a stage in
the life cycle of a
flowering plant.
Plants require specific
nutrients and specific
quantities of these
nutrients for optimum
growth and
development.
A corn plant is a
monocotyledon,
characterized by
having one cotyledon
in its seed and parallel
veins in its leaves.
A lima bean plant is a
dicotyledon,
characterized by
having two cotyledons


Lesson 4: Creating Your Own
Pond



Lesson 5: Wisconsin Fast
Plants:
Beginning the Cycle







Make observations of a
blackworm fragment each
week for 3 weeks to look for
signs of change.
Update your organism photo
card for blackworms.
Construct a pond and observe,
sketch, and label its layers.
Observe and document the
living things in the pond,
directly and with
magnification.
Explain the types of changes
that may occur in the pond
over a 3-week period.
Prepare the equipment for the
maintenance and
development of the Wisconsin
Fast Plants.
Sow the WFP’s seeds in the
growing system.
Examine the role of water and
minerals in the growth and
development of plants.
Become familiar with the life
cycle of WFP’s.
Document the germination
and development of a corn
seed and a lima bean seed.
Explore the similarities and
differences between corn and
bean seeds and plants.
Update the organism photo
card for WFP’s











in its seed and network
of branching veins in
its leaves.
Butterflies belong to a Lesson 6: The Cabbage
White: From Egg to Butterfly
class of Arthropods
called Insects.
Butterflies undergo
four life stages: egg,
larva, pupa and adult.
The process by which a
butterfly develops
through its four stages
is called
metamorphosis.
Many organisms eat
only very specific food
types.
Narrow food
preferences can limit
habitat options for an
organism.
The excrement of
animals often reveals
information about the
foods that they eat.
Lesson 7: Exploring Cells
The cell is the basic
unit of life.
There are many kinds
of cells.
An organelle is a welldefined structure
found in a cell. Cells
have many organelles
and only some can be
seen without special
tools such as stains
and an electron
microscope.
There are basic
differences between
plant and animal cells.
Plant cells have a
nonliving cell wall.
Some plant cells
contain chloroplasts,
which are the
organelles responsible













Explore the meaning of the
word “Lepidoptera,” the order
of insects to which butterflies
and moths belong.
Explain the life cycle stages of
the cabbage white butterfly.
Measure the length of an egg
and the length of the body of
a newly hatched CWB larva.
Measure and record the body
length of a CWB larva every
three days for three weeks.
Observe food preferences of a
CWB larva.
Determine whether adult
CWB’s prefer one color of
food over another.
Investigate the basic anatomy
of an adult CWB.
Update the organism photo
card for the CWB.
Observe, draw, label, and
measure cells based on
specific guidelines.
Observe and identify certain
organelles of plant and animal
cells.
Observe the effect of salt
solution on Elodea leaf cells.
Compare the structure of
various cells for evidence that
they are suited to their
functions.
Update the organism photo
cards Elodea, Spirogyra, and
humans.









for photosynthesis.
Interphase is the
period of time
between formation of
daughter cells and cell
division
Mitosis is the
duplicating and
segregating of
chromosomes.
Cytokinesis follows
mitosis and is the
process by which one
cell splits into two.
Cell division, which
includes mitosis and
cytokinesis. It is
necessary for growth
and reproduction.
The result of cell
division is that every
body cell in an
organism contains
identical sets of DNA
The flower is the
sexual reproductive
organ of a flowering
plant.
Perfect flowers contain
both male and female
reproductive
structures. Imperfect
flowers contain either
male or the female
reproductive structure.
Pollination is the
transfer of pollen from
anther to stigma.
Pollen grains from
different kinds of
plants are very
different in size and
shape. Some plants
self-pollinate; others
require crosspollination.
Pollen can be
Lesson 8: Cell Division:
Multiplying by Dividing



Lesson 9: Sexual
Reproduction in
Flowering Plants





Depict the behavior of
chromosomes during
interphase and cell division.
Construct models that depict
interphase and the key steps
of cell division.
Update the organism photo
cards for those organisms
whose cells undergo cell
division.
Exam two or more flowers and
develop an understanding of
their parts and functions.
Cross pollinate the Wisconsin
Fast Plants flowers in the
growing system.
Explain several ways in which
flowers are pollinated in
nature.
Demonstrate an
understanding of the
difference between cell
division and meiosis.
Update the Wisconsin Fast
Plants organism photo card.









transported in many
ways-by wind, water,
gravity, insects, and
humans among others.
Fertilization occurs
when a sperm nucleus
from a pollen grain
unites with the egg
nucleus from a pollen
grain unites with the
egg nucleus of an
ovule in an ovary. A
seed begins to form
when fertilization
occurs.
Transpiration is the
process by which
water evaporates from
plants.
Water escapes from
plant leaves through
openings called
stomata.
Osmosis is the
diffusion of water
across a semipermeable membrane.
The number of leaves
on a plant influences
the amount of water
that passes through a
plant.
Lesson 10: Leaf Structure and
Transpiration
Protists are a group of Lesson 11: Exploring
Microorganisms
one-celled organisms
with well-defined
nuclei.
Many protists possess
both plant-like and
animal-like features.
Protists are classified
by their movement.
Microorganisms are
organisms too small to
be seen clearly without
a microscope.








Determine the change in
volume of nutrient solution.
Determine if there is a
relationship between the
volume of nutrient solution
and the number of leaves.
Observe and draw the
stomatal unit from the
epidermis of a lettuce leaf.
Learn about photosynthesis.
Make a list of things they
already know about
microorganisms.
Observe four species of living
organisms called protists and
identify their animal-like and
plant-like characteristics.
Observe, draw, and estimate
the length of four protists.
Create a cartoon using an
Amoeba, Euglena, or
Paramecium as the main
character.










Microbes have had
significant impact on
human history.
Monerans are a
kingdom of organisms
whose genetic
material is not
confined within a welldefined nucleus.
An ecosystem is a
community of animals,
plants, protists, fungi,
and bacteria and their
physical and chemical
environment.
A pond ecosystem
includes
macroorganisms and
microorganisms.
Succession describes a
series of progressive
changes in the plant
and animal life in an
area overtime.
When Lemna fronds
reproduce asexually
their population grows
exponentially.
The structure of a
vertebrates body parts
may offer clues to how
those parts function.
Every organism has
one or more habitats
that are necessary for
its survival.
If an organism cannot
adapt to adverse
conditions in its
environment. It must
move to a more
suitable environment
or perish.
Evolution occurs when
a change in species is
passed on to its
Lesson 12: Revisiting Your
Pond




Lesson 13: Anchor Activity





Observe the ponds. Sketch the
abiotic and biotic components
of their pond ecosystem.
Look for evidence of
succession in the pond.
Use a compound microscope
to observe, identify, and draw
microorganisms from different
pond depths.
Determine the average daily
increase in the number of
Lemna fronds over 3 weeks.
Read about factors that
determine where an organism
lives.
Select a vertebrate and
conduct research to discover
how the structure of its body
part influences the way those
parts function.
Research the vertebrate’s
habitat to discover biotic and
abiotic factors that might
affect its ability to survive.
Share findings with the class
using an approved
presentation method.
Read about an organism called
Daphnia and decide whether
its rapid evolution supports












offspring during
reproduction.
Fungi comprise a
kingdom of organisms
that feed on other
living or dead organic
material.
Fungi reproduce by
releasing spores.
Molds are a type of
fungus. Other
examples include
yeasts and
mushrooms.
Fungi grow best in
warm, dark, moist
places.
Fungi are
decomposers.
The growth of fungi
can be inhibited by
chemicals.
Yeast cells metabolize
glucose into alcohol
and carbon dioxide.
Active yeast rapidly
releases carbon
dioxide.
Some substances
promote yeast
metabolism others do
not.
Some species of yeast
are helpful to humans
others are harmful.
Daphnia are
crustaceans, a class of
organisms
characterized by an
exoskeleton, gills, two
pairs of antennae and
many jointed
appendages.
Internal structures are
observed through the
Daphnia’s transparent
exoskeleton.
Charles Darwin’s ideas.
Lesson 14: Investigating
Fungi I—The Molds





Lesson 15: Investigating
Fungi II—The Yeast



Lesson 16: The Transparent
Water Flea



Observe the “mystery print”
photo and decide how the
print was formed.
Decide on conditions
favorable for the formation of
mold.
Compare the rate of mold
formation on two types of
bread.
Observe and document the
progress of a fungal garden.
Read about the structure of
bread mold and the nature of
fungi in general.
Observe evidence of yeast
activity.
Design and conduct an inquiry
to investigate substances that
will or will not promote yeast
activity.
Explain how different kinds of
yeasts benefit or harm
humans.
Observe, sketch, and measure
Daphnia.
Identify its major structures.
Determine the Daphnia heart
rate under various conditions.














Daphnia’s heart rate
varies when its body is
subjected to certain
chemicals.
Hydra are simple
invertebrates with
hollow cylindrical
bodies and tentacles.
Hydra have simple
network of nerves that
are capable of
responding to various
stimuli.
Hydra reproduce
asexually by budding.
Hydra move by floating
and somersaulting.
Wisconsin fast plants
(WFP’s) seeds mature
approximately 20 days
after fertilization.
WFP’s seeds are
encased in a fruit
called a pod.
In nature seeds are
dispersed in a variety
of ways.
Seeds vary in size,
shape, color, and
visibility.
Seeds contain stored
energy used for
germination and
growth under proper
conditions.
The second generation
seeds used in this
lesson are
heterozygous for
purple pigment.
Inherited traits are
determined by one or
more pairs of genes.
Each parent
contributes one pair of
genes.
Alleles are different
Lesson 17: Exploring the
Hydra



Lesson 18: The Next
Generation: Part 1




Lesson 19: The Next
Generation: Part 2—Secrets
Revealed



Observe, sketch, and measure
a Hydra and label its
prominent features.
Observe a Hydra’s methods of
obtaining food and reacting to
touch.
Observe a Hydra’s method of
asexual reproduction.
Recognize the pod as a fruit,
and a fruit as a package of
seeds.
Develop a list of ways in which
seeds can be dispersed.
Harvest the second generation
of WFP’s seeds, set them up
for germination, and predict
the number of purple
pigmented offspring.
Review the relationship
between the life cycle of
WFP’s and cabbage white
butterflies.
Observe the WFP’s sprouts for
clues about inherited traits.
Demonstrates how certain
genes interact in pairs to
express dominant or recessive
traits.
Discover through








forms of a gene.
Alleles may be
dominant or recessive.
The gene combination
for a trait is referred to
as its genotype.
Gene pairs may be
homozygous or
heterozygous.
The phenotype is the
expression of a trait.
Meiosis produces sex
cells with half the
normal number of
chromosomes.
A Punnett square is a
visual tool used to
show how genes may
pair during a genetic
cross.
People classify
organisms according to
their similarities and
differences.
A key is a tool
biologists use to
identify organism.





Lesson 20: The Key to
Organisms—An Assessment



experimentation how Gregor
Mendel established the
fundamentals of heredity.
Observe the benefit of large
sample sizes in
experimentation.
Identify homozygous and
heterozygous gene pairs.
Demonstrate an
understanding of the
difference between genotype
and phenotype.
Use a Punnett square to show
how genes may pair during a
genetic cross.
Create a cartoon character
with specific traits determined
by random pairings of genes.
Develop written dichotomous
keys for various organisms
pictured on student sheets.
Create a graphical
dichotomous key for 13 of the
organisms on the organism
photo cards.
Develop a written
dichotomous key from the
graphical dichotomous key.