Students learn how scientists classify living things into five kingdoms, how scientists divide the kingdom into smaller groups, and why scientists sometimes change their ideas about classifying organisms. Students learn how invertebrates and vertebrates are classified. Students learn how scientists classify plants and what mosses, ferns, conifers, and flowering plants are. By the end of eighth grade, students will develop an understanding of diversity and adaptations of organisms.
Students seal various types of moistened food in a container and place it in the dark.
Students observe the food and collect data daily, recording when mold begins to grow. Students compare and contrast the types of mold that grow on each type of food. Students place stalks of celery in colored water to show how the water travels up the tubes in a vascular plant.