Students Learn Lesson Students Do 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. Lesson 1: What are Organisms? 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. 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. Lesson 2: The WOWBug: Getting a Closer Look Learn the parts of a microscope and practice manipulating them to obtain the best image of 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. Lumbriculus has a segmented body that is similar to that of an earthworm. Blood pulsates though the dorsal blood vessels of Lumbriculus Lesson 3: Investigating Lumbriculus 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. Make observations of a blackworm fragment each week for 3 weeks to look for signs of change. Update your organism photo card for blackworms. 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 Lesson 4: Creating Your Own Pond 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. 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 5: Wisconsin Fast Plants: Beginning the Cycle 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 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 6: The Cabbage White: From Egg to Butterfly 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. The cell is the basic unit of life. There are many kinds of cells. An organelle is a 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 Lesson 7: Exploring Cells 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 Lesson 8: Cell Division: Multiplying by Dividing 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. 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 Pollen can be Lesson 9: Sexual Reproduction in Flowering Plants 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 membrane. The number of leaves on a plant influences the amount of water that passes through a plant. Lesson 10: Leaf Structure and Transpiration 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. Protists are a group of 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. Lesson 11: Exploring Microorganisms 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 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. Lesson 12: Revisiting Your Pond 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. 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 13: Anchor Activity 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. Charles Darwin’s ideas. 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. Lesson 14: Investigating Fungi I—The Molds 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. 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. Lesson 15: Investigating Fungi II—The Yeast 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. 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. Lesson 16: The Transparent Water Flea Observe, sketch, and measure Daphnia. Identify its major structures. Determine the Daphnia heart rate under various conditions.