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Characteristics of Organisms
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Organisms use energy. |
| Organisms maintain themselves by using food and they
produce waste. |
| Organisms are generally made up of one or more
cells. |
| Organisms reproduce. |
| Organisms grow, change and develop. |
| Organisms interact with their surroundings. |
| Organisms have a life span (a beginning and an end). |
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Plants vs. AnimalsBelow
are some of the students' thoughts.
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Plants and Animals are alike
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they grow |
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they live |
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they breathe |
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they die |
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they eat food |
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some are in water |
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Plants and Animals are different
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animals go all over |
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can live in zoos |
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plants have vines |
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plants need dirt |
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plants have stems |
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animals hear |
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animals can swim |
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some animals fly & run |
Click on one of the plants below to see the four amazing plants that we studied.
Venus Fly Trap |
Saguaro Cactus |
Rafflesia |
Giant Water Lily |
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Seeds
Kidney beans |
Peas |
Sunflower seeds |
Pumpkin seeds |
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Woodland Plants & Critters
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We studied moss and a pine seedling.
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Moss
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It has no true leaves or roots. |
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It grows in clusters and spreads like
mats over damp ground. |
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It is seedless and reproduces by
spores. |
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Pine seedling
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It has narrow leaves called needles. |
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It has true roots and leaves. |
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It can grow tall and produces seeds in
the form of cones. |
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After reviewing all of the characteristics of
the plants, we planted the moss and pine seedling in a
classroom terrarium. |
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We then added a few critters to the
terrarium. See the pictures below of our new classroom
pets!
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Bess Beetle
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It has three body parts: head,
thorax and abdomen. |
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It uses its antenna to find food and
get around. |
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It prefers to be out in its
environment at night. |
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It has wings, but hardly ever flies. |
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Pill Bug
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It is not an insect. It is an
isopod. |
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It has three body parts, but they
are all fused together. |
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It rolls into a ball to protect
itself. |
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It prefers dark damp places; look
under a rock and you will find many pill bugs. |
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Moss |
Seedling |
Bess Beetle |
Pill Bug |
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Freshwater Plants
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We studied two different freshwater plants; elodea
& cabomba
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Elodea
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It grows in slow moving water. |
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It floats freely near the surface or takes
root in soil. |
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Fish eat the leaves and can continue to grow
into a new plant. |
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Cabomba
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It is a delicate, long stemmed water plant. |
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It grows naturally in streams and ponds. |
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It floats freely or takes root in soil. |
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After reviewing the characteristics of the
freshwater plants, we prepared a classroom aquarium. |
Elodea |
Cabomba |
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Snails & Guppies
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We added snails and guppies to our
aquarium.
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Snails
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Guppies
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They have bones (vertebrates). |
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They are covered with scales. |
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They have a well developed sense of sight,
touch, smell, taste and hearing. |
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The female guppy is much larger than the
male. |
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The male guppy is more colorful than the
female. |
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