Instructions: Students, complete the portion your teacher assigns.
Read and discuss the info in black. Write the info in blue in your science journal.
Read and discuss the info in black. Write the info in blue in your science journal.
4th Grade - Characteristics of Living Things
Photo by Jordan Butler on Unsplash
|
|
Scientists believe there are about 8.7million different species of animals.
That's 8,700,000 different types of animals on earth.
What animal species can you think of?
How would you define an animal?
About 90% of all animals are invertebrate, while about 10% vertebrate animals.
Sketch a pie graph that shows a comparison of vertebrate to invertebrate animals.
That's 8,700,000 different types of animals on earth.
What animal species can you think of?
How would you define an animal?
About 90% of all animals are invertebrate, while about 10% vertebrate animals.
Sketch a pie graph that shows a comparison of vertebrate to invertebrate animals.
|
Invertebrate Animals
|
 This snail is an invertebrate. It has a hard shell for protection. It releases a slime from its foot to help it glide along surfaces for mobility. Why do you think snails have antennae?
Watch a video about snails and slugs.  This blue crab is an invertebrate. It has a shell for protection and mobility.
|
This jellyfish is an invertebrate animal. It lives in salt water and belongs to a group of animals called Cnidarians. These animals have cnidocysts that sting predators on contact. How can their cnidocysts also sting prey?
Watch a video about jellyfish.
The praying mantis is an invertebrate. It has an exoskeleton to give it shape and structure. In what way(s) have mantis's adapted to be nature's perfect predator?
Watch a video about the praying mantis.
|
Snails, jellyfish, crabs, and praying mantis are invertebrate animals. Besides not having a backbone, what else do they have in common? How are they different?
|
|
Watch this video: All about Insects.
|
One thing all living things must do is reproduce, as a part of its life cycle.
To reproduce means to make more living things like itself.
Once an animal reaches maturity, its first stage of reproduction is usually that of laying eggs.
Insects, for example undergo, either complete metamorphosis or incomplete metamorphosis as their life cycle.
Draw this sketch of incomplete metamorphosis.
|
Incomplete Metamorphosis of Insects
Insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis include dragonflies, grasshoppers, cockroaches, and praying mantis. A mature adult lays eggs in the soil, on a leaf, or somewhere they think the eggs will be protected. The eggs then hatch into young, as nymphs. Many nymphs closely resemble the adult, but are smaller. As it grows, it must molt, or shed its exoskeleton 2-3 times because the exoskeleton does not grow larger. Once it becomes an adult it can lay more eggs to repeat the life cycle. |
Study the life cycle of bed bugs.
How many nymph stages does it undergo? How many times does it molt?
How many nymph stages does it undergo? How many times does it molt?
|
Complete Metamorphosis of Insects Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis include beetles, butterflies and moths. A mature adult lays eggs in the soil, on a leaf, or somewhere they think the eggs will be protected. The eggs hatch into a larva, which resembles a worm. The larvae (plural) crawl around eating leaves, roots, and other vegetation. Some larvae are also called grubs, or caterpillars. The larvae enter the pupa stage, in which they attach to a tree branch and are seemingly dormant for a few days, or sometimes weeks! Inside lots of changes are happening. The pupa is also called a chrysalis. The animal will emerge as a mature adult, ready to lay eggs and repeat the life cycle. |
Read about Cicadas.
How is their life cycle unique?
In which stage do they spend most of their life?
How is their life cycle unique?
In which stage do they spend most of their life?
Vertebrate Animals
- Vertebrate animals have a backbone.
- (All vertebrates have a spinal cord, and some have a spinal cord that is protected by a bony or cartilaginous spine)
- Vertebrate animals include fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals.
- Vertebrates have skin, an internal (inside) skeleton, muscles that attach to their bones, and lungs and/or gills for obtaining oxygen.
- Students should copy and complete the chart below in their Science journal.
Vertebrate Animals |
Special Characteristics |
Life Cycle Stages |
Examples of Organisms |
Fish |
|
|
|
Amphibians |
|
|
|
Reptiles |
|
|
|
Birds |
|
|
|
Mammals |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Study the diagram of different birds' feet. The diagram explains and illustrates that a bird's feet tell how it lives. Another thing that can tell how a bird lives is its beak. Beaks may be adapted for cracking seeds, sucking nectar from inside a flower, catching fish, or pecking into wood.
Make a chart. For each bird, sketch it's beak and write down what you think the bird's beak may be adapted to eat. If your teacher says it is okay, you may Google each bird to find out what it eats. |
|
Extended Science Assignment:
B. As you have observed the animal, what have you noticed? Please respond in a paragraph.
C. Why are these animals important in nature?
D. What adaptations or special traits does the anima have? You may need to do additional research to answer this question.
E. Pretend you are the scientist performing the experiment at each link.
Frogs: If you completed this experiment, how would you expect UV light to affect the animals? Would this effect be inherited or caused by the environment?
Millipedes: These animals are very important as decomposers. Design an experiment to test and measure their decomposing abilities. Write a paragraph to summarize your test, and make a chart to collect your data.
Fiddler Crabs: These animals have a tendency to make balls from mud and place them at the entrance to their burrows. It is not understood, exactly why they do this. Study the mud ball data and propose 3 reasons as to why these animals make mudballs.
- Each 4th Grade classroom in Rock Hill Schools should have African Dwarf Frogs, Millipedes, and Fiddler Crabs. These items are provided through Science Refurbishment.
- Students should make a booklet or a poster about one of the organisms. One way to divide the class is: students with last names A-H study the frogs, I-P study the millipedes, and Q-Z study the crabs.
- Each booklet or poster should contain the following:
B. As you have observed the animal, what have you noticed? Please respond in a paragraph.
C. Why are these animals important in nature?
D. What adaptations or special traits does the anima have? You may need to do additional research to answer this question.
E. Pretend you are the scientist performing the experiment at each link.
Frogs: If you completed this experiment, how would you expect UV light to affect the animals? Would this effect be inherited or caused by the environment?
Millipedes: These animals are very important as decomposers. Design an experiment to test and measure their decomposing abilities. Write a paragraph to summarize your test, and make a chart to collect your data.
Fiddler Crabs: These animals have a tendency to make balls from mud and place them at the entrance to their burrows. It is not understood, exactly why they do this. Study the mud ball data and propose 3 reasons as to why these animals make mudballs.
