Science- Living Things
Student Will Learn the Following in This Unit:
Reproduction is essential to the continued existence of every kind of organism. Plants and animals have unique and diverse life cycles. (3-LS1-1)
Being part of a group helps animals obtain food, defend themselves, and cope with changes (i.e., climate change, new animals entering their environment, human imapcts, etc.). Groups may serve different functions and vary dramatically in size. (3-LS2-1)
Many characteristics of organisms are inherited from their parents, such as color, approximate height or weight, basic behavioral instincts, etc. (3-LS3-1)
Other characteristics result from individuals’ interactions with the environment, which can range from diet to learning. For example, if an animals main food source becomes less available they might adapt to eating other available foods. Many characteristics involve both inheritance and environment. (3-LS3-2)
Different organisms vary in how they look and function because they have different inherited information. For example, flowers that are pollinated by bees typically have bright petals, which helps to attract bees to the plant. Plants that do not require bees for pollination are often less colorful because they do not need to attract the attention of the bees. (3-LS3-1)
The environment also affects the traits that an organism develops (i.e., animals that live in rocky environments tend to develop strong pads on their feet). (3-LS3-2)
Sometimes the differences in characteristics between individuals of the same species provide advantages in surviving, finding mates, and reproducing. For example, a male peacock with the most colorful tail will more likely to attract a mate and reproduce. Similarly, the taller a plant grows the more likely it is to have access to sunlight. (3-LS4-2)
For any particular environment,some kinds of organisms survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all. For example, in the antarctic region most plant life cannot survive, however, certain animal species such as orcas, sea leopards, and penguins thrive. (3-LS4-3)
Populations live in a variety of habitats, and change in those habitats affects the organisms living there (i.e., rising temperatures in the antarctic region are causing a decrease in the population of some penguin species, while others are thriving). (3-LS4-4)