Overview:
Living things take a variety of forms as reflected in their structures, internal processes and ways of responding to their environments. Finding pattern within this diversity has been a major challenge for the biological sciences and has led to the development of ideas, such as systems, cells, structures and functions—ideas developed from the study of all living things. Using these ideas, students learn to interpret life at a variety of levels, from individual cells to complex organisms. To develop their understanding, students investigate ways that components of a living system work together and, through these studies, learn that healthy organisms—including healthy humans—function as balanced systems within a life-supporting environment.
Focusing Questions: How can we make sense of the vast diversity of living things? What do living things have in common—from the smallest to the largest—and what variations do we find in the structure and function of living things?
Key Concepts
The following concepts are developed in this unit and may also be addressed in other units at other grade levels. The intended level and scope of treatment is defined by the outcomes below.
− Organisms
− Cells
− Organs
− Tissues
− Structure and function
− Systems
− Response to stimuli
− Health and environmental factors