Life Science Assessment Study Guide
Students need to have a good general understanding of the topics/concepts and vocabulary terms in this study guide. This guide matches the material presented on class lesson PowerPoints and in student science notebooks. These can be found online on Mr. Hanson’s Science Items page.
Part 1: Students will answer different types of questions based on this information, including written responses and a text on plant and animal structures to read.
Ecosystems
(You should be able to think of examples of small and large ecosystems. Small ecosystems could include ponds or small caves. Large ecosystems could include whole forests or a desert. Be able to think of living and non-living things in an ecosystem.)
Any place on Earth that is an interacting system of living and non-living things is called an ______.
Living things are called ______factors in an ecosystem.
Non-living things are called ______factors in an ecosystem.
Adaptation
(You should not just know the definition of adaptation. You should be able to know an example of adaptation when you see one. These might include migration in birds, flight in birds of prey, hibernation in mammals, or camouflage in bugs!)
In order to survive in an ecosystem, plants and animals must have ______structures and ______structures that help them survive in that ecosystem.
Over a long period of time, animals and plants form structures to help them survive in that ecosystem. This is called ______.
Living Structures
(The big idea you need to understand is that plants and animals have similar needs to each other, but that they have quite different ways of getting what they need. That is what makes plants and animals different!)
The non-living factors that living things need to survive are:
1)______
2)______
3)______
How do living things get their food (energy)?
Any living thing that has structures allowing them to consume other living things is called an ______.
Any living thing that has structures allowing them to make their own energy (food) is called a ______.
Plant Structures
(You should be able to focus on ONE major function, or purpose, of each major plant structure. Be able to explain the purpose in a complete sentence!)
Roots allow many plants to:
- ______
Stems/Trunks allow many plants to:
- ______
Leaves allow many plants to:
- ______
Flowers allow many plants to:
- ______
Fruits allow many plants to:
- ______
Animal Structures
(You need to understand that animals have parts on the inside that plants do not need. This has to do with food! You also should know that animal body parts can change depending on what kinds of living things they eat!)
Animals have structures that allow them to ______other living things for food (energy).
One set of structures animals have that plants do not is called the ______.
______and______allow animals to chew and break apart living tissue.
______and ______allow animals to break down (digest) and absorb nutrients from living things, such as sugars, fats, and proteins.
Animals that adapted to eating only plants are called ______
Animals that adapted to eating only animals are called ______
Animals that adapted to eating plants and animals are called ______
Part 2: Students will read a passage on a specific kind of animal or plant adaptation. This reading will include descriptions of specific animal and plant structures that help certain animals or plants survive! This is a sample practice text. The students will need to write a short paragraph that names the adaptation and provides 2 examples from the text of animals or plants that have this adaptation. The response will need to include the internal or external structure that the animal or plant has that helps it survive. The actual test will have a different text with a different adaptation!
Now You See Me, Now You Don’t!
Have you ever wondered why it can be difficult to spot a white polar bear in the snow or a yellowish lizard in the sand? These animals are using camouflage. Camouflage is an animal’s ability to look like the environment, or area, where it lives. Animals in the desert may look like sand or rock, while animals from the rainforest might actually blend into nearby flowers or leaves! You may have seen military uniforms or patterns that soldiers wear to blend into a dangerous desert or forest, so that they are not seen by enemies. Believe it or not, this is all inspired by animal camouflage!
Most animals’ bodies have developed special color patterns that match the ecosystems where they live. In fact, some animals, including the arctic hare and arctic fox, change from having brown fur to having white fur during the winter season. This change allows these animals to survive the harsh cold winters of the far northern hemisphere. However, it is clear to scientists that one of the main reasons for camouflage is to hide from predators or to catch prey. The cheetah is a great example of a hungry predator that hides in order to ambush its meal! Its fur spots are arranged in a pattern that makes it difficult for land mammals to see it coming through the brush. Before an animal sees it coming, it has become dinner!
There are several types of animal camouflage that increase an animal’s chance for survival. First of all, disruptive coloration is a kind of camouflage that uses stripes and spots to make an animal’s outline and body parts hard to see. For example, the zebra’s body contains non-repeating black and white stripes that make it difficult for predators like the lion to spot in a herd! Other animals use a property of camouflage called self-decoration to cover their bodies with natural resources in their ecosystem in order to match their backgrounds. For instance, a young predatory masked bug will use its hind legs to cover its own body in sand! Perhaps one of the most amazing types of camouflage is countershading, which makes an animal’s belly side a lighter color and back side a darker color. A penguin’s white belly makes it blend in against the sun from below, and its black back makes it blend in with the dark ocean floor from above!
Directions: Write a paragraph that names and explains the adaptation described in “Now You See Me, Now You Don’t!” Provide 2 examples of this adaptation from the text. Each example needs to include a specific animal or plant structure.
Sentence 1: The adaptation being described in the text is _____
Sentence 2: This means _____ (or) This is the ability to _____
Sentence 3: (first example) For example, the text says _____
Sentence 4: (second example) Also, the text says _____
Sentence 5: conclude your paragraph!
______