The list below represents a continuum of activities: resources categorized by Standard/Eligible Content that teachers may use to move students toward proficiency. Using LEA curriculum and available materials and resources, teachers can customize the activity statements/questions for classroom use.

This continuum of activities offers:

• Instructional activities designed to be integrated into planned lessons
• Questions/activities that grow in complexity
• Opportunities for differentiation for each student’s level of performance

1. List all the different types of living things you can think of.
   
   
2. Living things are classified by how they look, move, reproduce- just to name a few examples.
   These specialized groups are collectively called the classification of living things. The largest level is “kingdom.” Grouping makes it easier for scientists to study certain groups of organisms.

• • Monera Kingdom simple, one celled or unicellular, NO nucleus (example- bacteria)
  • Protist Kingdom unicellular, HAVE a nucleus and at times waves of movement (example- amoeba and paramecium)
  • Fungi Kingdom cannot make their own food, can be unicellular like yeast, or multicellular like mushrooms
  • Plant Kingdom multicellular, able to make their own food using water and sunlight (examples- trees, grass, flowers, and algae)
  • Animal Kingdom multicellular and rely on other organisms for food, largest kingdom (example- panda, octopus, fly, eagle)

Label the following organisms’ kingdom classification:

1. 1. Asian elephant ________________________
   2. Oyster mushroom ________________________
   3. Euglena (has a nucleus) ________________________
   4. Redwood tree ________________________
   5. Escherichia Coli/E-coli (no nucleus) ________________________
   6. Red algae ________________________
   7. Monarch butterfly ­­______________________

3. Complete the chart below using your knowledge of the plant and animal kingdoms.
   
   

• • Relies on the sun to undergo photosynthesis
  • Complex nervous system and sensory system
  • Habitat can be land or water
  • Cannot move without assistance
  • Multicellular
  • Relies on other organism for nutrients
  • Contain chlorophyll
  • Give off carbon dioxide
  • Take in carbon dioxide
  • Found on planet Earth
  • Can move without assistance
  • Little, or no, basic senses

4. Work with a partner to investigate more similarities and differences between a plant and animal cell.
   
   
   1. Follow teacher directions to access websites that can be used to compare plant and animal cells. Then, complete a venn diagram to show what you found.
   2. Write a 6 sentence journal entry stating what was the most and least challenging part of this task. Would this task be easier or more difficult if we used a hands on model? Did technology help you better understand the concept of comparing the structure and function of cells?
      
      
5.  Choose 3 parts of the cell from the list below:
   Cell wall, Shape, Vacuole, Centrioles, Chloroplast, Cytoplasm, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Ribosomes, Mitochondria, Golgi Apparatus, Plasma Membrane, Microtubules/ Microfilaments, Flagella, Lysosomes, Nucleus, Cilia
   
   For each part:

1. 1. Draw it
   2. State its job
   3. Explain if it is found in plant cell, animal cell, or both

6. Debate: which type of cell is more complex? Plant or animal?
   
   
7. Plants and animals are constantly evolving (for example, the human body no longer need an appendix to function). Scientists all over the world are conducting research on evolution.
   TASK: If you were a scientists studying the evolution of plant and animal cells, what would your research topic be? Make a prediction about which part of the cell is most likely to evolve, or become unnecessary for functionality.
   Please format your response into 3 paragraphs.

• • Paragraph 1: introduction to plant/animal cells and research topic
  • Paragraph 2: predictions- be sure to explain the role it currently plays and why it would no longer be needed.
  • Paragraph 3: conclusion and final statements about cell evolution