Download Scott Foresman Science Grade 4

Scott Foresman Science Grade 4
Study Guide for Unit A Chapter 1 Classifying Plants and Animals
Vocabulary
cell
the smallest unit of a living thing
nucleus
a cell part that controls the cell’s activities
chloroplast
a special part in plant cells that traps the sun’s energy
cell wall
a special part in plant cells that supports and protects the cell
cell membrane
an outer border of a cell that separates the cell from its environment.
(both plant and animal cells have cell membranes)
species
a group of of similar organisms that can reproduce and produce offspring
that can also reproduce. The species name is the 2nd part of an organism’s
scientific name.
vascular
having tubes that carry fluid
vertebrates
animals with backbones
invertebrates
animals without backbones
adaptation
a body feature or a behavior that helps an animal get food, protect itself,
move, or reproduce
instinct
behaviors that are inherited (animals do not have to learn instinctive
behaviors)
inherited trait
physical feature an animal is born with (ex. brown fur, stripes, long legs)
migration
traveling in search of food or a place to reproduce
hibernation
inactivity that occurs in some animals when outside temperatures are cold
learned behaviors
behaviors that an animal must learn from other adult animals
Key Ideas from the chapter:


All living things have one thing in common – they all are made of cells. A cell is the
smallest unit of life that can perform all life processes. Cells may look alike, but they
may have very different jobs.
Cells work together to build tissues. Tissues work together to make organs. Organs
work together to build systems. Organ systems work together to create an organism.

Living things are grouped into 6 Kingdoms: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists, True
Bacteria, and Ancient Bacteria.

Plants are made of many cells. Each cell has a nucleus, and a cell wall, and chloroplasts.
The chloroplasts use the Sun’s energy to help the plant make food.

Plants are either vascular or non-vascular.
 vascular examples: grass, ferns, celery, dandelions, trees
 non-vascular examples: mosses, liverworts, hornworts

Plants reproduce by making seeds or spores. Some plants grow seeds inside flowers.
Some plants, called conifers, grow seeds inside cones.

Fungi are made of many cells, and they live on land. Each cell has a nucleus and a cell
membrane. Fungi do not have chloroplasts, so they do not make their own food. Fungi
must absorb its food from other living or nonliving things.

Animals are made of many cells. They live on land or water, and they can’t make their
own food, so they eat plants or other animals for energy.

Animals are grouped into 2 main categories: vertebrates & invertebrates.
Vetebrates are grouped into 5 categories:
fish
animals with scales that live in water, breathe with gills, lay eggs, and are
cold-blooded.
amphibians
animals covered with smooth skin that live on either land or water or both.
They breathe with lungs or gills or both, lay eggs, and are cold-blooded.
reptiles
animals covered with scales that usually live on land, breathe with lungs,
lay eggs, and are cold-blooded.
birds
animals covered with feathers that mostly live on land, but may spend
much of their lives in water, breathe with lungs, lay eggs, and are warmblooded
mammals
animals with hair or fur that mostly live on land (a few live in water),
breathe with lungs, have live births, and are warm-blooded
Invertebrates have many groups, but the largest group is arthropods.
arthropods
animals without backbones and with jointed legs. Examples of arthropods
are spiders, crabs, shrimp, lobsters, insects
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 How do animals get what they need? They have adaptations to help them survive.
 Body adaptations: fur, feathers, webbed feet, wings, sharp claws, strong legs for
running, large ears, forward facing eyes, eyes on the side of the head, camouflage, eyes
that squirt poison… all of these adaptations are mentioned in our text. There are many
other ways that animals’ bodies are adapted to survive.
 Behavioral adaptations: migration and hibernation are behaviors that help animals
survive. Animals do not have to learn how to migrate or hibernate. These behaviors are
instincts.
 Learned behaviors: Parents teach some behaviors such as hunting, fishing, pouncing.
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Reread text pages 20-21 & 24 and be prepared to answer this question: Compare and
contrast the life cycle of a Burmese python and a garden snail.