Download The Living World

ETV “Junior Secondary Science” Programme
The Living World
Teachers’ Notes
Target Audience
Secondary 1 - 3
Duration
20 minutes
Key Points
1. An introduction to the diversity of life and habitats.
2. An explanation of the environmental influences on the survival of living
things.
3. An illustration of the importance of conservation of wildlife with reference to
the tragedy of dinosaurs.
Content Outline
This programme is divisible into 11 segments as follows:
1. Life in a Pond
A brief introduction to pond animals and plants.
e.g. Plants – water lily, duckweed.
Animals – fishes, terrapins, water skaters, mosquito larvae.
2. Life in a Stream
A brief introduction to the animals and plants living in the rapids and pools of a
freshwater stream.
e.g. Plants – algae.
Animals – leaches, mayfly nymphs, shrimps, stream snails.
3. Life in a Woodland
A brief introduction to woodland animals and plants.
e.g. Plants – trees, shrubs, lichens, old man beard, ferns, mosses, twining plants and
climbing plants.
Animals – snakes, monkeys, lizards, wild boars, ants, caterpillars.
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4. Life on a Grassland
A brief introduction to the grassland plants and animals, and their self defence
mechanisms.
e.g. Plants – grass and weeds.
Animals – crickets, butterfly larvae, stick insects, spiders, ants, millipedes,
snails, slugs.
5. Life in a Marsh
A brief introduction to the mangrove plants and animals.
e.g. Plants – Spiny bears breech, aegiceras, black mangrove, reeds.
Animals – fiddler crabs, mudskippers, sesarmid crabs, sea snails, little egrets,
large egret, pond heron.
6. Life on a Rocky Shore
A brief introduction to the plants and animals living on the rocky shore.
e.g. Plants – algae.
Animals – sea anemones, sea snails, sea slaters, barnacles, sea cucumbers, sea
urchins.
Appended to this segment is a brief introduction to the marine animals living below
the tide level of the shore.
e.g. Animals – sea urchins, sea cucumbers, starfish, octopus, fishes.
7. Microorganisms
A brief introduction to the protozoans in a drop of pond water.
8. Saprophytes
A brief introduction to the living things responsible for decaying of wood and food.
e.g. moulds, bracket fungus, mushroom, bacteria.
9.Parasites
A brief introduction to various parasitic plants and animals.
e.g. Parasitic animals – ticks, hookworms, tapeworm, liver fluke, blood fluke, mite,
louse, flea.
Parasitic plants – dodder.
10. Interdependence of animals and plants
A brief introduction to the ways in which animals and plants on Earth are
interdependent. e.g. mutualism between clown fish and sea anemone.
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11. Destruction of the Environment by Man
A brief introduction of some endangered species, e.g. ring-tailed lemur, lion
tamarin, jaguar, giant panda, Chinese white dolphin, tree fern, Grantham’s
camellia, emphasizing that they are at the threat of extinction due to destruction of
the environment by man.
By referring to fossils of dinosaurs, it is reiterated that many living things are
on brink of extinction if man continues to destroy the environment.
Suggested Activities
Preparation before viewing the programme
The teacher may invite a number of students to write the names of one animal and one
plant each on the blackboard, so as to alert the class of the diversity of living things.
Then the teacher may ask students why there are so many different kinds of living
things on Earth, and invite students to view the programme attentively.
Activities after viewing the programme
The teacher may raise the following questions and invite students to give answers
with reference to the information in the programme.
1. Why are there so many different forms of living things?
2. Why are some living things on brink of extinction?
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