Vocabulary:
- Camouflage – coloration of an organism that is designed to deceive other organisms or to help it hide from predators
- Characteristic – a feature that helps to identify, tell apart, or describe; a distinguishing mark or trait; a physical attribute
- Function – what something is used for; purpose
- Inherited trait – characteristics that are determined by an organism’s genetics and passed from parent to offspring
- Learned behavior – behaviors that are acquired by an organism’s interactions with its environment and / or parents
- Mimicry – a superficial resemblance of one organism to another or to another object in nature; this trick coloration helps the organism avoid predation
- Offspring – a living organism that is made when a plant or animal reproduces
- Structure – a body part that does a certain “job” for an organism
- Survive – to continue to live or exist, especially in spite of danger or hardship
HOW STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS ENABLE ORGANISMS TO SURVIVE IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT
- Comparing animals’ structures and functions
- Finding food
- Birds’ beak shape allows them to eat available food sources in the environment
- Movement
- Foot size or formation allows animals to move within the environment
- Protection / Defense
- Structures that mimic the environment or another organism
- Camouflage structures that match the environment
- Claws, teeth, stingers – structures that are successful for local environmental threats
- Finding food
- Comparing plants’ structures and functions
- Protection
- Plant structures, such as outer coverings or structure of leaves, in relation to environmental threats
- Support
- Plant structures, such as tendrils or roots, in relation to specific environments
- Resources
- Plant structures, such as structure of leaves or seeds, in relation to available environmental resources (light, water, or nutrients)
- Protection
TRAITS ARE INHERITED AND SOME BEHAVIORS ARE LEARNED
- Inherited traits
- Passed from parent to offspring
- Eye color
- Shape of leaves
- Possible additional examples may include:
- Number of limbs
- Hair color
- Type of flower
- Passed from parent to offspring
- Learned behaviors
- Reading a book
- Wolf pack teaching pups to hunt effectively
- Possible additional examples may include:
- Learning to play a sport
- Learning to play an instrument
- Learning to dance