Richmond
Natural Science 6 is a collective work, conceived, designed
and created by the Primary Education department at Santillana,
under the supervision of Teresa Grence Ruiz.
WRITER
Belén Garrido
MANAGING EDITOR
Sheila Tourle
PROJECT EDITOR
Geona Edwards
EDITOR
Beatriz Bejarano del Palacio
PROOFREADING
Jane Drummond
James Price
ILLUSTRATIONS
Alademosca il∙lustració
Digitalartis
José Santos
Do not write in this book.
Do all the activities in your notebook.
PRIMARY
Natural Science
CONTENTS
Natural Science syllabus
Unit
1
People and health
Nutrition I
Topics
Nutrients
How nutrition works
6
2
People and health
Nutrition II
The circulatory system
Pulmonary circulation
16
People and health
3 Reproduction
Sexual characteristics
The reproductive system
26
TERM REVISION
Living things
4 Living things
Cells
Tissues
38
5
Living things
The classification
of living things
How to classify living things
The five kingdoms
48
Living things
Fungi and other
6 kingdoms
Fungi
Protists
58
TERM REVISION
Matter and energy
7 Matter and energy
Types of mixtures
Separation of mixtures
68
8
Matter and energy
Electricity and
magnetism
Electric current
80
TERM REVISION
Cooperative project: An electrical matching game
2 two
Electrical charges
Topics
Know how to
React in an emergency situation
The digestive system
The respiratory system
Digestion and health
Respiration and health
Systemic circulation
The excretory system
Circulation and health
Excretion and health
Sex cells
Pregnancy and birth
Fertilization
A healthy pregnancy
Organs
Organisms
Systems
Animal and plant tissues
The animal kingdom
Comparison of animals and plants
Use a key to identify plants
Comparison of protists and
bacteria
Describe a mushroom
Viruses
Physical changes
Chemical changes
Separate a mixture
Changes of state
Forms of energy
Conductors and insulators
Electric circuits
Power plants
Magnetism
Perform an experiment and interpret data
Read a scientific text and draw a diagram
Observe and draw cells
The plant kingdom
Bacteria
Build an electric circuit
three 3
6
6.1
Fungi and other kingdoms
The wonder of mushrooms
Wild mushrooms are living things that grow on
forest floors, tree trunks and even on top of each
other. They need moisture, cool temperatures and
some light. Wild mushrooms are seasonal and
can be found in autumn and spring.
There are many different types of wild
mushrooms, but they can look very similar. This
makes them very hard to identify. Wild
mushrooms are often spectacular. Some are
edible and delicious, but others are poisonous.
In addition, some wild mushrooms have healing
capabilities. These mushrooms can help fight
against bacteria, inflammation and even cancer.
They are known as medicinal mushrooms.
Read and understand
Where can you find wild mushrooms?
Why can you find wild mushrooms in autumn
and spring?
KNOW HOW TO
Describe different fungi and
how people use them.
What are medicinal mushrooms?
Identify the main
characteristics of protists
and monerans.
Have you ever been mushrooming? Where did
you go?
FINAL TASK
Why are mushrooms difficult to identify?
Look at the mushrooms on page 59. Which
species do you think is edible? Which do you think
is poisonous?
SPEAKING. Do you think mushrooms are plants
or animals?
58 fifty-eight
Describe a mushroom.
Coprinus micaeus
Amanita muscaria
WHAT DO YOU REMEMBER?
The five kingdoms
Living things are classified into five kingdoms:
animals, plants, fungi, protists and monerans.
Living things from the same kingdom share
similar characteristics.
1 Which kingdoms include unicellular living
things?
2 Which kingdoms include living things
that can make their own food?
3 Write two characteristics of each
kingdom.
fifty-nine 59
The Fungi kingdom
6.2
Fungi are different living things from plants and
animals. Like plants, they cannot move about and
many of them grow in soil. Like animals, fungi cannot
make their own food.
Fungi can feed on other organisms or their remains.
Therefore, they can be found not only on the ground, but
also on pieces of wood or on decomposing food.
Types of fungi
Fungi are classified into two groups:
Unicellular fungi, like yeasts.
Multicellular fungi, like mushrooms and moulds.
A
1
B
C
Some fungi produce mushrooms. A mushroom is only the
visible part of a fungus. The main part of these fungi grows
beneath the soil, and can be several kilometres long! In
autumn and spring, the fungi grow above ground as
mushrooms so they can reproduce. The main parts of a
mushroom are the cap, the gills, the ring and the stem. 2
cap
1
Different types of fungi.
A. Yeast seen through a microscope.
B. White mushroom. C. Bread mould.
WORK WITH THE PICTURE
Have you ever seen mushrooms
growing in the wild? Describe them.
gills
ring
stem
I saw some mushrooms last
spring. They were growing near
a tree…
Have you ever seen bread that
looked like the bread in the
photograph? Explain.
Look at the diagram. Describe each
part of the mushroom.
2
Parts of a mushroom.
60 sixty
6
6.3
Fungi and people
Many fungi are beneficial to people, but others can be harmful.
Beneficial fungi
Some fungi can produce edible
mushrooms.
Some medicines, like penicillin,
are produced by fungi.
Blue cheese is made from mould;
bread is made from yeast.
Athlete’s foot is an infection
caused by a fungus.
Black mould is very toxic and
can cause respiratory problems.
Harmful fungi
Some fungi can produce
poisonous mushrooms,
which can be deadly.
ACTIVITIES
1 WRITING. Write sentences describing how fungi are similar
to plants, and how they are similar to animals.
2 Look at the photograph and answer the questions.
6.4
Which living thing can you see?
Which kingdom does it belong to?
Is this living thing unicellular or multicellular?
3 Read, think and answer the questions.
How are yeasts and moulds similar? How are they different?
Is a mushroom a complete fungus or only part of a fungus? Explain.
Why is it so important to identify mushrooms correctly?
sixty-one 61
The Protista kingdom
6.5
Protists include two very different types of organisms:
algae and protozoa.
WORK WITH THE PICTURE
Compare protozoa and algae.
Algae
Algae are aquatic living things that can be unicellular
or multicellular. They can make their own food. Some
multicellular marine algae can grow to a very large size.
A
Protozoa are always unicellular.
Algae can be unicellular, but...
Which of these living things can only
be seen through a microscope?
1
B
1
Examples of algae.
A. Diatoms: unicellular algae.
B. Kelp: multicellular algae.
Algae are very nutritious, so they are used as food in many
countries. They are also used as fertilizer and to produce
cosmetics. 2
A
2
B
C
Uses of algae. A. Sushi. B. Fertilizer. C. Beauty mask.
Protozoa
Protozoa are unicellular living things that live in aquatic
environments. They feed on other organisms. Some
protozoa can cause diseases, like malaria. 3
A
B
3
62 sixty-two
Examples of protozoa.
A. Amoeba. B. Paramecium.
The Monera kingdom
6.6
6
Monerans are unicellular living things. This kingdom includes
bacteria, the most abundant of all living things.
Bacteria
Bacteria are the smallest and simplest living things, and can
only be seen through a microscope. 4
Most bacteria feed on other organisms, but some bacteria
make their own food.
Bacteria can be found everywhere in the world. They can live
in all kinds of environments: in water, soil, air or inside other
living things.
Some bacteria are helpful, like the ones used to make
yoghurt, but others are harmful, like the ones that cause
cholera.
4
Bacteria on the head of a pin seen
through an electron microscope.
LEARN MORE
Viruses
Viruses are not included in any of the five kingdoms
because they are not considered living things. A virus is
not a cell. It is a microscopic body that can only
reproduce inside living things. Viruses may cause
illnesses.
The flu virus.
ACTIVITIES
1 Copy and complete the sentences with algae, protozoa and bacteria.
6.7
a.
and
only live in aquatic environments.
b.
can be multicellular.
c.
and
can make their own food.
d.
and
can be harmful.
2 Read, think and answer the questions.
How are animals and protozoa similar? How are they different?
How are plants and algae similar? How are they different?
Why are bacteria the most abundant of all living things?
Why are viruses not considered living things?
3 ICT. Search the Internet for more examples of helpful and harmful
bacteria, and make a list.
sixty-three 63
KNOW HOW TO
Describe a mushroom
Describing a mushroom is different from describing a plant or an animal. Different things have
to be observed in each case. You are going to describe a mushroom.
Observe and describe the cap and stem.
1 How wide is the cap of your mushroom? How is it attached to the stem?
How long and wide is the stem?
2 Describe the cap of the mushroom using one
of these words:
square round flat
3 Can you identify any other parts
of the mushroom?
Observe and describe the gills.
4 Remove the stem and observe the gills under the cap.
Notice their colour and describe how they are arranged,
using these expressions:
they are close to/far apart from each other
they are the same/a different size
they are/aren’t attached to the stem
Show that you can do it.
5 Make an index card with your description of the mushroom. Include
a drawing or photograph.
6 Observe the photographs of the poplar mushroom and make an index
card as in Activity 5.
64 sixty-four
6
FINAL ACTIVITIES
1 SUMMARY. Copy and complete the text in
your notebook, using these words.
6.8
4 Look at the photos. Which living things
are involved in producing these foods?
food - unicellular - protozoa environments - beneficial - monerans harmful - multicellular - aquatic - algae remains - bacteria
Fungi can be unicellular or
. They
,
feed on other living things or their
and they cannot move about. Some fungi
and others are harmful.
are
Protists include
and
.
Algae are aquatic living things that can
be unicellular or multicellular. They make
.
their own
All protozoa are
organisms that live
environments. They feed on
in
other living things.
are unicellular living things. They
, and can live in all kinds of
include
. Some bacteria can make their own
.
food. They can be beneficial or
2 Look at the photographs. Identify the
living things and say which kingdom they
belong to.
5 GROUP WORK. Find out about edible
mushrooms that grow in your area and
prepare a poster. Include their name,
description, growing conditions and
photographs.
6 CRITICAL THINKING. Algae and some
bacteria can make their own food.
Which specialized organelles can be found
in their cells? Explain your answer.
Show your skills
Choose and carry out one
of the following activities.
A. Make a plasticine model of a
mushroom and label its parts.
B. Search the Internet for information
about beneficial bacteria in the
intestinal tract. Prepare a
presentation for the class.
3 Draw a Venn diagram in your notebook
and include similarities and differences
between fungi, protists and monerans.
C. Write a story about a new virus.
Describe its effects, where it lives
and how it is transmitted. Finally,
draw a picture of your virus as seen
through a microscope.
sixty-five 65
TEST YOURSELF
Check your vocabulary
algae unicellular or multicellular aquatic living
things which make their own food.
invertebrates animals with no backbone,
such as sponges and worms.
angiosperms plants
that produce flowers
and fruits containing
seeds.
membrane the covering around a cell.
backbone a column
of ring-like bones
which all vertebrates
have.
bacteria the smallest
and simplest living
things. They are
unicellular.
cells the basic units of life.
cell wall the rigid covering around the
membrane of plant cells.
cytoplasm a jelly-like material between the
nucleus and the membrane of a cell.
chloroplasts specialized organelles in plants.
They absorb sunlight.
ferns non-flowering plants with large leaves
called fronds.
multicellular multicellular living things are
made up of many cells.
mushroom the visible part of some fungi.
nucleus the part of a cell that controls its
function.
organ a group of tissues that join together to
perform a common function.
organism a living thing. Cells, tissues, organs
and systems work together to form an
organism.
protists protozoa and algae. They can be
unicellular or multicellular.
protozoa unicellular aquatic living things which
feed on other organisms.
system a group of organs that join together to
perform a common function.
tissue a group of cells that join together to
perform a common function.
unicellular unicellular living things are made
up of a single cell.
fungi unicellular or multicellular living things
which cannot move about or make their own
food.
vertebrae the ring-like bones that make up
the backbone.
gymnosperms plants that produce seeds
grouped together in cones.
vertebrates animals with a backbone, such
as mammals and birds.
1 Improve your vocabulary by adding these words:
Types of animal and plant tissues.
The groups of vertebrate and invertebrate animals.
Types of fungi and the parts of a mushroom.
2 Identify the picture to the right. Copy it and label
its four main parts.
66 sixty-six
SECOND TERM
Check your progress
Copy and write the correct answers in your notebook.
1 The part of a cell that controls its function
is the…
a. cytoplasm.
b. nucleus.
c. membrane.
2 Organs in multicellular living things are
made up of…
a. tissues that work independently.
b. systems that perform the same function.
c. tissues that work together.
3 The plant tissue that performs
photosynthesis is…
a. dermal tissue.
b. ground tissue.
c. vascular tissue.
4 Amphibians are…
a. oviparous vertebrates.
b. viviparous invertebrates.
c. viviparous vertebrates.
5 Arthropods are…
a. a type of fungus.
b. invertebrates with an external skeleton and
jointed legs.
c. invertebrates with long, soft bodies.
7 Seed plants include…
a. gymnosperms and angiosperms.
b. molluscs and echinoderms.
c. mosses and ferns.
8 Yeasts are…
a. fungi with mushrooms.
b. the visible part of fungi.
c. unicellular fungi.
9 Protozoa are...
a. unicellular.
b. multicellular.
c. unicellular and multicellular.
10 The smallest and simplest living things
are...
a. viruses.
b. bacteria.
c. fungi.
Check your answers
Correct the wrong answers.
Write in your notebook which lessons
you need to practise more.
6 The spores of ferns are found in…
a. capsules.
b. sori.
c. cones.
Think like a mycologist
Imagine you are a mycologist: a mushroom expert. You are
going to lead a group of people on an excursion to find and
pick mushrooms in the countryside. Give them a talk before
you go out.
Start
with a general explanation of mushrooms. Draw some
pictures to help.
Talk
to the group about picking and eating wild mushrooms.
Do they need to follow any rules?
sixty-seven 67