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7th -
GRADE
Science TEACHER NOTES:
STANDARD:
S7L1. Students will investigate the diversity of living organisms and how they can be compared scientifically.
ELEMENT
a. Demonstrate
the process for
the
development of
a dichotomous
key.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Dichotomous keys are used to classify
organisms according to their
characteristics.
Dichotomous key statements are
answered only by yes or no.
Dichotomous keys work like a funnel; they
narrow down the characteristics to a
specific organism.
Appropriate Technical language: dichotomous key,
kingdom, eukaryotic, prokaryotic, decomposer,
producer, consumer, scientific name, taxonomy
Exclusions
Students should not memorize
scientific names.
Language NOT included: phylum, class, order,
binomial nomenclature
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) :
Sample Question: Give three pictures of different organisms: Develop a simple dichotomous key using the images above.
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Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
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STANDARD:
S7L1. Students will investigate the diversity of living organisms and how they can be compared scientifically.
ELEMENT
b. Classify organisms
based on physical
characteristics using a
dichotomous key of the
six kingdom system.
(archaebacteria,
eubacteria, protists,
fungi, plants and
animals)
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Exclusions
Phylum, Class, Order, Genus, Species
Monerans
Any in-depth study to specific kingdoms
Differences among the five kingdoms.
Difference between eukaryotic and
prokaryotic cells
Basic characteristics of the five
kingdoms
Appropriate Technical language: eukaryotic,
prokaryotic, archaebacteria, eubacteria,
fungi, plants, animals
Language NOT included: moneran
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) :
Sample Question: Matt found an odd looking organism in his front yard. After examining the organism through a microscope he
discovered the following facts:
1. It contained a green pigment.
2. The cells of the organism had a nucleus.
Using the dichotomous key provided, determine what kingdom the organism belongs.
Dichotomous Key
1. A. The cell has a nucleus.
Go to Question 2
B. The cell does not have a nucleus.
Bacteria
2. A. The cell has no chloroplast and cannot make its own food.
Animal
B. The cell contains chloroplast and makes it own food.
Plant
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STANDARD:
S7l2. Students will describe the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
ELEMENT
a. Explain that
cells take in
nutrients in
order to grow
and divide
and to make
needed
materials.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Exclusions
Anaphase
Prophase
Metaphase
Telophase
Interphase
Cytokinesis
Lipids
Water permeable membrane
Cell theory
Carbohydrates
Nucleic acids
Osmosis
Diffusion
Endocytosis/exocytosis
Passive/active transport
Mitosis
DNA
Chromosomes
Photosynthesis
Cellular respiration
Appropriate Technical language: osmosis, diffusion,
endocytosis, exocytosis, mitosis
Language NOT included: lipids, proteins,
fermentation
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) :
Sample Question: What are three different ways needed materials get into the cell or waste is removed from the cell? Explain how this
occurs.
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STANDARD:
S7L2. Students will describe the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
ELEMENT
b. Relate the
structure (cell
membrane,
nucleus,
cytoplasm,
chloroplasts,
mitochondria)
to basic cell
functions.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
What role do each of the listed organelles play in
cell function
Chloroplast – photosynthesis
Mitochondria – cellular respiration
Cell membrane – controls what comes in and
goes out of the cell
Nucleus – control center of the cell
Cytoplasm – gel-like substance that nutrients
move through in the cell and also acts as a shock
absorber
Cell wall – provides structure and support for cells
Appropriate Technical language: chloroplast,
mitochondria, cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, cell
wall, cellular respiration, photosynthesis
Exclusions
Nucleolus
Chromatin
Nuclear envelope
Endoplasmic reticulum
Ribosmomes
Vacuole
Lysosomes
Golgi bodies
Language NOT included: Nucleolus, Chromatin,
Nuclear envelope
Endoplasmic reticulum
Ribosmomes
Vacuole
Lysosomes
Golgi bodies
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) :
Sample Question: How do the chloroplast and mitochondria work together to help plants survive.
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STANDARD:
S7L2. Students will describe the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
ELEMENT
c. Explain that
cells are
organized
into tissues,
tissues into
organs,
organs into
systems, and
systems into
organisms.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Relate how systems help the organism survive.
Systems help the body get what it needs and then
how cells use what the body gets to sustain itself.
Students should see the whole picture of an
organism and then see “how it works” to keep
itself running.
Appropriate Technical language:
Exclusions
Do not focus too much on individual organs and
cells.
Language NOT included: specific types of cells
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS1 a-c, S4CS7a-b, S4CS8a
Sample Question: How does the respiratory system directly impact individual cells?
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STANDARD:
S7L2. Students will describe the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
ELEMENT
d. Explain that
tissues,
organs, and
organ
systems
serve the
needs that
cells have for
oxygen, food
and waste
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Use this to build on the previous substandard by
reinforcing that cells make tissues and tissue
makes organs and organs make systems.
Photosynthesis and cellular respiration are
included here. Students should know what these
processes produce.
Endocytosis and exocytosis, passive and active
transport
Appropriate Technical language: endocytosis,
exocytosis, active transport, passive transport,
photosynthesis, cellular respiration
Exclusions
Students should NOT learn the formulas for
photosynthesis or cellular respiration.
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS6a, S4CS4c
Sample Question: How do organ systems and cells help each other survive?
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STANDARD:
S7L2. Students will describe the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
ELEMENT
e. Explain the purpose
of the major organ
systems in the
human body (i.e.
digestion,
respiration,
reproduction,
circulation,
excretion,
movement, control
and coordination,
and protection from
disease.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Teach function and 2 or 3 major organs in each of
these systems:
Digestive
Cardiovascular/circulatory
Respiratory
Reproductive
Excretory
Muscular
Skeletal
Nervous
Immune
Integumentary
Appropriate Technical language:
Exclusions
Students do NOT need to spend 4 or 5 weeks on
this. Just basic functions of the systems and their
major organs only.
Don’t go in depth. Just the facts here.
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) :S4CS4a-c, S4CS5a,b,d
Sample Question: What system contains the brain and controls the functions of the body?
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STANDARD:
S7L3. Students will recognize how biological traits are passed on to successive generations.
ELEMENT
a. Explain the
role of genes
and
chromosome
in the
process on
inheriting a
specific trait.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Appropriate Technical language: dominant, recessive,
Punnett square, chromosomes, hybrid, purebred,
meiosis, alleles, genotype, phenotype
Exclusions
Mendel’s Law
DNA construction
RNA
Language NOT included: chromatids, students do
not have to know the process of meiosis, but they
need to know the results and where in the body it
takes place.
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS1a-d, S4CS4b
Sample Question : A horse with Genotype Hh mates with another horse whose genotype is hh. What is the chance that the horse will
have a long mane? H = long mane h = short mane
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STANDARD:
S7L3. Students will recognize how biological traits are passed on to successive generations.
ELEMENT
b. Compare and
contrast that
organisms
reproduce
sexually and
asexually
(bacteria,
protists, fungi,
plants and
animals)
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Exclusions
Compare and contrast meiosis and binary fission. spores
budding
Binary fission is for prokaryotes and meiosis is
for eukaryotes.
Students need to know how each kingdom
reproduces. Sexual or asexual or both.
Appropriate Technical language: meiosis, binary fission,
sexual reproduction, asexual reproduction
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS1a-d
Sample Question: What are some advantages of asexual reproduction? Disadvantages?
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STANDARD:
S7L3. Students will recognize how biological traits are passed on to successive generations.
ELEMENT
c. Recognize
that selective
breeding can
produce
plants and
animals with
desired traits.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Reasons why we use selective breeding
Differences between selective and natural
breeding
Advantages and disadvantages of selective
breeding
Uses for selective breeding to assist with
population growth
Appropriate Technical language: purebred, true
breeding
Exclusions
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s): S4CS6a. S4CS7b
Sample Question: Why is selective breeding of plants and animals important to our everyday lives?
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Standard
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their environments.
ELEMENT
a. Demonstrate in a food web
that matter is transferred
from one organism to
another and can recycle
between organisms and
their environments.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Energy comes from the sun
Producers are at the base of any food
web/chain
Organisms pass their energy to other
organisms
Consumers, producers, decomposers
and scavengers make up food webs
Energy pyramid also gives a good
representation of how energy is
passed
Appropriate Technical language: food web,
food chain, consumers, decomposers,
producers, scavengers, energy pyramid
Exclusions
Arrows on food webs do not indicate what
eats what…they represent the flow of
energy.
Language NOT included: primary, secondary and
tertiary consumers
Characteristics of Science Standard(s: S4CS1a-d. S4CS4a
Sample Question: Which of the processes below BEST describes how a water droplet gets from the ocean to a cloud?
A) evaporation and then precipitation
B) precipitation and then evaporation
C) evaporation and then condensation
D) condensation and then evaporation
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Standard
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their environments.
ELEMENT
b. Explain in a
food web that
sunlight is the
source of
energy and
that this
energy
moves from
organism to
organism.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Energy pyramid
Food webs from both land and water showing that
energy still comes from the sun
In an energy pyramid, the beginning amount of
energy is slowly decreased as it moves from
organism to organism.
Predator/Prey relationship
Photosynthesis
Cellular respiration
Just the basics of these cycles:
Water cycle
Carbon cycle
Nitrogen cycle
Appropriate Technical language: predator, prey, water
cycle, nitrogen cycle, carbon cycle, nitrogen fixing,
energy pyramid
Exclusions
Do not get bogged down in teaching the water,
carbon and nitrogen cycle. Just enough for them to
see how it moves from organism to organism.
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS4a, S4CS5b,d, S4CS6a
Sample Question: As energy is transferred from organism to organism, it decreases. What shape would the food pyramid be if the
amount of energy remained the same? Why?
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Standard
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their environments.
ELEMENT
c. Recognize that
changes in
environmental
conditions can affect
the survival of both
individuals and entire
species.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Look at peppered moths as change in
environment that is manmade and see
the impact on the species.
Adaptations
extinction
Appropriate Technical language: extinction,
adaptations, biotic, abiotic
Exclusions
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS1a,b, S4CS5b, S4CS8a
Sample Question: If there was an large increase in temperature in the tundra, how could this effect the organisms within that biome?
Explain.
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Standard
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their environments.
ELEMENT
d. Categorize
relationships
between
organisms
that are
competitive or
mutually
beneficial.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Symbiosis
Commensalism
Parasitism
Mutualism
Predator
Prey
Note the differences between each type of
relationship.
Have students review several different
relationships between organisms and have them
classify them accordingly.
Appropriate Technical language: Symbiosis,
Commensalism, Parasitism, Mutualism, Predator
Prey
Exclusions
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS1a,b, S4CS5b, S4CS8a
Sample Question: Spanish moss hangs from the branches of an oak tree and gets its energy from particles in the air. The oak tree is
neither helped nor harmed. What relationship is this? What other relationship could it be and why?
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Standard
S7L4. Students will examine the dependence of organisms on one another and their environments.
ELEMENT
e. Describe the
characteristic
of Earth’s
major
terrestrial
biomes (i.e.
tropical rain
forest,
savannah,
temperate,
desert, taiga,
tundra, and
mountain)
and aquatic
communities
(i.e.
freshwater,
estuaries,
and marine).
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Focus on location of these biomes, temperature and
rainfall differences and examples of plants and animals
that live in each.
Tropical rain forest, Boreal forest, Deciduous forest,
Savannah, Temperate grassland, Tundra, Taiga, Desert,
Marshes, Lakes, Rivers, Oceans, estuaries
Appropriate Technical language: all of the above
Exclusions
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) :S4CS1a,b, S4CS4a,c, S4CS6a-b, S4CS8a,c
Sample Question: An organism that is adapted to wet and warm conditions needs to be released into the wild. Which biome is the best
for this animal to be released? Why?
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Standard
S7L5 Students will examine the evolution of living organisms through inherited characteristics that promote survival of
organisms and the successive generations of their offspring.
ELEMENT
a. Explain that
physical
characteristic
of organisms
have
changed over
successive
generations
(e.g. Darwin’s
finches and
peppered
moths of
Manchester).
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Exclusions
Adaptations
Beaks of birds
Camouflage
Influence of humans on evolution (moths of
Manchester)
Generation time
Use examples of flu vaccines and chemicals
sprayed on crops.
Have students walk into the room and try to touch
the top of the door facing as they stand flatfooted.
Students will then be separated into two groups.
This allows students to see what happens as one
trait (height) is phased out.
Appropriate Technical language: generation time
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s) : S4CS1a,b, S4CS4a,c, S4CS6a-b, S4CS8a,c
Sample Question: What do we call traits that gives an organism an advantage in surviving and reproducing?
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Standard
S7L5 Students will examine the evolution of living organisms through inherited characteristics that promote survival of
organisms and the successive generations of their offspring.
ELEMENT
b. Describe
ways in
which
species on
earth have
evolved due
to natural
selection.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Discuss lions
Whales
Darwin’s finches
Speciation
Natural selection
Appropriate Technical language: speciation, natural
selection
Exclusions
Human evolution
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s)
Sample Question
What are the basic steps of natural selection and why are they important to evolution?
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Standard
S7L5 Students will examine the evolution of living organisms through inherited characteristics that promote survival of
organisms and the successive generations of their offspring.
ELEMENT
c. Trace
evidence that
the fossil
record found
in
sedimentary
rock provides
evidence for
the long
history of
changing life
forms.
Appropriate Concepts/Knowledge
Exclusions
Discuss fossils
Vestigial structures found in whales and some
snakes
Fossil record now versus what it should look like
Appropriate Technical language: vestigial structure
Language NOT included:
Characteristics of Science Standard(s)
Sample Question
How do fossils help scientists understand how organisms evolve?
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