Work Hard. Get Smart.
Main Course
Biologist’s Name: _________________________________ Class: 8__ Date: ______________
Mrs. Bouchard– 8th Grade Science
Six Kingdoms Poster Activity: Plants
Directions: Read the purpose questions below, then begin to read the text. You should focus
your reading on finding the answers to those questions. Then, follow the directions to continue
the activity.
Answer
Purpose Question
Is this kingdom made of prokaryotes (simple cells with no nucleus) or
eukaryotes (complex cells with a nucleus)?
Is this kingdom made of unicellular organisms (one-celled bodies) or
multicellular organisms (many-celled bodies)?
Is this kingdom made of autotrophs (organisms that make their own
food) or heterotrophs (organisms that must eat to live).
What is a key fact everyone should know about this kingdom?
(If you find more than one, that is fine.)
BE CAREFUL: Is the answer to your question true of all, most or some of the kingdom?
You should then turn to the organizer on Page 3 and write that information. If you have
already answered your purpose question, you should then read for the general question,
“What makes this kingdom unique?”
Plants
There are some very strange plants in the world. There are plants that trap animals, plants that
bloom only once every thirty years, and plants with flowers that smell like rotting meat. You
might not see such unusual plants every day, but you do see some plants every day! You find
plants whenever you see moss on a tree trunk, or run across a lawn.
Members of the plant kingdom share many characteristics. The most famous trait that all plants
share is that all plants are autotrophs – they all make their own food. You can think of a plant as
a sun-powered food-making factory. Sunlight provides the energy for photosynthesis, the plants’
food-making process. Even plants like the venus fly trap, which can eat insects, perform
photosynthesis too!
To perform photosynthesis, plants need a chemical called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a green
chemical that plants store in their cells, within their chloroplasts. Plants use chlorophyll to
capture light energy, which fuels the making of food – sugar! Chlorophyll is also what makes a
plant green!
In addition, all plants are eukaryotes. This means their cells have nuclei (the plural of “nucleus”)
to hold their DNA, the “blueprints” that explain how a plant should develop over time. Because
plants are eukaryotes, their cells are much more complicated than bacterial cells. In addition to
nuclei, plant cells have all of the advanced organelles we’ve studied, like golgi bodies.
Finally, all plants are amulticellular. That means their bodies are made of many cells. This makes
sense; you don’t need a microscope to see a tree, or a flower. Even grasses are made of millions
upon millions of cells.
The plant kingdom includes many different kinds of plants. Some of these are obvious, like trees,
grasses, and flowering plants. However, some are less obvious. Below and left are ferns, which
you might not think of as plants, because they don’t produce flowers. However, they are green
and perform photosynthesis. Even more confusing are mosses, like the one below and to the
right. Mosses might be less than a centimeter tall, because they don’t have stems, leaves or
roots. However, again, they can use photosynthesis and make their own food.
Plants are extremely important to our world. They provide us with food,
including fruits, vegetables and grains. Plants also
produce oxygen for us when they perform
Fern
photosynthesis. Finally, plants shape almost all
environments on Earth, breaking up rocks to
produce soil, and creating entire forests
and jungles!
Moss
Kingdoms Graphic Organizer
REMEMBER: Be clear about whether the information in each box is true of all, most or some of the
organisms within each kingdom. Write full sentences that make clear what the words mean.
Is this kingdom made of prokaryotes or
eukaryotes?
Are this kingdom’s organisms unicellular or
multicellular?
Kingdom Name:
Is this kingdom made of
autotrophs or heterotrophs?
What is a key fact everyone
should know about this kingdom?
Done? Great! Turn to the back of this page to continue.
Work Hard. Get Smart.
1. Time to make a poster!
You will need poster paper and markers or crayons.
2. There are three more elements your poster needs:
1) a drawing of an example organism, labeled with its name and a caption,
2) a title, and 3) the names and section (ex: 8C) of the team members.
3. Check that your poster has all of these things needed for full credit:
1. Whether your kingdom is made of prokaryotes or eukaryotes.
2. Whether your kingdom is made of unicellular or multicellular organisms.
3. Whether your kingdom is made of autotrophs or heterotrophs.
4. At least one key fact someone should know about your kingdom.
•
Numbers 1-4 must be in complete sentences,
and be clear about all, most or some.
5. A drawing of a sample organism, labeled with its name.
6. A title.
7. Your name and section (ex: 8C).
Woo-hoo! You’re done with your kingdom poster! If this
was your first one, then move on to the second.