UNIT 1 NATURAL SCIENCE 6th GRADE, TEACHER: PILAR CARRASCO, 2015/16

1. LIVING THINGS AND NON-LIVING THINGS.

Living things can breathe, can move and can multiply. The living things include human beings,
plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, algae, among others. A non- living thing cannot do all those
actions.

2. CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS.

Living things are formed of microscopic units called cells.
An organism formed of one cell is called single-cell organism.
An organism formed of many cells is called multicellular organism. Living things carry out (llevan a
cabo) the three vital functions. They are:

a. NUTRITION FUNCTION
Living things use food, water and the oxygen of the air to obtain energy and grow (crecer).
b. INTERACTION FUNCTION
Living things sense what is happening around them and react to it.
c. REPRODUCTION FUNCTION
Living things produce new living things, similar to them.

3. STRUCTURE OF LIVING THINGS.

A single-cell organism carries out the vital functions in one cell.
In a multicellular organism, cells group together to carry out different tasks. They organize into tissues,
organs and systems.
a. Tissues are groups of similar cells specialized in performing a task.
b. Organs are made up of tissues specialized in performing a task.
c. Systems are made up of organs specialized in performing a task.
d. Organisms are made up of systems specialized in performing a task.

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 UNIT 1 NATURAL SCIENCE 6th GRADE, TEACHER: PILAR CARRASCO, 2015/16

4. TYPES OF CELLS.
a. Prokaryotic cells are cells without a nucleus and Eukaryotic cells are cells with a nucleus.

b. Animal cells and plant cells.

Animal cells usually have an irregular shape, and plant cells usually have a regular shape.
Animal cells and plant cells both contain: cell membrane, cytoplasm and nucleus.

Plant cells also contain these parts, not found (que no se encuentran) in animal cells: chloroplasts,
vacuole and cell wall.

5. PARTS OF A CELL.

Cell Controls what substances can get into and out of Plant and animal cells
membrane the cell.

Cytoplasm Jelly-like (como gelatina) substance, where Plant and animal cells
chemical reactions happen. In plant cells there's a
thin lining (revestimiento) and in animal cells most of
the cell is cytoplasm.

Nucleus Controls what happens inside the cell. Carries Plant and animal cells
genetic information.

Chloroplast Where photosynthesis happens – chloroplasts Plant cells only

contain a green substance called chlorophyll.

Vacuole Contains a liquid called cell sap, which keeps Plant cells only
(mantiene) the cell firm.

Cell wall Made of a substance called cellulose, which Plant cells only
supports the cell.

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 UNIT 1 NATURAL SCIENCE 6th GRADE, TEACHER: PILAR CARRASCO, 2015/16

6.SHAPES AND SIZE OF CELLS.

A. The most usual shapes of cells are:

Squamous = thin and flat

Polygonal = irregularly angular with 4 or more sides (lados)
Cuboidal = squarish (de forma cuadrada)
Columnar = taller than wide (ancho)
Spheroid = round
Discoid = disc-shaped (forma de disco)
Stellate = starlike(forma de Estrella)
Fusiform = thick in middle, tapered ( estrecho)at ends
Fibrous = threadlike (en forma de hilo)
B. The size of cells.
The smallest cell is a type of bacteria known as mycoplasma. Its diameter is 0.0001 mm. The smallest
cell in the human body is the sperm cell.
The biggest cell is the ostrich (avestruz) egg. It is 15 cm long and weighs 1.5 kg

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 UNIT 1 NATURAL SCIENCE 6th GRADE, TEACHER: PILAR CARRASCO, 2015/16

7.CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS OR TAXONOMY.

Taxonomy is the word used to call the classification and division of living things into groups . There are
seven levels of classification: kingdom, phylum,class, order, family, genus and species. These levels are
based on how living things are the same and how they are different.
The first level of classification is the kingdom. Biologists divide living things into five kingdoms. They
are the Bacteria Kingdom, the Archaeabacteria Kingdom, the Protist Kingdom, the Fungi Kingdom, the
Plant Kingdom, and the Animal Kingdom..

8.THE BACTERIA KINGDOM.

The Bacteria Kingdom consists of unicellular lifeforms. Unicellular means that they only have one cell.
Bacteria cells are simpler and more basic than the cells of other lifeforms. These cells have no nucleus
(prokaryotic). Bacteria can be autotrophs and heterotrophs. Autotrophs are able to create their own
food, similar to plants. Heterotrophs cannot create their own food, and so must rely on (depender
de) autotrophs as their food source. They reproduce asexually.
Asexual reproduction only needs one parent and the offspring (cría) is genetically identical to the
parent.

Bacteria are considered by many scientists to be the oldest

lifeforms on Earth, and the ancestors of all the other types of life.
Example of bacteria are salmonella or E. coli.
There are beneficial bacteria used to make antibiotics. One
example of beneficial bacteria for health is the yoghourt
bacteria,

9.THE ARCHAEABACTERIA KINGDOM.

Bacteria and Archaeabacteria have the same characteristics, but they are different chemically.
Archaeabacteria can live everywhere, they are more resistant and dangerous for health.

10.THE PROTISTA KINGDOM.

The Protista Kingdom consists of unicellular lifeforms (lifeforms with only one cell) that have a nucleus
(eukaryotic). They are called protozoans. Many protists appear to be both (ambos) plant and
animal. Like plants, they are green, and can create their own food. However, like animals, they have
moving body parts and are able to move around their environments ( ambientes). They reproduce
asexually mainly.

Biologists believe that ancient protists were the ancestors of plants

and animals. Examples of protozoans are paramecium and
amoeba.

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 UNIT 1 NATURAL SCIENCE 6th GRADE, TEACHER: PILAR CARRASCO, 2015/16

11.THE FUNGI KINGDOM.

The Fungi Kingdom is made up of a variety of different fungi. For many years, it was believed that
fungi were plants. Today we know that fungi are different from plants in some very important ways.
First, unlike ( a diferencia de) plants, fungi cannot make their own food (heterotrophs). They must rely
on other food sources ( fuentes) to support them. They are decomposers (they break down the
dead matter and turn it into nutrients in the soil, which plants use to grow). They reproduce sexually
and asexually by spores. They are made up of eukaryotic cells.

One common type of fungus is the mushrooms. Other fungi include

microscopic fungus, truffles (trufas) and more.

12.THE PLANTS KINGDOM.

The Plants Kingdom is made up of all the plants that you see each day. Most plants are multi-cellular,
meaning that they consist of many cells. Different types of plants include trees, grass, flowers, and
some types of algae. Plants are made up of eukaryotic cells. Plants use the light from the Sun to
produce their own food (autotrophs) This allows them to grow almost anywhere, if there is enough
water. Plants can reproduce asexually and sexually.
Sexual reproduction needs two parents and each parent produces sex cells, called gametes:
 male gametes are called sperm
 female gametes are called eggs

Plants get their green color from the chlorophyll which is found
inside of their cells. Plants use chlorophyll to collect energy from
the light of the Sun. They use this energy to create food. In this
process, they create the food we eat and the oxygen we need
to breathe. Plants are very important to the life of almost every
other living thing.

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 UNIT 1 NATURAL SCIENCE 6th GRADE, TEACHER: PILAR CARRASCO, 2015/16

13. THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

Like many other lifeforms, animals are multi-cellular. These cells come together, forming tissues, organs
and systems, that help the animal to live. From elephants to snails, animals come in many shapes and
sizes, and can be found all over the world.
Animal cannot make their own food (heterotrophs). They must
rely on other living things, such as plants, fungi, and other
animals to sustain them. Without other food sources, animals
could not survive. They are made up eukaryotic cells. The most
of animals reproduce sexually, but some reproduce asexually.

14. VIRUSES.

Microbes or germs or viruses are microscopic particles that can infect animals and plants and make
them sick. They are are made up of nucleic acid protected by a coat( capa) of protein called capsid.
They are not living things because they cannot carry out the three vital functions by themselves.
They inject their genetic material into a cell, then, they use the cell to make more viruses and infect
more cells.
When viruses invade a body's cells and begin to multiply cause all types of diseases.
They can float through the air, survive in water, or on your skin. Viruses can pass from one person to
another by shaking hands, touching food, through water, or through the air when a person coughs or
sneezes.
Viruses can also be passed on by insect bites, animals, or through bad food.
There are many viruses that can infect people and make them sick. One of the most common is
influenza which causes people to get the flu(gripe). Other diseases caused by viruses include the
common cold, measles, mumps, yellow fever, and hepatitis.
There are things you can do to help reduce your chance of getting infected by a virus:

 Wash your hands (probably one of the most important ones).

 Don't put your hands or fingers in your mouth, nose, or eyes.
 Make sure your food is well-cooked, especially meat.
 Take your vitamins each day.
 Sleep and exercise. This helps to strengthen( reforzar) your immune system to fight off viruses.

To treat the viruses, scientists have developed vaccines (vacunas) that help our bodies to build up
immunity to a specific virus. One example of a vaccine is the flu vaccine which helps the body to
develop defenses against the flu called antibodies (anticuerpos).

VIDEOS TO STUDY AT HOME

https://youtu.be/cPiNTkCmmv0. LIVING THINGS AND NON-LIVING THINGS.
https://youtu.be/L_zaTnh8LXo. VITAL FUNCTIONS OF LIVING THINGHS.
https://youtu.be/ZRFykdf4kDc. LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION.
https://youtu.be/PHTvqW7CzXY. PARTS OF ACELL
https://youtu.be/vqxomJIBGcY. CLASSIFICATION OF LIVING THINGS
https://youtu.be/u90WvBZe-tY. THE SIX KINGDOMS
https://youtu.be/u_9VQsVgCss. VIRUSES
https://youtu.be/u_9VQsVgCss. SEXUAL REPRODUCTION
https://youtu.be/jk2RJm5RBEk. ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION