Giving a helping hand clil scaffolding by Donna Fields

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INTRODUCTION:

ou're on the precipice of a mountain. You have been climbing steadily and everything has been fine up until now. You've climbed mountains with very similar terrain and it's just like any other at this point. However, this time you have been invited to a mountain that has a higher in difficulty factor than the ones you usually climb. Until now you haven't noticed anything different, but suddenly you look up and see a gap between the rock you're on and the next one leading. It's a big gap. You're not comfortable anymore. Your breathing gets a little shallower, your mind freezes just a little bit, your senses go a little wild and you're not sure what to do. All the confidence that usually pushes you along without thinking is now meaningless. This is new terrain and you don't know how to make the leap. You crunch down and shrink a little bit into yourself...Then you hear a sound from above. You look up and see a hand reaching down. You hear a voice saying 'Take it. I'll help you across. I'll show you what to do.' Relief floods from your body. You stand up straight again, you throw your head back, you take the hand reached out to you, and you follow.

...That's scaffolding. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

caffolding is a helping hand leading you from your comfort zone to where you need to go. Scaffolding is help given by someone else that helps you go further than you could have on your own. Scaffolding is breaking down information into palatable bites so that you're not overwhelmed with information - you have the time and disposition to understand it. Scaffolding is lowering the anxiety level of a student and giving them the tools they need to accomplish any task, without them even realizing it - before they are even faced with that task.

ur goal in this book is to give you scaffolding activities you can use in any subject. We've both worked in the classroom all over the world and we've seen these activities transform classrooms and help students breathe sighs of relief when they realize that they understand information before they were aware they were learning it. Why don't we give you some examples...

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caffolding: You are a primary teacher and the next unit you need to teach is on professions. You print images of professions – those that appear in the unit and a few others - on pieces of paper. For each profession, you print two images. (See images on the right- NOTE: Whenever possible, use the exact words that appear in the students’ books.) You say: You’re going to work in pairs. Put the cards I gave you on the table, face down. Turn one over and try to answer the question. If you don’t know the answer, turn the next one over. One card will answer the other. Keep turning cards over and repeat until you know the answers to all of them.’ The next step is to join the pairs into groups and they repeat the game. (Working first in pairs helps students learn in a more intimate environment and they feel safer. Working later in groups helps reinforce the vocabulary You can make the sentences as basic or as sophisticated as you like, depending on the level you teach, but in the end, you've set up an activity in which all the questions and answers are given. Afterwards, you begin working on the unit and your students will be amazed that they already know all the information.

You've just given them a helping hand!

caffolding: You are a secondary teacher and the next unit you need to teach is on the passive tense. The text is about art and Dadasim. Print out cards with sentences taken from various excerpts from the unit at the bottom, leaving room for students to draw on the top half. (See illustrations at the right.) You say: ‘In your groups, change the sentences to the passive tense.’ When they have finished...You say: ‘Paula, please come to the board and draw the illustration of one of your sentences, without saying which sentence it is.’ The other students need to guess which sentence Paula’s drawing represents and then say the sentence in passive tense. You continue this way until all the sentences have been represented with illustrations on the board. By the time all the sentences have been represented, the students will have heard and read the information three to four times. When you finally ask them to read the text, they'll be amazed that they are already familiar with almost the entire unit. You've just given them a helping hand!

You've just given them a helping hand! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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hese are only two of the many, many of ways we're going to show you to break down materials, to put them into manageable chunks, to create an interactive and active classroom, and to create a dynamic classroom environment in which you help your students teach themselves. Our hope is that you'll use what we're presenting here and that you'll then be inspired to create your own activities that will help your students breathe a sigh of relief every time your stretch out your hand.

ithin, you'll find 6 complete units. Each activity has been carefully planned to lead to the final project. The object is that the activities teach the students skills they'll need to complete whatever youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve chosen to do at the end of any unit. A final project can be as simple as a debate or a story, but scaffolding is breaking down information that will be needed to do it successfully. All the final projects include here are original and interactive. Take them! Use them! Enjoy them! What we want to stress is that the activities we present here can be used in any subject and for any final project you choose. For each activity, we've included didactic reasoning in the Meta-Talk boxes on the sides of the pages. We're including dialogue that you can use to present the material, in case language sometimes stops you from presenting material in English. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve included objectives, learning outcomes, key competences, etc. so that you can justify the lesson in any curriculum. And there are photocopiable materials for each unit that you can print out. They are also included in the cd so that you can easily tailor them to your own needs.

Remember...these activities can be adapted to any subject and any age group. We are offering you a helping hand so that you can give a helping hand to your students.

Okay? Let's get started!!! __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

UNIT 1: NATURAL SCIENCES Student Profile: Secondary students with a minimum B1 level of English.

Lesson Overview/Structure:   

Learning to distinguish between the five kingdoms of life in relation to microorganisms. Understand taxonomy and how the classifications of species developed into what we use today. Review of cellular structures and their elements.

Teaching & Learning Methods:   

Lessons will be interactive, geared toward cooperative group work, and scaffolding information that students will need for the final project. Teacher will provide continuous feedback on the students’ progress. Concurrent learning and critical thinking related to the lesson will be an integral part of the activities.

Academic Language: bacteria: large group of typically unicellular microorganisms. branch: a subdivision of something larger or more complex. classify: to arrange or order by classes; categorize. decomposer: an organism that breaks down tissue into different parts. diversity: the state or quality of being different or varied. eukaryotic: an organism having cells each with a distinct nucleus within which the genetic material is contained. All organisms except bacteria are eukaryote. microorganism: any organism of microscopic size. parasite: an animal or plant that lives in or on another (the host) from which it obtains nourishment. The host does not benefit from the association and is often harmed by it. photosynthesis: The sun (light energy), water, minerals and carbon dioxide are all absorbed by the plant. The plant then uses them to make glucose/sugar, which is the energy/food for the plant. prokaryotic: any organism having cells in each of which the genetic material is in a single filament of DNA, not enclosed in a nucleus. Bacteria are prokaryotes. species: any group of related animals or plants. taxonomy: the branch of biology concerned with the classification of organisms into groups based on similarities of structure, origin, etc. virus: a parasite that must infect a living cell to reproduce. Although viruses share several features with living organisms, such as the presence of genetic material

(DNA or RNA), they are not considered to be alive.

Grammatical Structures: Relative Clauses: Taxonomy shows how organisms are related to each other and uses Latin to name species. Latin was once the language all scholars used, but it is not spoken any more.

Objectives: Students will be able to:  distinguish between different species of the five kingdoms of life;  describe the taxonomic categories used to classify living things;  identify and label cellular elements by their characteristics.

Learning Outcomes: After completing the lesson, the students will be able to:  distinguish between different species of the five kingdoms of life;  explain the development of the taxonomy used today to classify living things;  identify different cells by their elements and/or lack of elements.

Key competences:         

Usage of strategies to look for different types of scientific information. Application of scientific knowledge to everyday situations. Communication in a foreign language. Autonomy and personal initiative. Competence in knowledge of an interaction with the physical world. Learning to learn. Participating and contributing. Usage of language, symbols and texts. Management of self.

The 6 Kingdoms of Life International Puzzle Championship Before you see the ideas we’ve suggested, we ask you... How would you elecit prior knowledge of the 6 Kindgoms of Life from your students? What activities would you use to scaffold the text on the following two pages? ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here’s what we’d like you to know about the following unit... These ideas are designed to break down any text so as to build on what students know and help them jump to a new level of knowledge. All the activities lead to the final project. These ideas can be used for any subject, any text. You only have to change the content. ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are the steps for the lesson:

Step 1

MATERIALS: Worksheets 1-5 attached. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: Grammatical structure – relative clauses

•Mini-Flash Cards •(Matching images to corresponding sentences.)

•Brainstorming •(Students contribute what they know about the topic. They can Step 2 refer to the Mini-Flash Cards to help them.) •Individual Mind Maps •(In groups, students use information reviewed in Steps 1 & 2 and Step 3 handouts to fill out information.) •Excepts of Text with Erroneous Words •(Students use knowledge gained from Steps 1-3 to figure out Step 4 which word in a series of excerpts are incorrect.) •International Puzzle Championship •(Students use knowledge gained from all above activities to make Step 5 and complete puzzles.)

efore you begin, have your students do some ‘brain-writing’.

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In groups of 4, 5 or 6, students each student writes on the top of a piece of paper: ‘What are recognized forms of life on our planet?’ The teacher gives a signal and the students have three (3) minutes to write anything they know about the topic. After three (3) minutes, teacher signals the students and they all pass their papers to the person on the right, and they write for three more minutes. This continues until all the students have added their knowledge on each piece of paper. If there are fewer students in any group, they can have a second opportunity on one of the prompts. Teacher asks groups to share their comments as a class.

Meta Talk – Step 1

Mini-flash cards - Matching: What to do: You say:

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Understand & Apply

Cut up Worksheets 2A & 2B and give them to pairs of students. ‘You are going to work with your partner to match the sentences with the images. Once you have the matches, you are going to make relative clauses with the sentences. Say them aloud with your partner.’

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All the sentences in this activity have been taken from the text. Sentences are written with basic structure so that:  students learn through repetition;  they practice making relative clauses. Students are reading information and using vocabulary that will be used throughout the lesson, and which will build skills that are essential for the completion of the final project.

Meta-talk - Step 2: Bloom’s Taxonomy: Understand & Apply 

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The students do not realize at first that they have just been working with all the information you are asking them for. When they realize that this, they merely have to refer to the mini-flash cards still in front of them, and they can participate fully. This gives them a level of comfort right from the beginning which will help them feel more confident about the new material being presented.

Brainstorming: What to do: You say:

Put a Mind Map (Worksheet 3) on the white board and fill in information about the six kingdoms with your students. ‘Here are images of the six groups of organisms. What are the names of the six kingdoms? What do you know about them?’

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Meta-talk - Step 3: Bloom’s Taxonomy: Apply & Evaluate

Individual/Group Mind Maps: What do to: You say:

Each student is given Worksheet 4A and each group is given Worksheet 4B. ‘In your groups, use Worksheet 4A to help you fill out Worksheet 4B.’

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This is the third time your students will be working on the target information. Having their own worksheet brings the information closer to them literally, making it more personal.

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The images on the worksheets are placed differently on the page than they were on the group Mind Map (Step 2). This forces students to make adjustments to the changes which will strengthen their knowledge base in subtle but important ways.

Meta-talk - Step 4:

Reading Text

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Understand 

Students have now been exposed to the majority of the vocabulary and concepts in the texts so they are more prepared to understand the context and forget about the language factor.

STEP 5:

What to do: You say:

Students are given text ‘The 6 Kingdoms of Life’ (Worksheet 1A & 1B) to read at home. ‘Please read Worksheets 5A & 5B at home. You will need to be familiar with the information to be able to participate in the activity in the next class.’

Meta-talk - Step 5:

EXCERPTS OF TEXT WITH ERRONEOUS WORDS:

Bloom’s Taxonomy: Evaluate What to do: You say:

Excerpts from text (Worksheets 5) are placed on classroom walls (You probably want to enlarged these before you print them so your students can read them more easily.) ‘On a piece of paper, make a chart with three columns. In the first column, write the heading ‘Number of Excerpt’ and then write the numbers 1-15. In the second column, write the heading ‘Erroneous Word’. In the third column, write the heading ‘Correct Word’. ‘In pairs, you’re going to go around the room and read the extracts you see on the wall. Each extract has one mistake in it. You’re going to write the erroneous word in the second column and then the correct word in the third column. You don’t have to read the excerpts in order, but you need to make sure to write the words next to the corresponding number in the first column. ’

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Students work cooperatively and use both language and content to participate in this activity.

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Critical thinking exercise on many levels.

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Title of worksheet academic language

Example: 1. The scientific names are given in Carl, which was once the language all scholars used. Now that we don’t speak it anymore, the words seem strange to us, but they are still valuable as they keep all the classifications of organisms clear and defined.

# of Erroneous Correct Excerpt Word Word 1 Carl Latin 2 3 4 5 6 7…

6. All living things are made of cells. They all have the same chemical composition and they all perform the same three functions: nutrition, interaction and botanist.

# of Erroneous Correct Excerpt Word Words 1 Carl Latin 2 3 4 5 6 botanist reproduction 7…

Note: We suggest that you let the students figure this out for themselves that if they do the activity correctly, they will have formed a sentence in the second column. In this case, the sentence is: Carl Linnaeus was a Swedish botanist who is known as the father of modern taxonomy. If they haven’t formed this sentence, they need to go back to the excerpts and find the ‘right’ incorrect word!

promotes

FINAL PROJECT: INTERNATIONAL PUZZLE CHAMPIONSHIP What to do: You say:

Each group will be given three identical templates of Worksheet 6A or 6B. ‘In your groups, you’re going to use text on the 6 Kingdoms that you read at home to prepare for the puzzle championship. You’re going to write and illustrate the characteristics of three of the six Kingdoms of Life as a question, in a puzzle. Look at the puzzle on the board that you can use as an example. You see that In the last piece of all three puzzles you’ll put the name of the kingdom. When you’re finished writing and illustrating your three puzzles, you’re going to carefully cut the puzzles into pieces. and mix them together. (To begin the Championship…) One member of your group will stay with your puzzles. The rest of you will go to another group and when I start the clock, you will work together and put the three puzzles together that another group has made. You need to pay attention to clues in the question and the illustrations to know how to separate the three puzzles and put them back together again.’

Example of a puzzle for the competition to show students: Meta-talk - Step 5:  

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Students need to use correct structure to form questions. They need to think critically to separate three different questions from each other. All the information used in this final project has been reviewed several times throughout the lesson.

Worksheet 1A

… Classifying Species

Why do scientists classify species with so many names that are so difficult to say? It would be much easier to say ‘I see a red fox’ or ‘I see a brown fox’. However, there may be many species of red and brown foxes. They may look alike to us, but their differences are important in the study of science and so scientists have learned to make these distinctions in branches of classifications. What may also seem confusing is that the scientific names are given in Latin. But this was once the language all scholars used and we use it still to keep all the classifications of organisms clear and defined. This is called ‘taxonomy’. Think about a family tree which shows who your relatives are and were. Taxonomy helps us see the relationship between different organisms. The scientific name of each organism is actually the combination of two names: the genus and the species. The genus is typically capitalized, while the species is not; both are typeset in italics. For example: Homo sapiens .

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The value of this system is because, although a species may have different names in different languages, the scientific name will always be the same. Using this system means that scientists can communicate with other scientists all over the world and each will understand precisely what the others are referring to.

-----------------------------------------All living things are made of cells. They all have the same chemical composition and they all perform the same three functions: nutrition, interaction and reproduction. Living organisms are divided into taxonomic groups. There are six major kingdoms in the taxonomy of organisms: the Eubacteria, Protista, Fungi, Animalia, Plantae, Archaebacteria. Here is a description of each:

Taxonomy is about classifying organisms. But we classify things all the time. You classify your clothes by putting them in particular drawers or hanging them in the closet. You classify phone numbers by different groups of people you know. You classify the food you eat into what is healthy and what is not. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle classified living organisms into only two groups: Plants and Animals. He also recognized them as land, water, or air organisms. Since then, scientists have recognized more differences and the classifications have become more specific. In the 1600s, the microscope was invented and classifying all the organisms became even more complicated. There are 5,000 different organisms that we can identify so far. . Until recently there have been five recognized groups of organisms, but now there are six. Biologists are making new discoveries every single day which means that we can expect more changes

Worksheet 1B

EUBACTERIA Eubacteria are prokaryotic (single-celled organisms which do not have a nucleus). Most bacteria are in this kingdom are helpful. Some produce vitamins and food, like yogurt, but others cause health problems such as salmonella bacteria which can make you very ill. These bacteria can be found in raw meat and eggs. The Eubacteria and Archaebacteria organisms used to share a kingdom. It was called Monera but scientists now recognise enough differences that they each have their own classification. ARCHAEBACTERIA Archaebacteria are also prokaryotes (single-celled organisms) without a nucleus. These bacteria is found mainly in extreme habitats where not many other living things can survive; one of the first places this organism was discovered was the boiling hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (USA). All known archaebacteria live without oxygen (anerobic) and obtain their energy from inorganic molecules or from light. . They can also thrive in very saline, acidic or alkaline aquatic environments. PROTOCTISTA Protoctista includes a group of diverse and distantly related phyla (types of organisms). Until recently, this group was called the Kingdom Protista; however, protistas are only unicellular but some phyla in this group are multi-cellular, so the term Protoctista identifies a larger group of organisms: they are eukaryotes (cells that have a cell nucleus and organelles within a membrane), they are aquatic, living in saltwater, freshwater, and of the water tissues of other organisms. There are many protozoan parasites of both invertebrates and vertebrates.

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FUNGI Fungi are the primary decomposers in most ecosystems. Most are multi-cellular, but some, like yeast, are single celled. Although many fungi resemble plants, they differ from plants in that they do not produce their own food. Members of the fungus kingdom include mushrooms, molds and yeast. Fungi have a cell wall, organelles including a nucleus, but no chloroplasts. They have no mechanisms for movement. Fungi range in size from microscopic to very large (such as mushrooms). They are found in many different areas but mostly live on the land rather than in aquatic environments. They can be very useful – penicillin is made from moulds, yeast is used in baking and brewing (beer), and mushrooms can be eaten. PLANTAE Plantae are multi-cellular organisms that produce their own food through a process called photosynthesis. All plant cells have a chemical called ‘chlorophyll’ which is a pigment that gives plants their characteristic green color, captures sunlight, and the plant cell uses this energy to produce sugars from carbon dioxide and water. A hard cell wall surrounds each plant cell. They have organelles, including nucleus, chloroplasts, and cell walls. Plants live in all but the most extreme environments, and are the primary producers of energy on Earth. ANIMALIA Animalia are multi-cellular organisms composed of highly organized eukaryotic cells (which separates them from bacteria and most protists), and move with the aid of cilia, flagella, or muscular organs based on contractile proteins. They are also distinguished from plants, algae and fungi by lacking rigid cell walls. Animals are usually mobile (although not always) and digest their food internally. They have organelles including a nucleus, but no chloroplasts or cell walls.

Hot springs

Salmonela bacteria

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Archaebacteria are prokaryotes without a nucleus. Archaebacteria are found in extreme habitats such as hot springs. Archaebacteria live without oxygen. Archaebacteria get their energy from inorganic molecules or from light.

Eubacteria organisms do not have a nucleus. Most bacteria in this kingdom are helpful. Some produce vitamins and food, like yogurt. Other bacteria cause health problems. One bacterium that causes health problems is salmonella. Salmonella can be found in raw meat and eggs.

There are more than 5,000 different organisms that scientists recognise so far. Scientists use Latin to identify organisms because that is what all scholars used to speak. Scientists still use the Latin names because, even if a species has different names in different languages, the scientific name will always be the same.

Taxonomy is about classifying organisms. We classify things all the time. We classify our clothes, our phone numbers, the food we eat. Biologists classify organisms. Biologists have decided that there are six distinct groups of cellular structures in the world.

Worksheet 2A

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Animalia are multi-cellular organisms. The multi-cellular organisms are highly organized eukaryotic cells. Animalea can be distinguished from bacteria and most protists because they are eukaryotic. Animalia do not have rigid cell walls. That is also different from plants, algae and fungi organisms.

The Plantae Kingdom is made up of multi-cellular organisms that produce their own food. Plantae organisms produce their food through a process called photosynthesis. Plantae organisms have a hard cell wall. This hard cell wall surrounds each plant cell. Plants are the primary producers of energy on Earth.

The Fungi Kingdom is the primary decomposer of most ecosystems. Fungi look like plants. Fungi are not plants because they do not produce their own food. Fungi can be mushrooms, moulds and yeast. Fungi range in size from microscopic to very large.

Until recently the group called Protoctista was called the Kingdom Protista. The Kingdom Protista was not accurate. The Kingdom Protista only included unicellular organisms. Some phyla in the group were multi-cellular. Scientists changed the name to be more accurate.

Worksheet 2B

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The 6 Kingdoms of Life

Worksheet 3

Worksheet 4A

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________

The 6 Kingdoms of Life

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Worksheet 4B

The 6 Kingdoms of Life In your groups, decide where the following facts about microorganisms should be placed and write them in the appropriate spaces on your worksheets.

The organisms in this kingdom are all prokaryotes and live in extreme habitats such as hot springs. They live without oxygen and get energy from light. These organisms are different from bacteria and most protists because they lack rigid cell walls. They have organelles and a nucleus but no chloroplasts.

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This kingdom has organisms which are the primary decomposers in most ecosystems. They have no mechanisms for movement and range in size from microscopic to very large. They mostly do not live in the water but rather on the land.

These organisms have a nucleus, chloroplasts and hard cell walls. They don't live in extreme environments, have a chemical (chlorophyll) which causes the cells to turn green in the sunlight, and are the primary producers on Earth. This kingdom is made up of prokaryotic cells and most of them produce vitamins or food for other living beings. Some can cause serious health problems such as those found in raw meat and eggs. These organisms are unicellular but some are multi-cellular. They are eukaryotes and live in salt or freshwater and also in the water tissue of other organisms. Some are invertebrates and some are vertebrates.

Worksheet 5

Erroneous Word Excerpts 1.

2. The names given to species provide information about the Linnaeus. It’s very similar to a family tree which shows who your relatives are and were.

3. Taxonomy shows was organisms are related to each other. The scientific name of each organism is actually the combination of two names: the genus and the species.

4. Over 2,000 years ago, Aristotle classified organisms into only a group: Plants and Animals. He also recognized the subdivisions land, water or air organisms.

5. The value of using Latin names is because, although a given species may be named differently in different languages, the Swedish name will always be the same.

6. All living things are made of cells. They all have the same chemical composition and they all perform the same three functions: nutrition, interaction and botanist.

7. Living organisms are divided into taxonomic groups. There are six major kingdoms in the taxonomy of organisms: Eubacteria, Archaebacteria, Protoctista, Fungi, Plantae, and who Animalia.

8. Eubacteria are single-celled, may or may not move, have a cell wall, have no chloroplasts or other organelles, and have is nucleus.

9. Taxonomy is about classifying organisms. But we classify things all the time. You classify your clothes, your books, your known numbers. Biologists classify organisms.

10. Until recently the Protoctista group was called Kingdom Protista; however, protists as only unicellular, but some phyla in this group are multi-cellular, so the term Protoctista identifies a larger group of organisms.

11. The Eubacteria and Archaebacteria organisms used to share a kingdom. It was called Monera. Scientists now recognise enough differences that they each have the own kingdom.

12. Fungi are the primary decomposers in most ecosystems. Most are multi-cellular, but some, like father, are single-celled. Although many fungi look like plants, they are different because they do not produce their own food.

13. Archaebacteria is found mainly in extreme habitats where not many other living things cagn survive. All known archaebacteria live wthout oxygen and obtain their energy from inorganic molecules

14. Plants are multi-cellular organisms that produce their modern food through a process called photosynthesis. They have a chemical called ‘chlorophyll’ which is a chemical that gives plants their a green color.

15. Animal cells have organelles including a nucleus, but no chloroplasts or cell walls. Animals acquire nutrients by taxonomy. their own food.

The scientific names of organisms are given in Carl, which was once the language all scholars used. Now that we don’t speak it anymore, the words seem strange to us, but they are still valuable as they keep all the classifications of

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organisms clear and defined.

PHOTOCOPIABLE Worksheet 6A

PHOTOCOPIABLE Worksheet 6B