Assignments for This Unit
All documents / graphic organizers for
in-class activities & homework:
Science Film: The Unknown World
NOVA 2005
This is a short segment of the video which allows students to see the organisms that inhabit the Unknown World through the use of microscopic observation and photography
Questions for "The Unknown World"
Questions for the film
This is the question sheet that goes with "The Unknown World " video. .
The Microscope: More Than Meets the Eye
Microscope Orientation
In this assignment, students will become familiar with the way a microscope works. How all the pieces and parts work, and what they are used for. This is the first step toward taking a closer look at the microscopic world to which humans were unaware until the invention of the microscope in the early 1600s.
Exploring The Known World
Students use microscopes to observe prepared slides.
Using prepared slides, students practice using microscopes correctly. They also begin to become familiar with the microsocpic world that was beyond the reach of science before the invention of the microscope in the 1600s.
Exploring The Uknown World
Students us microscopes to observe pond water
Now that students are familair with using a microscope, and making their own slides, they get to observe the living creatures in the pond water they collected from Waneka Lake. A whole new world in a drop of water!
50 Cent Microscope
Video- TED Talk 3/7/14
Is it possible to build a working microscope for 50 cents?
It's better than you think.
Perhaps you've punched out a paper doll or folded an origami swan? TED Fellow Manu Prakash and his team have created a microscope made of paper that's just as easy to fold and use. A sparkling demo that shows how this invention could revolutionize healthcare in developing countries ... and turn almost anything into a fun, hands-on science experiment.
Dichotomous Keys
Explore Learning Gizmo
In the field, scientists often have to identify an unfamiliar organism (living thing). A reliable way to identify organisms is to use a dichotomous key.
Kingdom Research Overview
Kingdom Research Project Overview
Kingdom Research Resource Online Text
Online Book
Science Explorer - From Bacteria to Plants
Kingdom Research Resource Online Text
Online Book
Science Explorer - Animals
Kingdom Research Template
Use this template to create your kingdom research slide presentation!
Your presentation will be awesome!
Out of Sorts
This is a simple sorting activity. Or is it?
In this sorting activity, students participate in the same categorizing process scientists have used to distinguish between the characterisics of known organisms.
Early scientists had three categories:
1. Organisms that swim
2. Organisms that walk
3. Organisms that fly How would you have sorted them?
Animal and Plant Classification
Online Activity
Students learn about the scientific classification of animals and plants