Objective – Observe and summarize information about microorganisms.
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go!
Put away your running shoes and starting blocks. We’re not having a track meet; we’re going to study microorganisms. Are you ready? Do you have any idea what you will be learning? It’s always nice to have some idea where are you headed before you start out on an adventure, so let’s see if we can get some kind of an idea. To do that, we will look carefully at the word microorganism
Do you know what micro means? Have you ever used a microscope in your science class or at home? Why did you use one? What kinds of things did you look at through the microscope? Were they big or tiny? Did the microscope make them seem larger or smaller? As you might have figured out, micro means small. That helps us some because now we know we will be learning about something small.
The other part of our word is organism. According to the dictionary, an organism is any form of life; any living thing. That helps us even more. Now we know we will be learning about small, living things.
Wait a minute, we have to be sure we understand exactly what we mean when we say we will learn about small living things. How small is small? Now we all know that an elephant is pretty big! Does that mean that a mouse is small? Many bugs are even smaller than mice! Are there other living things that are even smaller than bugs?
Let’s change our definition of micro just a bit. Let’s say that micro means too small for the human eye to see. That gives us a better idea of the size of the living things we will be studying.
Now, let’s be sure we really understand what we mean by living things. Scientists have studied many living things. They have found that all living things are the same in some ways. They all have some of the same characteristics. Let’s look at six characteristics of all living things.
1. Living things are made of cells.
A cell is the basic unit of all living things. A cell is organized to help keep an organism alive. A cell is responsible for reproduction, for growth and development, and for responding to the environment. Some scientists say cells are like chemical factories. They are always busy making something to keep their organisms alive and well. Some organisms have only one cell. Other organisms have many cells that work together. All organisms are made of cells.
2. Living things use energy
Organisms get the energy they need from the environment. Energy is needed for life processes. Organisms use energy to reproduce. They use energy when they grow and develop. They also use energy when they respond to their environments. Organisms must have a balance between the energy they get from the environment and the energy they use for life processes. All organisms use energy.
3. Living things grow and develop.
Think about a tiny tadpole. The tadpole will get bigger, grow legs, lose its tail, and become a frog or toad. The tadpole will grow and develop to become and adult amphibian. Now think about a tiny acorn. The acorn will fall to the ground, germinate, and form roots, a stem, and leaves. The tiny acorn will grow and develop to become a mighty oak tree. All organisms grow and develop.
4. Living things respond to the environment.
What happens if you touch a hot burner on the stove in your kitchen? You pull your finger away very quickly! You respond to the environment. When you touch the hot burner, you have a stimulus. A stimulus is a change in the environment. When you pull your finger away very quickly, you have a response. A response is the reaction to the change in the environment. All organisms respond to the environment.
5. Living things reproduce.
When organisms reproduce, they make more organisms that look like themselves. If your dog has puppies, the puppies look like the parent dogs. If a dandelion goes to seed in your yard, you will have more dandelions that look just like the first one! All organisms reproduce.
6. Living things are adapted to their environments.
Think about a Downy Woodpecker. It has four toes on each foot. Two of the toes are facing forward, and two of them are facing backward. The woodpecker’s toes help it hold onto the bark of a tree. A Downy Woodpecker also has a stiff tail. This tail helps the woodpecker balance against the trunk of a tree as it drills a hole in the bark. A Downy Woodpecker also has a thick, pointed bill. The bill allows the woodpecker to make holes in the hard wood of a tree to find insects. Finally, a Downy Woodpecker has a long tongue. The woodpecker can put its tongue into the tree to find insects. There is a tiny barb on the end of the tongue that can hook the insects and carry them back in to the woodpecker’s mouth for a tasty lunch or dinner. An organism must be adapted to the environment to be able to survive. All organisms have adaptations that allow them to live in their environments.
All living things have all six characteristics. Some kinds of matter may have one or two characteristics, but not all six. If it does not have all six characteristics, it is not an organism. Every organism must have all six characteristics.
Okay, let’s review our definition. A microorganism is a tiny living thing that is too small for the human eye to see. It is made of cells, uses energy, grows, and develops, responds to it environment, reproduces, and is adapted to survive in its environment.
What Do You Need?
All living things have six characteristics in common. We just learned what those six characteristics are. They also have basic needs that are the same. Let’s take a look at what those basic needs are.
Energy
All organisms need energy. The Sun is the main source of energy for most life on Earth. All living things either use the Sun directly or indirectly. Producers are organisms that make their own food by using the Sun’s energy. They use their “homemade” food to provide their energy. Without direct energy from the Sun, produces would not be able to survive.
Consumers are organisms that eat other organisms. Some consumers eat plants. Plants are producers. The plants use the Sun’s energy directly, but consumers still depend on the Sun’s energy in an indirect way. Without energy from the Sun for the produces, consumers would not have the food they need for energy.
Food
Imagine a day without food. You would feel pretty lousy if you could not eat anything all day. Your body needs food for proper growth. As we have already learned, producers are organisms that make their own food. They absorb nutrients from the environment and use those nutrients to help keep them alive.
Remember that consumers are organisms that eat other organisms. There are three basic groups of consumers. Herbivoresare consumers that eat only plants. Carnivores are consumers that eat only animals. Omnivores are consumers that eat both plants and animals. All consumers get nutrients from their food sources.
Water
Organisms need water to stay alive. Water is used to dissolve and transport substances. Nutrients are dissolved and wastes are transported in an organism’s water supply.
Humans need water more than they need food. You can survive for a week or more without food; however, you can only survive for a matter of days without water. More than 70% of the human body is actually water. Water is needed by almost all of your body systems.
For most organisms, not just any water will do. Most organisms require fresh water; however, the majority of the Earth’s water is found in the oceans, which are salt water. Most organisms cannot survive using salty ocean water. For example, ocean water has mot than seven times the amount of salt that a human body can handle. In order to use ocean water, the salts must be removed.
Name ______
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! - Worksheet
Match the term with its definition.
_____1. Carnivore_____2. Cell
_____3. Consumer
_____4. Herbivore
_____5. Micro
_____6. Microorganism
_____7. Omnivore
_____8. Organism
_____9. Producer
_____10. Stimulus / A. A change in the environment.
B. A plant eater.
C. A very small living thing.
D. Any living thing.
E. Eats both plants and animals.
F. Makes its own food.
G. Must find and eat its food.
H. Only eats animals.
I. The basic unit of all living things.
J. Too small for the eye to see.
11. What tool is used to look at microorganisms?
a. Binocularc. Microscope
b. Hand lensd. Telescope
12. A cell is responsible for…
a. reproduction.c. growth and development.
b. responding to the environment.d. All of the above.
13. All living things are made of cells.
a. Trueb. False
14. Organisms get this from the environment.
a. Chowc. Food
b. Energyd. Shelter
15. Most living things grow and develop.
a. Trueb. False
16. This is the reaction to a change in the environment.
a. Incentivec. Response
b. Replyd. Stimulus
17. This animal has four toes on each foot. Two are facing forward and two are facing backward. It has a stiff tail and thick, pointed bill and a long tongue.
a. Blue Jayc. Robin
b. Downy Woodpeckerd. Scrubjay
18. An organism must be adapted to its environment to survive.
a. Trueb. False
19. If an organism does not have the six characteristics listed above, it is not an organism.
a. Trueb. False
20. What is the main source of energy for most life on Earth?
a. Liquidsc. Shelter
b. Oxygend. Sun
21. Water is not essential to stay alive.
a. Trueb. False
22. If you weigh 100 pounds, what percent of that weight would be water?
a. 50%c. 70%
b. 60%d. 80%
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! – Worksheet – Key
H 1. Carnivore
I 2. Cell
G 3. Consumer
B 4. Herbivore
J 5. Micro
C 6. Microorganism
E 7. Omnivore
D 8. Organism
F 9. Producer
A 10. Stimulus
11. What tool is used to look at microorganisms?
c. Microscope
12. A cell is responsible for…
d. All of the above.
13. All living things are made of cells.
a. True
14. Organisms get this from the environment.
b. Energy
15. Most living things grow and develop.
b. False
16. This is the reaction to a change in the environment.
c. Response
17. This animal has four toes on each foot. Two are facing forward and two are facing backward. It has a stiff tail and thick, pointed bill and a long tongue.
b. Downy Woodpecker
18. An organism must be adapted to its environment to survive.
a. True
19. If an organism does not have the six characteristics listed above, it is not an organism.
a. True
20. What is the main source of energy for most life on Earth?
d. Sun
21. Water is not essential to stay alive.
b. False
22. If you weigh 100 pounds, what percent of that weight would be water?
c. 70%
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! – Worksheet – Scoring Guide
1. H (10 choices)2. I (10 choices)
3. G (10 choices)
4. B (10 choices)
5. J (10 choices)
6. C (10 choices)
7. E (10 choices)
8. D (10 choices)
9. F (10 choices)
10. A (10 choices)
11. c
12. d
13. a (2 choices)
14. b
15. b
16. c
17. b
18. a (2 choices)
19. a (2 choices)
20. d
21. b (2 choices)
22. c / Scoring Guide
17-22 – 3
8-16 – 2
1-7 – 1
0 – 0