Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 14
Foundation Worksheet
Learning Goals
Sort it
Write each feature in the correct box. Each feature has exactly one home, and each box gets three features.
Plants only
Animals only
Both
True or false? Fix the false ones
Circle T or F. If a statement is false, correct it on the line.
1. A eucalyptus and a kangaroo both exchange gases with their surroundings.
Correct it:
2. A plant and an animal can do the same life job using different structures.
Correct it:
3. A eucalyptus has a heart-like pump in its trunk that pushes water up to its leaves.
Correct it:
4. A good comparison of plants and animals lists only what they have in common.
Correct it:
5. A kangaroo and a eucalyptus both need to take in materials from their environment.
Correct it:
Compare two
A eucalyptus tree and a kangaroo live in the same paddock. Complete the table. The first row is done for you.
| Life job | Eucalyptus tree | Kangaroo |
|---|---|---|
| Taking in water | roots take in water from the soil | drinks water through its mouth; also gets water from food |
| Getting food | ||
| Moving materials around | ||
| Has organised parts that work together? |
1. Look at your table. Name one life job both living things carry out, and name the structure each one uses for it.
A class survey
Before and after Lessons 13 and 14, a class of 25 students said whether they agreed with four statements.
| Statement | Before (%) | After (%) |
|---|---|---|
| P. Plants are living systems. | 48 | 96 |
| Q. A plant needs a heart to move water. | 32 | 8 |
| R. Plants and animals use the same structures for the same jobs. | 40 | 28 |
| S. Plants and animals both need materials from their environment. | 84 | 100 |
Source: sample class results.
2. Statement R is false. Explain why, giving an example from your Compare two table.
3. Which false statement did the class still believe the most after the lessons? Use numbers from Table 1. How many students out of 25 is that?
4. Write a paragraph comparing the eucalyptus tree and the kangaroo as living systems. Give one similarity and two differences. For each difference, name the structure each living thing uses and the job it does.
Sort it
Plants only: takes in water through roots; captures light to make its own food; has a stem that carries water up to the leaves. Animals only: has a heart that pumps blood; eats food and digests it; has blood vessels. Both: needs water from its environment; is made of cells, tissues and organs; exchanges gases with its surroundings.
True or false
1. True. 2. True. 3. False: a eucalyptus has no heart or pump; water moves up through tubes in its trunk (stem) from the roots to the leaves. 4. False: a good comparison uses both similarities and differences. 5. True.
Compare two
Getting food: eucalyptus, leaves capture light to make its own food; kangaroo, eats plants (grass) and digests them. Moving materials: eucalyptus, stem (trunk) carries water and minerals from the roots to the leaves; kangaroo, heart pumps blood through blood vessels. Organised parts: yes for both (roots, stem, leaves; organs and organ systems).
1. Any job from the table with both structures, for example: moving materials, the tree’s stem and the kangaroo’s heart and blood vessels. [2 marks: 1 job, 1 both structures]
Go Deeper
2. Plants and animals often do the same job with different structures. For example, both move materials around, but the plant uses its stem and the animal uses its heart, blood vessels and blood. [2 marks: 1 idea, 1 example]
3. Statement R: 28% still agreed after the lessons (down from 40%), more than statement Q (8%). 28% of 25 = 7 students. [3 marks: 1 statement R; 1 data; 1 seven students]
Show What You Know
4. Marking guide: 1 similarity (both are living systems with organised parts; or both need water and other materials); 2 per difference, up to 4 (1 structures in both, 1 the job): for example, the tree takes in water through its roots while the kangaroo drinks through its mouth; the tree moves water up its stem while the kangaroo’s heart pumps blood through blood vessels; the tree’s leaves make its food using light while the kangaroo eats grass and digests it. Cap at 5. [5 marks]
Common error to watch for: a difference that names only one side (“the kangaroo has a heart”). A comparison must say what each living thing uses for the same job.