TEACHER RESOURCES

State Standards | Classroom Demonstrations

State Standards

GRADE SEVEN

Focus on Life Science
Cell Biology

1. All living organisms are composed of cells, from just one to many trillions, whose details usually are visible only through a microscope. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know cells function similarly in all living organisms.

b. Students know the characteristics that distinguish plant cells from animal cells, including chloroplasts and cell walls.

c. Students know the nucleus is the repository for genetic information in plant and animal cells.

d. Students know that mitochondria liberate energy for the work that cells do and that chloroplasts capture sunlight energy for photosynthesis.

e. Students know cells divide to increase their numbers through a process of mitosis, which results in two daughter cells with identical sets of chromosomes.

2. A typical cell of any organism contains genetic instructions that specify its traits. Those traits may be modified by environmental influences. As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know the differences between the life cycles and reproduction methods of sexual and asexual organisms.

b. Students know sexual reproduction produces offspring that inherit half their genes from each parent.

c. Students know an inherited trait can be determined by one or more genes.

d. Students know plant and animal cells contain many thousands of different genes and typically have two copies of every gene. The two copies (or alleles) of the gene may or may not be identical, and one may be dominant in determining the phenotype while the other is recessive.

e. Students know DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the genetic material of living organisms and is located in the chromosomes of each cell.

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Classroom Demonstrations

Want to extract DNA from a plant?
Follow Dr. Martin Yanofsky's easy step-by-step instructions in this Power Point demonstration

Genetics Science Learning Center
Learn more about DNA

Brain Pop
This site contains a 3-4 minute animated movie, an interactive quiz, and an experiment about genetics.

Flower Dissection Lab
A presentation in Adobe Acrobat Reader

Plants
A detailed Power Point presentation

Plants-In-Motion
An online source of time-lapse plant movies

Plants and Our Environment
Learn more about plants and how they are the basis of life on earth.

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Lesson developed by Wendi Snodgrass, 8th grade science teacher, Kieller Middle School, San Diego Unified School District.