KO: Living Things and Habitats

Subject: Science | Year: 6

Name: _________________________ Class/Set: ____________ Date: ____________

1. Key Knowledge / Core Facts

• Classification: The process of sorting living things into groups based on shared characteristics.
• Two Main Groups: Animals are primarily classified as either vertebrates (with a backbone) or invertebrates (without a backbone).
• Plant Division: Plants are usually categorised into flowering plants (e.g. sunflowers) and non-flowering plants (e.g. ferns and mosses).
• Micro-organisms: Living things that are too small to be seen with the naked eye, requiring a microscope to view.
• Classification Keys: A tool used to identify unknown organisms by answering a series of 'yes' or 'no' questions.
• Environmental Impact: Changes to a habitat (human-led or natural) can pose dangers to the living things within that classification.

2. Key Vocabulary

• Organism: Any individual living thing, such as an animal, plant, bacterium, or fungus.
• Taxonomy: The science of naming, describing, and classifying organisms.
• Specimen: An individual animal, plant, or organism used as an example of its species or type for scientific study.
• Species: The most specific group in the classification system; members can breed to produce fertile offspring.
• Micro-organism: A microscopic organism, which may be single-celled or multicellular (e.g. bacteria, yeast, or viruses).
• Binomial Nomenclature: The scientific system of naming an organism using two Latin words (the Genus and the Species).
• Habitat: The specific natural home or environment in which an animal, plant, or other organism lives.

3. The Linnaean System (Hierarchy of Classification)

• Kingdom: The broadest category (e.g. Animalia, Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Monera).
• Phylum: Grouping based on general body plan (e.g. Chordata - animals with a backbone or notochord).
• Class: A further breakdown (e.g. Mammalia - mammals).
• Order: Grouping of related families sharing common characteristics (e.g. Carnivora - meat-eaters).
• Family: Groups of related genera (e.g. Felidae - the cat family).
• Genus: The first part of a scientific name; closely related species (e.g. Panthera).
• Species: The most specific level; the second part of a scientific name (e.g. leo - Lion).

4. Vertebrate Groups

• Mammals: Warm-blooded, have hair or fur, give birth to live young, and the mothers produce milk.
• Birds: Warm-blooded, have feathers and beaks, and lay hard-shelled eggs.
• Reptiles: Cold-blooded, have dry scaly skin, and usually lay leathery eggs on land.
• Amphibians: Cold-blooded, have moist skin, and lay jelly-like eggs (spawn) in water.
• Fish: Cold-blooded, live entirely in water, have scales and fins, and breathe through gills.

5. Invertebrates and Micro-organisms

• Insects: Invertebrates with an exoskeleton, a three-part body, and six legs (e.g. beetles).
• Arachnids: Invertebrates with two body sections and eight legs (e.g. spiders).
• Molluscs: Soft-bodied invertebrates, many of which have a hard shell (e.g. snails, squid).
• Bacteria: Single-celled micro-organisms; some are essential for health, while others cause infections.
• Fungi: Organisms like mushrooms and mould that absorb nutrients from organic matter; they are not plants.
• Yeast: A type of fungus used in baking and brewing; it is a helpful micro-organism.

6. Key Scientist: Carl Linnaeus (1707–1778)

• The 'Father of Taxonomy': A Swedish botanist who created the modern system for naming and classifying organisms.
• Systema Naturae: His most famous published work which laid the foundations for biological classification.
• Latin Naming: He chose Latin because it was a universal language used by scientists across the world.
• Standardisation: Before Linnaeus, scientists used different names for the same animal; his system created global consistency.
• Physical Observation: He classified organisms based on their physical traits and structures.

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⚠ TEACHER’S GUIDANCE

💡 Pedagogical Opportunities

• Addressing Misconceptions: Students often mistake fungi for plants because they are stationary and grow in soil. Remind students that fungi do not photosynthesise and belong to their own Kingdom.
• The Virus Debate: When discussing micro-organisms, highlight that scientists still debate whether viruses are truly 'living' as they cannot reproduce without a host cell.
• Oracy Task: Use 'Think-Pair-Share' to have students create their own classification keys for a set of classroom objects (e.g. stationery) before moving to biological specimens.
• Active Learning: Conduct a 'Microbe Hunt' where students look for evidence of micro-organisms in the environment (e.g. lichen on trees, mould on old fruit, or yeast in bread dough).

🔍 Success Criteria (Year 6)

• Identify: Can the student name the five vertebrate groups?
• Describe: Can the student explain the difference between a genus and a species?
• Apply: Can the student use a classification key to identify an unknown invertebrate?
• Explain: Can the student justify why Carl Linnaeus's work was important for the scientific community?