Study guide: Parts Have Functions
Explain how organism parts help meet needs.
Ideas to explain in your own words
- Roots take in water and dissolved minerals. Stems support and transport. Leaves commonly capture light; flowers are reproductive structures. Plants differ, so these are familiar flowering-plant examples.
- Body parts perform functions. These supplied descriptions tell you what a part does for a named animal. The same-looking part need not do exactly the same job in every species.
- Animals gather information using senses and can respond. A stimulus is a change that can be detected. We analyze fictional observations, not an individual’s medical condition.
- Engineers can take inspiration from organisms without making exact copies. Match the stated function. A paper drawing is only a proposal, not proof of performance.
Useful vocabulary
- root
- takes in water from surroundings
- wing
- helps the supplied bird fly
- hearing
- detecting the supplied sound
- hook
- modeled on a burr that attaches
Watch your reasoning
- Check what root and stem each mean. They describe different clues.
- Check what wing and leg each mean. They describe different clues.
- Check what hearing and seeing each mean. They describe different clues.
A worked review example
Worked reference-card problem: a card states “takes in water from surroundings”; a second states “supports and transports materials.” The first fits root and the second fits stem. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case. Worked reference-card problem: a card states “helps the supplied bird fly”; a second states “helps the supplied animal walk.” The first fits wing and the second fits leg. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case. Worked reference-card problem: a card states “detecting the supplied sound”; a second states “detecting the supplied visible change.” The first fits hearing and the second fits seeing. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case. Worked reference-card problem: a card states “modeled on a burr that attaches”; a second states “modeled on a protective shell.” The first fits hook and the second fits cover. The reason is the described function or change, not the order of the cards or a favorite name. If their descriptions exchange places, their category labels exchange too. Keep the supplied descriptions attached to the correct case.
Make a practice plan
- Use an example from Match plant parts. Say what happens and point to the clue that helps explain it.
- Complete Match animal parts and correct the specific misconception in its feedback.
- Resolve a changed case from Connect sensing and response, then combine the four ideas in the transfer task.