Living things

This post is recommended for 4th level.



The most important common characteristic in living things is that all of them do the three functions of life: nutrition, interaction and reproduction.

A cell is the smallest unit of life. Cells can work together in order to create a multicellular organism.

If we focus in the quantity of cells and common characteristics of a living thing, we can divide life into five kingdoms.

THE MONERA KINGDOM

 

They are unicellular organisms. They live in different environments: water, air, ground or inside other living things. The most common organisms are bacteria.

THE PROTIST KINDOM

 

It's the biggest kingdom. They can be unicellular like amoebas. There are unicellular and multicellular algae that make their own food by doing the photosynthesis.

THE FUNGI KINGDOM

 

We find unicellular organisms like yeast. Humans use yeast for doing bread, beer, cakes... Mushrooms and mould are multicellular organisms. 

Fungi organisms cannot make their own food. They take nutrients from dead plants or animals so they are decomposers.

mould

mushrooms

  yeast

THE PLANT KINGDOM

 

Plants are multicellular organisms. All of them can make their own food by the process of photosynthesis so they are producers. They cannot move, but they react to some stimulus like light or humidity.

Plants can be divided into two groups: plants that make seeds and plants that don't make seeds.

THE ANIMAL KINGDOM

 

They are also multicellular organisms. They cannot make their own food so they are consumers. They interact with other animals and the environment and we can divide them into two big groups: vertebrates and invertebrates.

If focus in how they interact with the environment, how energy is transmitted, we find: Producers, consumers and descomposers.

PRODUCERS

They can make their own food, like plants. The most common process is the photosynthesis.
Plants take nutrients and water from the ground through the roots; carbon dioxide from the air and the sunlight through the leaves and make their own food and oxygen which is liberated again to the air.

- CONSUMERS

They take their food from other living organims, like animals. Here we can classify them into three groups:
- primary consumers, who are the hervibores, insects, etc. They take their food from plants.
- secondary consumers, who are little carnivores and little omnivores. They take their food from other animals.
- tertiary consumers, who are big cornivores and detrivores. They take their food from secondary consumers.


- DECOMPOSERS

They take their food from dead plants or animals, like fungi organisms. They break organic cells into simple nutrients.

When all of them interact they compound the food chain.

But sometimes, a same producer or consumer can feed different consumers compounding something more complex: a food web.

Health: looking at yourself

This post is recommended for 4th level in primary education.

How do you feel today? Are you sick?

Fortunatelly, nowadays there are lots of resources to improve our health:

medical treatments (medicines, vaccinations, blood tests...)

Medical treatments. Play. 

Medical treatments definitions. Match. 

advances in medical technology

Medical technology definitions. Play. 

clean drinking water

hygienic living conditions

How to care yourself?

Three important steps are neccesary: prevention, a good diagnosis and a efficient treatment.

Methods of prevention
The most important methods of prevention are:
1- eating healthily
2- doing exercise
3- sleeping
4- keeping clean
5- visiting the doctor to make a check-up

Methods of diagnosis
1- doing an electrocardiogram to check your heart rate
2- doing an ultrasound about an organ, a baby...
3- doing an x-ray to take a picture about your internal organs, bones...
4- checking your temperature with a themometer
5- checking your blood pressure
6- doing a blood test

Methods of treatment
1- taking medicines such as antibiotics
2- doing a microsurgery
3- a blood transfussion
4- an organ transplant
5- to put a bone in plaster
6- to bandage a wound

 Methods to care yourself. Grouping.
     

Healthy eating

It's very important to have a balanced nutrition. Different nutrients from food help our body to work better. We must include: carbohydrates, fats, proteins, minerals and vitamins and so much water.

A balanced nutrition prevents obesity, heart diseases...

CARBOHYDRATES (pasta, rice, bread, cereals...)

They provide fibre to help our digestive system.

FATS (oil, fish, nuts, cakes, some fruits, milk, cheese, butter...)

They provide and store energy. We can divide in good fats and bad fats. We must not abuse of this food.

PROTEINS (eggs, fish, meat, legumes, chicken, nuts...)

They provide materials to built new cells in our body. They help mainly to our muscular system.

VITAMINS AND MINERALS (vegetables and fruit)

They help our locomotory system (calcium for bones and potassium for muscles), our circulatory system (iron for blood), our nervous system (vintamins for senses...)

WATER (water, juice, infusion...)

Most of our body is made of water. We need to replace the lack of water when we sweat, urinate, repare blood, saliva, tears...

Food categories and functions. Match.

Food categories and function. Choose.

Food categories and function. Complete (IMPORTANT) 

Doing exercise

  

     

 Hiking, going for a walk, dancing, running, ride a bike or simply use the stairs... are exercises you can do everyday and make your body stronger, prevents obesity and you feel happier.

You help your HEART and circulatory system.

When you move, you need more oxygen and nutrients. Consequently your heart bumps more times and makes stronger.

You help your LUNGS and respiratory system.

When you move, you need more oxygen. Consequently you need to breath more.

You help your MUSCLES, BONES AND JOINTS (locomotory system)

When you move, you gain muscles and loose fats.

You help your BRAIN.

When you move, your brain ask your body to generate endorphines which make you feel happy.

Sleep

Children need to sleep about 10 hours.

Sleeping is very important to prevent tiredness. When you sleep:

- your body and brain are relaxed, so they can rest

- you help your body to grow

- your memory increases

 Keep clean

Brush your teeth after eating to prevent tooth decay.

Wash your hands frequently to avoid taking germs or spread a disease.

Wash your body to remove bacteria, dirt and sweat to prevent bad smell.

Regular medical check-ups

It is very important to monitor our health to prevent important deseases. Doctors check that our body works correctly.

You should visit the dotor for vaccination.

You should visit the dentist.

You should visit the optician.

Unhealthy habits and common illness

Important vocabulary

pathogens = germs (bacteria and virus basically)

immune system --> mainly white blood cells --> natural defenses against germs

Contagious deseases = germs spread from one person to another

additives = chemicals to make food last longer

Vocabulary related to health. Crossword.

Common illness

tooth decay and flu

  

obesity and allergy (bad reaction to dust, certain food, pollen, animal hair...)

tiredness and heart desseases

 

a broken bone or a twisted joint

 

headache and backache

 

a stomach upset (stomacache) and eye strain

 cancer and diabetes

Common illness. Match and play.

Unhealthy habits

  Unhealthy diet and doing little exercise produce weight problems (too much sweets and fats) and heart deseases (too much salt).

  Staring at screen too long (in front of the computer, the mobile phone, the videogame console, the tv...) can produce headache, backache, obesity, eye strain...

  Taking drugs such as alcohol and tobacco. Alcohol can affect your liver and brain. Tobacco makes you stop growing, affects to your heart and your lungs. They can produce cancer.

Match the unhealthy habit or the simpthom with the propper illness. Play.