Life Cycle
SIXTH GRADE
8 week unit

1. Students should be able to compare taxonomy and classification.
2. Students should know the key characteristics of the five kingdoms.
3. Students should know and understand fungi, protozoa, and bacteria.
4. Students should know that viruses are not living organisms.
5. Students should understand most of the body systems.
6. Students should recognize portions of the endocrine system.
7. Students should know the differences amongst viral, bacterial, protozoan, and genetic diseases.
8. Students should understand how plants grow.
9. Students should begin understanding genetics.
10. Students should begin understanding the complexity of the cell during reproduction.
11. Students should understand ecosystem requirements.
12. Students should be able to relate chemicals with plant adaptation.
13. Students should begin to understand that diversity of organisms on this planet has something to do with an evolution of life through time.
14. Students should begin to see the complexity of determining why organisms change.
15. Students should be able to compare different theories of evolution, and understand that we still have unanswered questions.

WEEK 1.
PRE: Defining classification.
LAB: Exploring characteristics of the lower kingdoms.
POST: Comparing classification and taxonomy.
WEEK 2.
PRE: Exploring how food gets rotten.
LAB: Discovering why food rots.
POST: Defining the parameters of the kingdom system.

WEEK 3.
PRE: Exploring the endocrine system.
LAB: Analyzing the different stages of human growth.
POST: Comparing mitosis and meiosis.
WEEK 4.
PRE: Distinguishing bacteria, protozoa, and viruses.
LAB: Distinguishing bacteria and viruses.
POST: Comparing genetic disorders with diseases.

WEEK 5.
PRE: Distinguishing land from aquatic plants.
LAB: Comparing growth factors of plants.
POST: Exploring uses of auxins.
WEEK 6.
PRE: Exploring the history of genetics.
LAB: Testing heredity models.
POST: Developing a mutation theory.

WEEK 7.
PRE: Exploring ecosystem requirements.
LAB: Comparing the pH of different soils.
POST: Interpreting the results of soil pH.
WEEK 8.
PRE: Adapting to the local environment.
LAB: Researching factors on adaptation.
POST: Comparing different theories on evolution.