1. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” How are organisms classified?
Scientists organize or classify organisms by sorting them into groups based on shared characteristics.
Classification is the science of finding patterns.
The classification system used most today divides all organisms into six groups called kingdoms.
Within each kingdom are six subgroups with species being the narrowest group.
Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
King Philip Came Over For Good Spaghetti!

2. Lesson 2: ”Classifying Life” What are animals?
All animals are multicellular.
Animals do not make their own food.
The animal kingdom is one of the largest kingdoms featuring nine phyla (plural of phylum) that belong to two major groups: Vertebrates and Invertebrates
A vertebrate is an animal with a backbone.
An invertebrate is an animal without a backbone.

3. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are animals? (continued)
The five main classes of vertebrates are…

4. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are animals? (continued)
Some classes of invertebrates include…

5. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are plants?
Plants and fungi have cell walls.
Plants and fungi cannot move from place to place and do not have true sense organs.
The plant kingdom includes about 350,000 plant species.
All plants are multicellular and make their own food.
Plants are organized into two major groups: Vascular and Nonvascular
Vascular plants have a system of vessels that run up and down the body carrying water and nutrients from the plant’s roots to its leaves. It also takes sugar made in the leaves and carries it to other parts of the plant.
Nonvascular plants do not have a system of vessels performing the tasks listed above. Nonvascular plants tend to be smaller because of this.

6. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are plants? (continued)
Examples of vascular plants…

7. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are plants? (continued)
Examples of nonvascular plants…

8. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are plants? (continued)
The fungus kingdom includes fungi such as mushrooms, yeast, and mold.
Most fungi are multicellular except for yeast which are unicellular.
Fungi are different from plants in that they cannot make their own food therefore, they have to get food from other organisms.
Most fungi get energy from breaking down dead or decaying plants and animals. An example of this would be a rotting log in a forest.
Many fungi are used by humans. For example, yeast is used to make bread rise. Mold and yeast are also used to make some foods such as cheese. Some fungi are also used to make medicine.

9. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are plants? (continued)
Examples of fungi…

10. Lesson 2: “Classifying Living Things” What are bacteria and protists?
The simplest unicellular organisms have no nucleus.
These organisms can be divided into two kingdoms: Bacteria and Archaea
Organisms in these kingdoms can be found almost everywhere…on your toothbrush, in your food, on your skin, and in your body!
Some bacteria can cause disease and infections such as food poisoning and strep throat.
Some bacteria and and archaea are helpful such as those that help in digestion.
Archaea are descended from the oldest living organisms on Earth and live in harsh environments such as deep sea vents, hot springs, and extremely salty water.

11. Lesson 2: “Classifying Living Things” What are bacteria and protists?
Like bacteria and archaea, the protist kindgom contains unicellular organisms.
Protists either make their own food or eat other organisms.
Protists are much larger than bacteria.
The cells of protists have a nucleus.
Unlike animals, plants, and fungi, protists have simple body structures and lack specialized tissues.
Typical protists include algae, amoeba, and slime molds.

12. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are plants? (continued)
Examples of protists…

13. Lesson 2: “Classifying Life” What are viruses?
Viruses bridge the gap between the living and the nonliving.
While they may seem alive, many scientists believe that viruses are not living organisms.
Viruses cannot be classified in any of the six kingdoms because they cannot carry out all of the basic life processes.
Viruses are very small and require the use of special microscopes to study them.
Some viruses are not harmful while other viruses can take over cells and cause the organism to get sick.
Examples of illnesses caused by viruses include the common cold, chicken pox, and polio.