Activities

1. List three parts of the respiratory system.
   
   
2. List five things that you would find in a desert ecosystem.
   
   
3. Write a short description to explain the parts of the water cycle.

4. Choose two human body systems.  Write a short paragraph to describe the function of each body system and explain how the two systems work together to keep your body functioning properly.  (Examples include the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, urinary, reproductive, immune, integumentary systems.)

5. Choose an ecosystem.  List at least five parts that play a role within this ecosystem.  Which part do you think plays the most important role?  Use at least three facts to explain your reasoning.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   • Nose
   • Mouth
   • Trachea
   • Bronchioles
   • Bronchi
   • Alveoli
   • Lungs
   • Diaphragm
     
     
2. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   • Cacti
   • Sun
   • Air
   • Sand
   • Wild flowers
   • Trees:  Joshua, juniper, cottonwood, fan palm, etc
   • Animals:  badgers, gophers, coyote, hawks, lizards, snakes, etc.
     
     
3. Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   • Ground water evaporates into the atmosphere as water vapor.
   • Plants use ground water and release it into the atmosphere as water vapor through the process of transpiration.
   • Water vapor condenses to create clouds.
   • Clouds release water as precipitation.
   • Types of precipitation include, but are not limited to:  rain, sleet, hail, and snow.

4.  Acceptable responses may include, but are not limited to:
   
   • The respiratory system works with other body systems to bring oxygen to body parts and remove carbon dioxide.  The circulatory system moves blood throughout the body.  When people breathe, air goes into their lungs.  There are capillaries inside small structures in the lungs, called alveoli.  The alveoli take the oxygen in the air and put into your blood stream.  The circulatory system then transports the oxygen to all of your body parts.  When oxygen is delivered to the body parts, carbon dioxide enters the blood stream.  The circulatory system takes the carbon dioxide and other water back to the alveoli.  The alveoli exchange carbon dioxide for more oxygen.  The oxygen is taken to your body parts, and you breathe out the carbon dioxide through your nose or mouth.
     
     
   • The digestive system changes energy and materials from food into forms that the body can use.  The urinary system filters waste from blood and excretes it with urine.  The circulatory system moves blood throughout the body.  Structures in your small intestine, called villi, absorb nutrients from your food.  Your large intestine absorbs water. Both the nutrients and water are absorbed into your blood stream.  Your circulatory system takes the nutrients and water to your body parts.  Your blood is filtered through your kidneys.  Any waste material that passes through the kidneys is then mixed with urine and is excreted from the body.

5. Student responses will vary. Use the following rubric to grade student response.

Example:

In the tundra, you will find bearberry, mosses, Artic willow, polar bears, caribou, artic foxes, musk ox.  The sun, air, and snow also play roles in this ecosystem.  I think the most important part of the tundra ecosystem is the vegetation.  The tundra does not receive a lot of sunlight or precipitation.  The plants have large leaves to gather as much sunlight as possible in a short amount of time.  The snow stays frozen for a long time.  Without the vegetation, herbivores would die.  If the herbivores died, the carnivores would die as well.  I think this ecosystem relies on the vegetation to support itself.