UNIT 7. HUMAN BEINGS (3º E.P.)

UNIT 7 – HUMAN BEINGS

OUR BODY

THE SHAPE OF OUR BODY

Our body has three main parts:

-      The head is big and inside is the brain.

-      The trunk is flexible.

-      The limbs are long and flexible.

The bodies of boys and girls are very similar but they have different genitals.

-      Girls have a vagina.

-      Boys have a penis and testicles.

Women have little hair and breasts which produce milk. Men have lots of body hair.

THE STAGES OF LIFE

1.   GESTATION

We are in our mother’s womb for nine months. There, the body forms and grows. At the end of the nine months we are born.

2.   CHILDHOOD

Till we are 12-13 years old. We grow from babies to children. We learn to talk, read, think and do things by ourselves.

3.   ADOLESCENCE

Between 13-20 years old. The body stops growing and changing. We look like adults.

4.   ADULTHOOD

Between 20-70 years old. We slowly get older.

5.  OLD AGE

From 70 years old. At the end of this stage we die.

OUR SKELETON

Our skeleton is the combination of all the bones in our body.

The skeleton has two main functions:

-      It supports the body and maintains its shape.

-      It protects the vital organs (brain, heart, lungs)

OUR MUSCLES

Our muscles are underneath the skin and cover our skeleton.

Many of them are connected to our bones. They help us move. Other muscles make our heart beat or open and close our eyes.

All our muscles together are called our musculature.

The combination of the skeleton and the muscles is called the locomotor system. It allows us to move from one place to another, talk, breathe, etc.

UNIT 6. PLANTS (3º E.P.)

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A PLANT

THE PARTS OF A PLANT

Plants have three parts: the roots, a stem and leaves.

*  The roots absorb water and minerals from the soil.

*  The stem supports the leaves. Water and minerals pass through the stem to the leaves. There are two types of stems:

- Hard stems: are called woody.

- Soft stems: are called herbaceous.

*  The leaves grow from the stem and branches and are usually green.

HOW A PLANT FEEDS

-  The roots absorb water and minerals from the soil.

-  Water and minerals go up through the stem to the leaves.

-  The leaves absorb carbon dioxide from the air.

In the leaves, the plant uses energy from The Sun and the substances it absorbs to make its own food. This process is called photosynthes and needs a substance called chlorophyll which is in the leaves and soft stems.

HOW A PLANT REPRODUCES

To reproduce, most plants grow flowers in spring. Flowers have different parts:

-  Petals are coloured. A group of petals is the corolla.

-  Sepals are small green leaves. A group of sepals is the calyx.

-  Stamens make pollen.

-  Pistil is the place where the fruit grows.

The seeds grow inside the fruit. When the fruit falls to the ground a new plant grows from the seed.

FRUITS AND SEEDS

Each plant produces a different fruit.

We classify fruits in two groups:

v  Fleshy fruit is juicy because it has a lot of water like pears, apples, melons, etc.

v  Nuts do not have a lot of water like acorns, nuts.

Seeds are inside fruit.

Some fruits have only one seed, such as peach, avocado, plum. Others have a lot of seeds.

Some seeds are soft, like tomato. Others, like lemmon, are hard.

THE LIFE OF A PLANT

HOW A PLANT GROWS

Plants need sunlight, water and the right kind of soil to grow.

During the life of a plant:

-  The stem grows taller and thicker. Branches grow from the stem.

-  The roots grow down into the ground. They divide into smaller roots, like branches.

-  The leaves get bigger and new leaves grow.

-  The plant grows fruit and reproduces.

Some plants are small and live for a short time. Other plants are and grow very big and live for a very long time.

TYPES OF PLANTS

There are many different types of plants. One way to classify is by size:

·  Grasses, or herbs, are the smallest plants (green, thin and flexible stem) like chamomile, reeds.

·      Bushes, or shrubs, are bigger than grasses (thin and woody stem with branches), like cactus, broom.

·      Trees are the biggest plants, they have trunk and branches, like pines, oaks.

Vegetation is the name of all different plants that grow in a particular place.

UNIT 5. ANIMALS (3º E.P.)

UNIT 5 – ANIMALS

WHAT IS A VERTEBRATE?

Vertebrates are animals that have a spinal column and a skeleton formed from bones. The skeleton holds up and protects the body.

Classifying vertebrates

We can classify vertebrates in different ways:

●How they breathe

- Some vertebrates breathe in water through gills

- Others breathe air through lungs

- Amphibians can breathe through their skin.

●What they eat

- Carnivores eat other animals. Wolves are carnivores.

- Hervibores eat plants. Cows are herbivores.

- Omnivores eat both plants and animals. (for example: Humans beings).

● How they reproduce

- Oviparous: their babies are born from eggs.

- Viviparous: their babies are born from their mother’s womb.

The five groups of vertebrates and their characteristics

● Fish

- They live in the water.

- They breathe through gills.

- Their skin is scales.

- They have fins to swim.

- Most of them are oviparous.

● Amphibians

- They can live in water and on land.

- Their babies live in the water and breathe through gills.

- The adults breathe through lungs and through their skin.

- They are oviparous.

● Reptiles

- A lot of reptiles live on land and some in water.

- They breathe through lungs.

- Their skin is covered in scales and some have a shell.

- They are oviparous.

● Birds

- They live on land and in the air.

- They breathe through lungs.

- They have feathers and wings.

- They are oviparous.

● Mammals

- A lot of live on land, some in water.

- They breathe through lungs.

- Their body is covered in skin and fur.

- Most are viviparous.

- Their babies feed on their mother’s milk.

WHAT IS AN INVERTEBRATE?

Invertebrates are animals that do not have a spinal column or a skeleton made of bones.

Characteristics in common:

● They have a soft body.

● Many of them have a shell or exoskeleton to protect their soft bodies.

Classifying invertebrates

We can classify invertebrates in similar ways to vertebrates:

●What they eat:

They are carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.

● How they breathe:

Some breathe through their skin, others through gills, and others through lungs.

● How they reproduce:

All invertebrates are oviparous. Their offspring are called larva. When they grow, some of them change shape.

Some invertebrates and their characteristics:

● Jellyfish

- They have simple bodies, in the shape of a bag.

- They have long poisonous tentacles.

● Worms

- They are very long and thin.

- Some live in water, some on land, and some inside other animals.

● Molluscs

- They normally have shells.

- Some live in water, some on the land.

● Arthropods

- They have a hard cover, or exoskeleton, that protects their body.

UNIT 4. LIFE ON EARTH (3º E.P.)

UNIT 4 – LIFE ON EARTH

A PLANET FULL OF LIFE

Why is there life on Earth?

* It is a temperate planet: not too hot and not too cold.

* It has a lot of water.

* The atmosphere protects and maintains living things.

All living things form the biosphere.

The habitat is the place where living things live. There are water and land habitats.

Water habitats

- Oceans and seas: living things are all adapted to salt water.

- Rivers and lakes: living things are all adapted to fresh water.

Some land habitats

- Deserts: are very dry.

- Jungles: are warm and very humid.

- Polar regions: are very cold.

- Mountains: are cold and there is little air.

- Savannas: are warm and dry.

- Caves: are dark and underground.

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LIVING THINGS

Living things and non-living things

On Earth there are living things like plants and animals.

Living things are born, grow, reproduce and die. Examples: animals and plants.

Non-living things: are not born, they do not eat, grow, reproduce or die. Examples: cars, rocks.

There are natural non-living things like the sun, rocks and man-made non-living things like cars, a book.

The characteristics of living things

All living things have three vital functions: nutrition, reproduction and interaction.

- Nutrition: to take substances to obtain energy and grow. Then they excrete the waste products.

- Reproduction: living things produce babies with the same characteristics. They reproduce in different ways.

- Interaction: living things interact with others.

PLANTS, ANIMALS AND OTHER LIVING THINGS

What kinds of living things are there?

We classify living things in groups depending on their common characteristics.

Plants and animals

Most living things are divided into two big groups: plants and animals. All plants and animals have characteristics in common.

Plants

- They make their own food.

- They usually have roots, stems and leaves.

- They do not have senses.

- They are usually green.

- They can react to their surroundings but they don’t move.

- They usually reproduce by seeds.

Animals

- They obtain their food from other living things.

- They have senses.

- They react to their surroundings and can usually move.

- They reproduce from eggs or in their mother’s body.

Other living things

Apart from animals and plants there are many other kinds of living things like bacteria, algae and fungi.

- Bacteria: are microscopic. Some cause illnesses and others live inside us and help.

- Algae are similar to plants, but they don’t have roots, stems or leaves. They are usually very small, but some are very big.

- Fungi: they feed on other living things. They don’t have senses or move from one place to another.

UNIT 3. AIR AND WATER (3º E.P.)

-UNIT 3 – AIR AND WATER

THE ATMOSPHERE

What is the atmosphere?

The atmosphere is made of air and other elements such as water vapour.

Air is a mixture of different gases:

• Nitrogen.

• Oxygen.

• Carbon dioxide (small amounts) and other gases.

Atmospheric phenomena

The atmospheric phenomena are the changes of the atmosphere. Some examples are: wind, cloud, precipitation.

-      The Sun heats liquid water and it turns into water vapour.

-      Clouds form when the water vapour in the atmosphere gets cold and turns into liquid water (drops).

-       Precipitation: when the drops of water in the clouds are too big they fall rain. If the droops freeze as balls of ice, they fall as hail. If the drops freeze as crystals of ice, they fall as snow.

-      Wind: there is wind when The Sun heats the air and it moves.

Atmospheric pollution

Human beings cause damage to the atmosphere. This is called atmospheric pollution:

-      Smoke and poisonous gases from factories, cars.

-      Polluted air is dangerous for human beings to breathe.

-      Polluted water vapour that falls to The Earth as rain and snow can be dangerous for our health and the planet.

THE HYDROSPHERE: THE WATER ON EARTH

The water on Earth

There are two types of water:

• Surface water: oceans, seas, rivers, lakes, ice and snow. There is also water in clouds.

• Underground water: is water under the surface of The Earth.

Salt water and fresh water

There are two types of Surface water:

• Salt water is water that contains lots of salt (in the seas and oceans).

• Fresh water is water that contains little salt (in rivers, lakes and underground).

We use water

Human beings need to drink water. But we also use water

• at home: to drink, to cook, to wash ourselves, to water plants at home.

• in agriculture and farming: to water the crops and for animals to drink.

• in towns and cities: to water gardens, clean streets and buildings, to fill swimming pools…

• in industry: to make things, clean factories and machines.

THE WATER CYCLE

The changing states of water

Because of the heat of The Sun, water continuously changes its state in nature:

• Evaporation: The Sun heats the water and it becomes water vapour in the atmosphere.

• Condensation: The water vapour cools down and forms drops of water which become clouds. The drops fall as rain.

• Solidification: When the drops of water in the clouds are very cold they become ice. They fall as snow and hail.

• Melting: The Sun heats the snow and ice and it becomes liquid water.

What is the water cycle?

The water cycle is the movement of water through the hydrosphere, the atmosphere and The Earth’s crust.

There are four stages:

• The Sun heats the liquid water on the surface of The Earth; the water evaporates and the water vapour in the atmosphere.

• Water vapour condenses and form clouds.

• The water in the clouds falls to the ground as precipitation (rain, snow and hail).

• Water runs across The Earth’s surface or infiltrates it.

The cycle starts again.

UNIT 2. LANDSCAPES, MAPS AND PLANS (3ºE.P.)

UNIT 2 – LANDSCAPES, MAPS AND PLANS

Landscapes

The elements of a landscape

-         A landscape is a large area of land we can see from a certain place.

-         The different elements of a landscape are:

* Terrain: mountains, plains, valleys, etc.

* Water: rivers, seas, lakes, etc.

* Vegetation (plants) and fauna (animals).

* Man-made elements: villages, roads, farms, etc.

Types of landscapes

There are different types of landscapes:

-         Inland landscapes: with terrain elements like :

·        Mountains: high area of land with a peak and the sides are slopes.

·        Valleys: flat land between two mountains.

·        Mountain ranges: group of mountains.

·        Hills: a high area of land.

·        Plains: area of flat land

-     Coastal landscapes: with terrain elements like:

·        Beaches: area next to the sea formed of sand of stones.

·        Cape: the land comes into the sea.

·        Bays: the sea comes into the land.

·        Cliffs: high and rocky land next to the sea.

·        Islands: area of land with water on all sides.

-         Mountain landscapes are areas of very high land.

-         Desert landscapes are areas very dry with not much vegetation.

-         Urban landscapes are areas with towns, cities and villages.

Maps and Plans

Maps and Plans are drawings which show an area from above.

-         A plan is a drawing which shows a small area, as for example, a room, the streets in a town, a public transport (underground, train, etc.)

-         A map is a drawing which shows a large area, as for example, a province, a country, a continent o even the world.

Maps and plans are used to give us information using a key.

·        A map of the world

There are five continents: America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. In each continent there are different countries.

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