Grade 6

Science Exam
Preparation:
Please use this prep pack alongside the LMS for
your review.
Below you will find a summarized version of
lessons 13 - 22 to assist you in your revision.
Good Luck!

Name: ………………………………………………………………

School: ……………………………………………………………..

Class: …………………………………………………………………

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 Living Things:

Life processes - The 7 characteristics that all living things (organisms)

share that are not shared with non-living organisms.

Movement - Animals run, jump, walk and

M - Movement
climb when looking for food, shelter, and
mates. R - Respiration
Plants move more slowly. Leaves move S - Sensitivity
towards sunlight. Roots move toward water
and nutrients. G - Growth
R - Reproduction
Reproduction - Animals usually reproduce E - Excretion
sexually involving a male and female of the
N - Nutrition
same species.
Plants reproduce by pollination and
fertilization.

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Sensitivity - Animals usually have 5 senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing
and smell.
Plants react to light, temperature, water, gravity and chemical substances.

Growth - Animals are always growing by cell division.

Plants grow from seeds to mature plants by germination.

Respiration - In animals, oxygen is taken in and used to release energy

from food. Carbon dioxide and water are excreted (waste).
In plants, oxygen is taken in and used to release energy from food.
Carbon dioxide and water are excreted (waste).

Excretion - Animals remove waste through the skin and using the lungs,
liver, kidneys and intestines.
Plants remove oxygen, water and toxins through their stomata (holes on
the leafs surface).

Nutrition - Animals eat food to get nutrients which are used for growth
and energy.
Plants get their nutrients from the soil through their roots.

Specialized Cells:

Cells - the building blocks of all life forms.

Specialized Cells - cells that have a special shape and special features that
help them to do their particular job.

Animal Cell:

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Cytoplasm - contains organelles. Organelles do particular jobs.

Nucleus - the control centre and stores the DNA.

Cell Membrane - surrounds the cell and holds the cell together and acts
as a gatekeeper. (It controls what can enter and leave.)

Mitochondria - This is where cellular respiration takes place. They take

glucose, break it down, and create energy.

Plant Cell:

Cell Wall - the protective outer layer of a plant cell. It gives the cell
strength, shape and structure.

Permanent Vacuole - a bag that stores waste and gives colour to the cells.

Chloroplasts - contain a green pigment (colour) called Chlorophyll and are

found in leaf cells. They perform photosynthesis - take in carbon dioxide
and water to produce glucose and oxygen.

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 Comparing Animal Cells and Plant Cells

Animal cells and plant cells share some of the same features:
 Nucleus
 Cytoplasm
 Mitochondria
 Cell membrane

However, the plant cell has some exclusive, unique features which animal
cells do not have:
 Chloroplasts
 Permanent vacuole
 Cell Wall

Ciliated Cell:

They line all the air passages down to the lungs.

They have tiny hairs called cilia.
They are designed to stop Lung Damage.
Hairs sweep mucus with trapped dust and bacteria
back up the throat to be swallowed.

Root Hair Cell:

Large surface area to absorb lots of water.

Thin cell wall to allow water to pass through easily.
Doesn’t contain any chloroplasts unlike all other plant
cells.
They absorb minerals and water from soil.

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 Red Blood Cell:

Large surface area.

Contains haemoglobin which picks up oxygen.
Has no nucleus to make room for more oxygen.
Carries oxygen from the lungs to the body and
carbon dioxide from the body back to the lungs.

Sperm Cell:

Have a long tail so they can swim to find an egg.

There are enzymes (like scissors) in the head of the
sperm to help the sperm get into the egg.
They carry the father’s genetic information (DNA) to the
egg.

Palisade Cell:

Found in the top of a leaf.

Tall and has a large surface area to catch as much sunlight as
possible.
Packed with chloroplasts to absorb sunlight.
They carry out photosynthesis to help make food for the plant.

Egg (Ovum) Cell:

Contains yolk that acts as a food source for the developing

embryo (baby) when fertilised.
Much larger than other animal cells.
Carries the mother’s DNA.

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 Nerve Cell:

These are extremely long cells.

They have many branches at both ends to
connect to other nerve cells.
The long axis (main branch) is covered in fat to
prevent the electrical impulses affecting the
surrounding parts of your body.
They carry nerve impulses around your body.

White Blood Cell:

These cells are found in your blood.

They are attracted to diseases and
bacteria that enter your body.
They then ‘eat’ any bacteria/disease so
the microbe can’t infect you and make
you ill.

Levels of Organisation - Cells to Organisms:

Level 1 - The Cell:

The cell is the basic unit from which all living things are made.

Unicellular - An organism that only has one cell.

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 Level 2 - Tissue:

When cells of the same type are grouped together, they form a tissue.

In animals:
Muscle cells together make muscle tissue.
Nerve cells together make nerve tissue.

In plants:
Root hair cells together make root hair tissues.
Xylem cells together make xylem tissues.

Level 3 - Organs:

Different tissues group together to do a job and they make an organ.

In animals:
Muscle, fat, and nerve tissues work together to make the heart.

In plants:
Root hair and xylem tissues work together to make the roots.

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 Both Plants and Animals have organs:

Level 4 - Organ Systems:

An organ system is a group of organs that work together.

In animals:
Circulatory system (Moves blood around the body to transport oxygen,
carbon dioxide, nutrients)
Respiratory system (The system for gas exchange)
Nervous system (Controls the body. Senses information from the world
around you),
Digestive system (Breaks down and absorbs nutrients from food)
Skeletal system (Supports and protects the body and vital organs. Makes
blood cells)
and more…

In plants:
Water transport system (transports water and minerals from the roots up
the plant stem)
Root system (supports the plant and absorbs water and minerals)

Level 5 - Organism:

An organism is another name for a living thing.

All organisms share the same 7 characteristics. (MRS GREN)

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 Microbes:

Microbes are single celled organisms (unicellular), living things made up

of only one cell.

Also called microorganisms or microscopic organisms.

Microbes can be found almost everywhere on Earth.

There are four main groups of microbes:

Bacteria
Viruses
Fungi
Protozoa

Pandemic - The fast spread of a disease

across the world.

Bacteria:

Bacteria do not have a nucleus and most have a cell wall.

They come in many different shapes including rods, spirals and spheres.

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Bacteria need to absorb nutrients or energy from the environment to
survive and reproduce.
Bacteria can multiply extremely fast, as fast as once every 20 minutes.

Good bacteria - make vitamins, digest food, kill the bad bacteria, keep
your heart and brain healthy along with helping us sleep and improving
our mood.

Bad bacteria (Pathogens) - attack your body and make you sick.

Antibiotics - medicine taken for bacterial pathogens. Antibiotics either kill

pathogens or stop them from reproducing.

Viruses:

Viruses cannot survive for long outside an

organism.
They need to be in the cells of an organism to
reproduce.

Viruses do not have a nucleus, instead they

have either DNA or RNA, which is used for
reproduction.

They have organelles like spikes which they use to attach to cells.

Viruses are pathogens. They cause disease in the organisms they infect.

Vaccine - medicine taken for viral pathogens. Scientists create vaccines

using a weak or dead form of the virus and sometimes parts of the virus.

Fungi:

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They can be single celled organisms and multi celled organisms.

Fungus - single celled organism

Fungi - multi celled organism

They absorb nutrients from whatever they grow on.

The spores of fungi are used for reproduction.

Protozoa:

Protozoa are single-celled organisms that are either free-living or

parasitic.

Free-living - they only consume parts of organisms and are not

dangerous.
Parasitic - they feed on other living organisms and microorganisms and
can be harmful.

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 Plant Biology:

The three main parts of a plant are the:

Roots - absorb water and minerals from the

soil and hold the plant into the ground.

Leaves - collect energy from the Sun and

make food for the plant by a process called
photosynthesis.

Leaves are usually green due to the green chlorophyll inside.

Leaves are usually flat and thin to absorb as much sunlight as possible for
photosynthesis.

Stem - supports the plant above ground, stores food and transports the
water and minerals to the leaves.

Plant Adaptations:

Adaptations are special characteristics that allow plants to live and

survive in particular conditions and environments.

Plants adapt to help:

Get sunlight, water, air and nutrients
Not be eaten
Stay rooted in the ground
Reproduce

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Phototropism is a form of adaptation and it
means that a plant will grow towards
available light.

Photosynthesis:

Photosynthesis is the process by which green

plants make their own food.

Plants that make their own food are called

producers.

What plants need for photosynthesis:

Energy from the sun.
Carbon dioxide from the air.
Water and minerals from the soil.
Chlorophyll in the chloroplasts help to absorb light energy.

Photosynthesis occurs in the leaves of

plants.
Small holes called stomata on the
underside of a leaf allow gases in and out.
Stomata take in carbon dioxide from the
air.
Water vapor and oxygen passes out of the
leaf through stomata.

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 Transpiration:

Transpiration is the movement of water

throughout a plant.

Water enters through the roots.

It moves up the stem.
It travels to the leaves.
It evaporates from the leaves into the air.

Plants need water for a number of reasons:

Chemical reactions - such as photosynthesis.
To transport nutrients throughout the plant.
To cool the leaves.
For support.

Transpiration Steps:

Step 1:

Water enters the roots by a process called osmosis.

Osmosis is a process by which molecules pass through a membrane from
a less concentrated solution into a more concentrated one.

Root hair cells have large surface areas and thin cell walls which help to
absorb water and minerals.

Step 2:

Water and nutrients pass from the root hair cells and into long tubes
called xylem vessels.

Root pressure pushes water through the xylem and up to the leaves.
Step 3:

Water flows from the xylem vessels through the leaf cells and out of the
stoma by evaporation.

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There are two important properties of water which make it possible for it
to move up the plant.

Transpiration in the Stem:

Plants have transport systems to move

food, water and minerals around.

Xylem tubes transport water and

dissolved minerals from the roots to
leaves.

Phloem tubes transport sugars made in

the leaves around the plant.

Ecology:

Ecology is the study of the relationship between organisms and their

habitat or ecosystem.
Ecologists are the scientists that study the relationship between
organisms and their habitat or ecosystem.

Ecosystems are areas made up of different plants and animals and other
non-living parts of the environment.

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Ecologists use 3 main methods of research to track changes in
ecosystems, they are:

Observation
The ecologist goes to the ecosystem and studies (observes) the
organisms and how they live.

Modeling
This happens in the laboratory with computers and maths.
The ecologist uses the data that they collected through sampling to make
predictions.

Experimentation
Experiments can be carried out either in the lab or in nature.
Experimenting in the ecosystem will give better results

Some examples of experiments include:

Changing the soil to see if plants grow bigger and faster.
Bringing a new species to the ecosystem.
Controlling the number of pests.

Sampling:
Sampling is when you count the number of organisms in a small part of
the ecosystem and then use that data to estimate the total population.

The three main techniques are:

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1. Quadrats:
Quadrats are used to sample organisms that do
not move fast, such as plants or snails.

2. Capture-mark-recapture
Used to sample animals that move fast (they capture and mark the
animal, then they release them).
The animals are marked with paint, a tag or GPS tracker.

3. Nets & traps

Used to sample smaller animals such as insects, they use sweep nets,
pooter traps and pitfalls.

Populations:

A population is the number of organisms of the same species living in the

same area at the same time.
There are three main factors that cause populations in an ecosystem to
increase or decrease:

Birth rates - Birth rates depend on food, water, the time of year and even
the available space.

Death rates - Death rates depend on factors such as disease, extreme

weather, accidents, starvation or dehydration, predators and more.

Migration - Migration is when animals move

from one place to another.Animals usually
migrate to a similar habitat to find food and
water.Some animals migrate when the
seasons change to avoid really cold
temperatures.

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