Science
Variety and Classification
Variety of Things
There is a great variety of things around us.
Some of these things are similar to one another, while others are very different from
each other.
They can be similar or different in:
❖ Their size
❖ The environments where they are found or live in
❖ The type of food they eat
Classification of Things
These similarities and differences help us to put things into groups. This process of
grouping is called classification.
Living and Non-Living Things
In general, things around us can be classified into two main groups:
1. Living things
2. Non-living things
Things around us
Living Things Non-living Things
Animals Plants Fungi Plants Never alive Once alive
Groups of Living Things
Living things are things which are alive.
They are classified into four main groups.
1. Animals
● Animals can be found on land and in water
● However, some animals live both on land and in water.
● They come in different shapes, colors and sizes.
● They move in different ways such as swimming, flying and crawling.
● They also have different outer cover for examples shell, feather and hair.
● They reproduce either by laying eggs or giving birth to young alive.
2. Plants
● Plant grow on land and in water.
● Those grown in water can be floating on water, partially
submerge in water or completely submerge.
● They come in different shape and size.
● They can make their food because they have chlorophyll.
3. Fungi
● Fungi are either plants or animal
● They cannot make their own food as they do not have
chlorophyll
● They feed on or grow on plants and animals which are either
dead or alive.
● They come from different shapes, colors and sizes.
4. Microorganisms
● Microorganisms are very tiny living things that cannot be seen by our naked
eyes. We can only look at them through a microscope
● They can be found almost everywhere: in the air, water, soil, as well as in and
on plants and animals
Types of Non-Living Things
❖ Non-living things are things which are not alive.
❖ They are made of things that are never alive or once alive.
What Living Things Need
❖ Living things need food, air and water
❖ Plant make their own food in presence of sunlight, carbon dioxide and water
as they have cholorophyll
Classification of Animal
The animals around us differ from each other in body shapes and sizes, their living habitats
and the way they move. However, some of them do share similar characteristics.
These similarities enable us to classify them into groups.
The Need to Adapt
● Living condition vary in different places. Temperature, climate, availability of
food and presence of predators are different in different parts of the world.
● All living things must adapt to their environments.
● If they are unable to adapt, they will either move away to another place or
eventually die.
● Adaptation may be structural or behavioural.
❖ Structural adaptations refer to features which help an organisms to
survive. These include the structure of plants and characteristics that
animals were.
❖ Behavioural adaptations refer to changes in the behaviour of animals in
response to their surroundings.
Adaptation in Plants
Plants have adaptations that can help them to get sunlight, water and nutrients.
Flowering plants also have adaptations to get their flowers, pollinated and disperse
seeds.
Climbing plants may be supported by tendrils, thorns or clasping roots.
Tendrils are spirally-coiled structures growing from the stem. Examples of plants with
tendrils are cucumber and pumpkin plants.
Clasping roots give our a sticky substance which helps them cing to a support.
Examples of plants with clasping roots are money plant and pepper plant.
Creeping plants such as sweet potato have a long, thin stems which creep along the
surface of the ground to spread out the leaves.
Floating aquatic plants have adaptations to help them float and keep their leaves above
water to get sunlight. They have spongy and swollen leaf stalks that contain air spaces to
keep the plants afloat so that the leaves get plenty of sunlight.
Adaptation in Animals
Animals have adaptations to help them move, breathe, hunt, protect themselves, survive harsh climate and attract
mates.
❖ Adaptation for flying
➢ Birds have streamline bodies and strong wings to enable them to fly
➢ They have hollow but strong bones which lighten their weight thus making it easier for them to
fly
➢ Their wings are also covered with feathers which keep their muscles warm during flight\
➢ Flight less birds like penguins and ostrich cannot fly because they are too heavy and have
underdeveloped wings
❖ Adaptation for Swimming
➢ Fishes have fins and a tall to help them maintain balance in water and swim
➢ Ducks, frogs and seagulls have webbed feet to help them to push water backwards as they
swim forward
➢ Other animals such as dolphins and seals have flippers to help them paddle in water
➢ Penguins have both webbed feet and modified wings that act as flippers
Walrus does not have much hairs on its tough skin but has thick layers of fats called blubber
to keep it warm
Camel has a thin body covering that shields and insulates it from the scorching heat in the day
in desert. It drinks a lot of water at a time, and sweats and urinates very little to prevent water
lost
