Year 8 Science · Unit 1 · Lesson 3

Organ Systems

Challenge Worksheet

Name

Date

Class

Learning Goals

Predict cascading effects of organ system failure across the whole organism.
Apply knowledge of interdependence to reason through unfamiliar scenarios.
Use precise scientific language to justify predictions about living systems.

Go Deeper

What if…?

Scenario

Imagine the circulatory system of a mammal, say, a wombat, stopped working completely for 10 minutes. The heart stopped pumping, blood stopped moving through the blood vessels, and no substances were transported around the body at all. All other organ systems were initially still trying to function normally.

Using what you know from this lesson, predict and explain the cascade effect on every other major organ system if the circulatory system stopped for 10 minutes. Work through the systems in a logical order. Use scientific terms such as oxygen, glucose, waste removal, nerve signals, and interdependence in your answer.

Challenge 6 marks

Show What You Know

1. The Australian lungfish (Neoceratodus forsteri) found in Queensland can breathe air using a primitive lung when oxygen levels in its river habitat drop. Explain how this primitive respiratory organ helps the lungfish survive, and predict what would happen to its circulatory system during this period of air-breathing.

Challenge 4 marks

2. A student argues: "An organ system is just a bigger organ." Write a clear, logical argument that shows why this is incorrect. Use at least two specific organ system examples in your answer.

Challenge 3 marks

Wrap Up

In one sentence, what was the main idea of this lesson?