Notes on the story – Organise and stay alive

Organise and stay alive

Links to the story Key Stage 2 and 3 programmes of study Possible learning outcomes Big ideas
Organise and stay alive the…organisation of multicellular organisms (KS3) Know that living organisms are very organised

Appreciate that living organisms are alive because they are organised and that they stay alive only when their parts function together correctly
organisms are organised

what is life?
  Another key theme of the story so nowhere is the idea that living organisms have very highly organised structures, that enable the characteristics of life to emerge. The stories use the idea that living organisms are collections of processes, that interact together. The characteristics of living organisms emerge when these processes integrate and work together. For this to happen, the various parts of living organisms need to work together precisely in both space and in time. This story begins to introduce that key idea. The ability of the watch to tell the time depends upon the parts of the watch working together in a very precise and organised way. If the parts cannot do this, then the watch will not keep time. Cells, tissues, organs, organisms and ecosystems are all collections of interacting processes, and each show unique characteristics of life. This depends upon the various parts of the systems working together in integrated and controlled ways.