Life Science

Genre Comprehension Skill Text Features Science Content

Nonfiction Draw Conclusions • Labels Cells to Systems

• Captions
• Diagrams
• Glossary

Scott Foresman Science 5.2

ISBN 0-328-13919-X

ì<(sk$m)=bdjbje< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U by Erika Alexander

Vocabulary What did you learn?
cell membrane
Cells to Systems
1. What are some things that cells need that you need too?
cell wall by Erika Alexander
2. Why do nerve cells have long, branching shapes?
chloroplast
3. Name three important jobs that your bones do.
cytoplasm
4. Every cell in your body needs food.
nucleus
On your own paper, write to explain how the food gets to
organ each of your cells.
organ system 5. Draw Conclusions Your bones and muscles work to
tissue let you move. What do you think would happen if you didn’t
have any bones? or if you didn’t have any muscles?
vacuole

Illustrations: Title Page, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 Leonello Calvetti

Photographs: Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for
photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its
attention in subsequent editions. Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott
Foresman, a division of Pearson Education. Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom
(B), Left (L), Right (R) Background (Bkgd)
Opener: ©Dr. Fred Hossler/Visuals Unlimited 2 (BR) ©Dr. Fred Hossler/Visuals Unlimited, (Bkgd)
©Michael Webb/Visuals Unlimited; 6 (BL) ©Dr. Dennis Kunkel/Visuals Unlimited, (BC, BR) ©David
Phillips/Visuals Unlimited; 7 (CL) ©Susumu Nishinaga/Photo Researchers, Inc., (CR) ©RDF/Visuals
Unlimited, (CL) ©Dr. Dennis Kunkel/Visuals Unlimited; 8 (BL) ©Quest/Photo Researchers, Inc., (CR)
©Veronika Burmeister/Visuals Unlimited; 11 (TL) ©Dr. Fred Hossler/Visuals Unlimited, (CC) ©Dr. Richard
Kessel & Dr. Randy Kardon/Visuals Unlimited, (BL) ©Dr. Donald Fawcett/Visuals Unlimited

ISBN: 0-328-13919-X

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is
protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior
to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any
form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For
information regarding permissions, write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman,
1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

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What is inside a cell?
Cells and Their Functions
A cell is the smallest living part of any living thing. Some Cells use materials in food to grow and to repair wounds.
organisms have only a single cell. Animals and plants may Cells also need energy. They mix food with oxygen to get
have trillions. Most cells are so small they can’t be seen without energy. This process is called respiration. Carbon dioxide and
a microscope. water are also made by this process. The energy that cells make
Cells have the same needs as all life forms, and they contain is used for growing, moving, and dividing into new cells.
tiny parts to help them meet their needs. Cells need food to
survive, just like you. All cells have parts that move inside of
them, and some cells can even move on their own. Cells can
respond to changes around them, and can even communicate
with other cells to get a job done.
2 3
The Parts of Cells The Size of Cells
All cells have some of the same parts. Each part has a special Cells must be big enough to hold all their parts, but not too
job to do. Many of the jobs are similar to the jobs our larger big. If a cell is too big, food and oxygen are not able to reach
body parts do. For example, you have skin to protect you, a the middle of the cell fast enough to keep it alive.
digestive system to process food, and a system of nerves to
control everything.
Vacuoles sometimes
The cell membrane, which surrounds the cell, acts like a
Mitochondria combine break down and
gate. It opens to let food and oxygen in and to let wastes out. store material. In
oxygen and food to
The nucleus of a cell contains chromosomes. Chromosomes produce energy in plant cells, they
Almost every cell
are made of DNA, a chemical that is shaped like a twisted the process of cellular may store water.
nucleus in your body
ladder. The chromosomes carry the information a cell needs respiration. has 46 chromosomes.
to do its job. Each chromosome has sections called genes that
carry units of information. Almost every cell in your body has
the same genes. These genes pass from one generation to the
next in a process called heredity.
Plant cells have some special parts that animal cells do
not have. They have a tough cell wall surrounding their cell
membrane. This gives plants extra support. They also have
chloroplasts, which plants use to make food. Chloroplasts
use sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar and
oxygen. The plant gets its energy from the sugar.

Cytoplasm is all the material of the The cell membrane

cell between the cell membrane can be compared
and the nucleus. to your skin.

4 5
How do cells work together? Special Cell
Structures
Types of Cells and Their Work
The shapes of cells help them do different jobs. Some cells
have special parts to help them do their job.
Very long cells are called branching cells. Nerve cells have
branching shapes to help them send messages through the
body. Their great length allows signals to be sent very quickly
between different parts of the body.
Cells that have a smooth round shape are called round cells.
Red blood cells are round. They act like saucers to pick up and There are hairlike structures in
carry oxygen. Their smooth shape helps them move through your ears that bend when sound
blood vessels. waves make vibrations. When
they bend, nerve signals travel to
A third kind of cell is called a flat cell. These cells join
your brain.
together to cover a surface. A layer of flat cells is very strong yet
flexible. Your skin is made of flat cells.

Muscle cells contain long

fibers. These fibers can move
to make the cell shorter. The
Cilia are some
fibers are not very strong by
other tiny hairlike
themselves. But they work
structures. Cilia wave
together in each cell. Then
back and forth to
many cells work together to
sweep dirt and germs
make the muscle strong.
out of your airways.

This nerve cell is a This red blood cell is This skin cell is a
branching cell. a round cell. flat cell.

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Cells Form Tissues Skin Cell Tissue
Often the same kind of cells work together to do the same Skin cells form in
job. When cells work together, they form a tissue. Nerve cells many layers. The top
work together to form nerve tissue. A group of bone cells make section alone has about
up bone tissue. 25 layers! New cells
form in the bottom layer
Tissues Form Organs and push the other cells
Tissues join with other tissues to form organs. Your body’s outward and away from
organs do many important jobs. Your heart, eyes, ears, and the blood supply. Cells
stomach are all organs. Your skin is the largest organ you have. are dead when they
Plants have tissues and organs too. Plant organs include stems, reach the surface. Dead
roots, leaves, and flowers. cells simply fall off, but they
are always being replaced by
new cells from below. It takes about
Hair follicle one month for skin cells to be pushed
Hair forms inside cells in to the surface.
hair follicles. As new cells
form, old ones are pushed Other Tissues in the Skin
out. The hair you see is
dead tissue. Your skin is more than just layers of flat skin cells. Skin has
many tissues working together to do many jobs. Your skin
prevents germs from entering your body. It also keeps too much
water from leaving. Nerve tissue allows your skin to sense
touch, pressure, and temperature. Oil glands make oil that
keeps your skin soft. The hair on your skin stands up when you
get cold, trapping air next to the skin to keep you warm. This
Sweat gland pore is what we call goosebumps. It is caused by muscles in the skin
Sweat leaves your skin
pulling the hair upright.
through pores. It then
evaporates from your
skin, helping to keep
you cool.

8 9
 Muscles work together.
How do organs work Squeeze your fist tight. Several
muscles work together to make
together? your fingers form a fist. Can you
feel the muscles get tight in your
lower arm?
Organ Systems
In your body, many cells work together in tissues. Many
tissues work together in organs. An organ system is a
group of organs that work together to perform important
jobs for your body.

Bones Form a System

Each of your bones is an organ. About two hundred
bones work together in your skeletal system. This system
supports your body. It also protects other organs from being
damaged.

Muscles Work as a System

Your muscles are part of a system too. The job
of your muscles is to move your body. Your body
has about 640 muscles in it. Different muscles
work together when your brain tells them you
want to run or jump. Sometimes muscles
work without your brain telling them to.
For example, if you are cold, your muscles
Bone cells
might shiver, helping to keep you warm. Between the bone cells is a hard
You shiver without even thinking about it. material that has lots of calcium.
This material makes bones hard.
Other parts of the body, such as
muscles, also use calcium from
blood to do their work. Bones
Bones work together. store calcium until the level of
This is a cutaway view of calcium in the blood is low.
where the bone in your leg
meets the bone in your hip.

10 11
Organ Systems Work Together
Sometimes organ systems need to work together to do more
difficult jobs. Your skeletal system and muscle system need to
work together so you can move. Your bones provide support,
and your muscles move your bones. You need both systems to
move your arm or any other part of your body.
Two or more muscles have the job of moving a bone in
opposite directions. Muscles move bones by pulling on them. Bone marrow
They never push.

Other Systems Work Together

In your body, many systems must work together. For
example, you know that your muscles work with your bones to
make you move. But the muscles would not work if they didn’t
receive messages telling them what to do. Your nervous system
carries these messages from the brain and spinal cord.
Some organs might belong to two organ systems. Your heart
pumps your blood, so it is part of the circulatory system. But
it is also a muscle, so it is also part of your muscle system.
Your bones make up your skeletal system, but they also do an
important job for the circulatory system. A soft material called
marrow is found inside some of your bones. Marrow makes red
and white blood cells for the circulatory system.

12 13
 Muscles Flex and Extend It is amazing to think about all the work that cells do in your
body. Tiny cells work together to form tissues. Tissues team up
When you bend your elbow, your biceps muscle pulls your
and make organs. Your organs work with each other and form
arm up. When you straighten your arm again, your triceps
organ systems. This teamwork is what makes it possible for
muscles are pulling. Muscles work in pairs to bend your wrist
your body to do all the things you need it to do.
and rotate your arm too.

Biceps

Biceps

Triceps
Triceps

14 15
Glossary
Vocabulary What did you learn?
cell
cellmembrane
membrane surrounds the cell and allows things to pass 1. What are some things that cells need that you need too?
in and out
cell wall
2. Why do nerve cells have long, branching shapes?
cell wall strong wall provides support and protection
chloroplast
for plant cells 3. Name three important jobs that your bones do.
cytoplasm
chloroplast green part of a plant cell that uses energy
4. Every cell in your body needs food.
nucleus from sunlight to turn water and carbon
On your own paper, write to explain how the food gets to
dioxide into oxygen and sugar
organ each of your cells.
cytoplasm everything between the cell membrane and
organ system the nucleus 5. Draw Conclusions Your bones and muscles work to
tissue let you move. What do you think would happen if you didn’t
nucleus the part of a cell that contains DNA
have any bones? or if you didn’t have any muscles?
vacuole
organ a group of different tissues that join
together to do a main job in the body
organ system a group of organs that work together to do
an important job
tissue a group of the same kind of cells working
together doing the same job
Illustrations: Title Page, 5, 7, 9, 12, 15 Leonello Calvetti
vacuole Every effort has been
Photographs: a cell
madepart that
to secure stores
permission andand
providebreaks down
appropriate credit for
photographic material. The publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its
materials
attention in subsequent editions. Unless otherwise acknowledged, all photographs are the property of Scott
Foresman, a division of Pearson Education. Photo locators denoted as follows: Top (T), Center (C), Bottom
(B), Left (L), Right (R) Background (Bkgd)
Opener: ©Dr. Fred Hossler/Visuals Unlimited 2 (BR) ©Dr. Fred Hossler/Visuals Unlimited, (Bkgd)
©Michael Webb/Visuals Unlimited; 6 (BL) ©Dr. Dennis Kunkel/Visuals Unlimited, (BC, BR) ©David
Phillips/Visuals Unlimited; 7 (CL) ©Susumu Nishinaga/Photo Researchers, Inc., (CR) ©RDF/Visuals
Unlimited, (CL) ©Dr. Dennis Kunkel/Visuals Unlimited; 8 (BL) ©Quest/Photo Researchers, Inc., (CR)
©Veronika Burmeister/Visuals Unlimited; 11 (TL) ©Dr. Fred Hossler/Visuals Unlimited, (CC) ©Dr. Richard
Kessel & Dr. Randy Kardon/Visuals Unlimited, (BL) ©Dr. Donald Fawcett/Visuals Unlimited

ISBN: 0-328-13919-X

Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is
protected by Copyright and permission should be obtained from the publisher prior
to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any
form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For
information regarding permissions, write to: Permissions Department, Scott Foresman,
1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.

3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V010 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
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