Six Kingdoms Activity8C compare characteristics of taxonomic groups, including archaea, bacteria,

protists, fungi, plants, and animals  

Teacher Instructions:As students enter the classroom, give each student a picture of one of the organisms. instruct students to answer the following questions: 1. Is your object/organism alive?2. List 3 – 5 characteristics that let you to this conclusion.  Instruct students classify themselves into one of the six kingdoms signs posted in different corners of the room. Encourage discussion and tell students to make sure they are in the right spot by reading though the characteristics at each station. Have each group introduce their kingdom, have each student share their organism and describe to the class one characteristic that their organism exhibits that classifies them in that group. 

Warm Up: Obtain a picture card and answer the following questions.

• 1. What is your organism/object and is it alive?

• 2. List 3-5 characteristics that let you to this conclusion.

KINGDOM ARCHEA• Single celled bacteria with no peptidoglycan• Prokaryote = no nucleus• Can be chemoautrotrophs or heterotrophs• Live in EXTREME environments such as: – Thermophiles – extreme heat– Thermoacidophiles – Convert sulfur into food in 

extreme heat–Methanogens – produce methane gas in low 

oxygen conditions

KINGDOM BACTERIA• Single celled bacteria WITH peptidoglycan• Prokaryotes = no nucleus• Can live in most environments• Some can move with flagella or pili• Reproduce Asexually with Conjugation (genetic 

exchange)

KINGDOM PROTISTA• Eukaryotes = Nucleus• Some are Animal-like:• Heterotrophic (eat food), move around,       BUT 

are single celled• Some are Plant-like:• Multicellular, Photosynthetic                                      

       BUT have no cell wall• Some are Fungus-like:• Multicellular, Heterotrophic                           

decomposers, BUT no cell wall.• Protists can be: • sedentary or Mobile: cilia, pseudopods, flagella• Single-Celled or Multi-Celled or colonial• Asexual  or sexual reproducers

KINGDOM FUNGI• Eukaryotes = nucleus• All are heterotrophs• Multicellular or Unicellular or 

colonial• Some are parasites, • Some are decomposers called 

detritivores.• Cell walls of Chitin (*Kytin)

KINGDOM PLANTAE• Eukaryotes = Nucleus• Autotrophs (producers) that produce 

energy through photosynthesis in their chloroplasts.

• Cell Walls of Cellulose• All are multicellular • Sexual Reproduction (usually)

KINGDOM ANIMALIA• Eukaryotes = Nucleus• All are multicellular • All are heterotrophs • No cell walls• Reproduce sexually and have no cell walls.• Dorsal dorsal nerve cord coordinates mobility

and life functions.

Thermophiles – Single celled, no nucleus, Loves HEAT!

Thermoacidophiles – Single celled, no nucleus, lives in hot sulfur

Halophiles – Single celled, no nucleus, Loves extreme salt

Anaerobes – Single celled, no nucleus, Poisoned by O2

E. Coli – Single Celled, no nucleus, lives in your intestines

Spirillum – Single celled, no nucleus, contain flagella

Cynobacteria – Single celled, no nucleus, aquatic habitats

Cocci Bacteria – Single celled, no nucleus, infectious

Amoeba – single celled, with nucleus, captures prey with pseudopods

Paramecium – single celled, with nucleus, move with specialized cilia to capture prey

Euglena – Single celled, with nucleus, photosynthetic, moves with flagella to catch prey

Algae – multicellular, photosynthetic, contain nucleus, no cell walls

Slime mold – Multicellular, heterotrophic, contains nucleus, no cell walls

Volvox – Single cell colonies, contain nucleus

Mold – Multicellular, contain nucleus, heterotrophic, cell walls of chitin

Penicillin – Multicellular, contain nucleus, heterotrophic, cell walls of chitin

Yeast – Single Celled, contain nucleus, heterotrophic, cell walls contain chitin Mushroom – Multicellular, contain nucleus,

heterotrophic, cell walls contain chitin

Moss – Multicellular, contains nucleus, photosynthetic, cell walls of cellulose Ferns – Multicellular, contains nucleus,

photosynthetic, cell walls of cellulose

Oak Tree – multicellular, photosynthetic, cell walls of cellulose

Orchid – multicellular, photosythetic, cell walls of cellulose

Tube Sponge – Multicellular, heterotrophic, mobile as larve

Earthworm – Multicellular, heterotrophic, mobile

Cardinal – Multicellular, heterotrophic, mobile

Tiger – Multicellular, heterotrophic, mobile

Human? – Multicellular eukaryote, heterotrophic, mobile

Copperhead snake – Multicellular eukaryote, heterotrophic, mobile

Diamond – composed of carbon Moon – Composed of metallic iron, rotates around the Earth

HIV Virus – Composed of protein and DNA, not made of cells, does not eat. Can reproduce only with a host.