Mississippi Science ZOO.10.5
The Standard
- ZOO.10
- Students will understand the structure and function of phylum Chordata, class Mammalia, and how they demonstrate the characteristics of living things.
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Phylum Chordata, Class Mammalia
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students examine the outside and inside of two mammals, such as a rat and a fetal pig. They identify shared organs and compare how body parts are arranged and connected.
What Mastery Looks Like
- Students can find the diaphragm, liver, stomach, and cecum in both animals. They can trace the path of food through each digestive system and explain one difference in its structure.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may mistake the diaphragm for a lung or assume the same organ will look identical in both animals. They may also think a larger animal must have a more complex body.
How to Assess It
- Show rat and pig diagrams with exposed abdomens. Ask students to mark each cecum, compare their relative sizes, and name one difference between paws and hooves.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
In pairs, dissect a preserved rat and fetal pig, then label the diaphragm, liver, stomach, and cecum in each.
Using rat and pig digestive diagrams, write two sentences comparing the size and position of their cecums.
Hand out unlabeled rat and pig organ diagrams; teams place four organ labels and circle one shared feature and one difference.
Show pig and human heart diagrams; have students mark matching chambers and discuss why pig valves can replace damaged human valves.
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Printable ZOO.10.5 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- ZOO.7.7
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
- ZOO.4.6
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
- ZOO.6.7
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
- ZOO.5.9
Dissect representative taxa and compare their internal and external anatomy and complexity.
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