Mississippi Science ZOO.4.2

ScienceGrades 9–12Zoology I and II

The Standard

ZOO.4: Students will describe the evolution of structure and function of phylum Platyhelminthes, phylum Nematoda, and phylum Annelida.

Differentiate between parasitic and free living.

2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Phyla Platyhelminthes, Nematoda, and Annelida

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students decide whether a worm takes food from a host or feeds independently. They use feeding and life-cycle clues, not just where the worm is found.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student identifies a tapeworm as parasitic because it takes nutrients from its host. They identify a planarian as free-living because it finds food without a host.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think every flatworm or roundworm is parasitic. They may call a worm free-living because its eggs develop in soil, even though the adult feeds in a host.
How to Assess It: Exit ticket: A roundworm's eggs develop in soil, but adults feed in a dog's intestine. Is the adult parasitic or free-living? Give one reason.

Lesson moves

Give pairs cards with feeding clues for planarians, tapeworms, earthworms, and hookworms; have them sort the worms by host dependence.
Ask students to explain in two sentences why finding worm eggs in soil does not prove the adult is free-living.
Play a matching game: teams pair six worm feeding descriptions with parasitic or free-living and defend one choice.
Show a dog dewormer label that lists roundworms beside a garden earthworm photo; ask which worm depends on a host for food.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to ZOO.4.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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