Systems and Hierarchies Within You!

Okay, so importance and inclusiveness can sometimes be hard to sort out in the idea of hierarchy. But let’s see if this slightly tricky idea of a hierarchy can help us think about the way that living cells are organized into whole organisms.

How would you organize these five terms into a hierarchy?

Explain why you listed the five terms in the order you did.

 

Is the hierarchy you just completed a hierarchy of importance or a hierarchy of inclusiveness? Explain your reasoning.

 

Have a class discussion about this hierarchy. See if the class can agree on a hierarchy for the terms organ, cell, tissue, organism, and system.

What are some other examples of hierarchies?

 

Note to teacher: The class should eventually arrive at the hierarchy (from top to bottom) of organism, system, organ, tissue, cell. This is a hierarchy of inclusiveness. Whether it is also a hierarchy of importance is a philosophical and subjective question that students don’t need to agree upon. Students’ answers to this latter question may evolve as they learn more during this unit. Thinking about the relative importance of whole and parts, and about the circle of support that flows in both directions through this hierarchy, can enrich students’ thinking about cells and organisms, but it is not essential for the class to come to a consensus about which end of the hierarchy is more important. This is a case where the question may be more productive than the answer.