DESE Frameworks Addressed:

VII. Living Systems  

A. Structure/Function/Characteristics

1. Cells are the fundamental structural and functional units of all living organisms and take highly varied forms in different plants, animals and microorganisms.

2. Cells have distinct and separate structures that perform and monitor processes essential for the survival of the cell and/or organism, such as chemical synthesis, energy conversion, material transport, and cell replication.

VII. Living Systems

B. Life Processes

1. Cells carry out chemical transformations that allow conversion of energy from one form to another, the breakdown of molecules into smaller units, and the building of larger molecules from smaller ones.