Lesson #6
Catalyst
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2.
3.
4.
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6.
Lesson #6
Characteristics of Life
Objective:
Determine whether
something is alive or not.
Sit in your new assigned seat (check paper in
front)
Write down today’s topic in your T.O.C.
Fill out the top of a new point sheet.
If you did not yet turn in your point sheet
from last week, calculate your grade and turn
it in
If you did turn in your point sheet, pick up the
graded version in your folder in the back, and
move it into the graded work section of your
binder
Take out your dream jobs sheet
Housekeeping
 Signing the wall
 Tardiness check
 Quizzes Wed & Fri
 Mon: Characteristics of life
 Tues: Cell Theory & organelles
 Wed: Organelles II
 Thurs: Cell size & graphing
 Fri: Pro/eukaryotic cells
Hmmm: Can two people with
Down Syndrome understand
each other better?
 Not really
 Down syndrome affects IQ,
muscle control
 Speech difficult
 Emotional and social
development is more
advanced
What are we doing today?
Agenda
 Binder check
 Characteristics of Life
Tonight’s Homework:
•
None
•
(do dream jobs sheet, if
you don’t have it already)
TODAY
Catalyst:
A:
Life Characteristics
group work
B:
Life Characteristics
WS
Binder check
 Folder: for homework
 Binder sections
 Point Sheet, TOC
 Catalysts
 Notes
 Classwork
 Graded Work
 Reference
How binder checks work
 You grade your partners
 I randomly check some of the binders myself
 “Errors” in grading  grader gets an F
Special project: Sewer Lice!
Biology is the study of life
 …but what is life?
Guided Notes
 Biology is the study of life.
 What’s life?
 All living things have ALL the characteristics of
life.
Team work
makes the dream work
 Split into teams
 Come up with a list of at least 10 different living
things
 You get one point for each living thing you write down
 BUT… you will only get a point if no other group writes
down the same living thing
 SO…think of weird, unusual living things!
Round II:
 What characteristics do all of these living things have
in common?
 Try to come up with the most general characteristics
 1 point for each correct answer
 (There are really 6 answers)
Characteristi Description/Ex
c of Life
planation
What would
happen if
living things
didn’t have this
trait?
(“In world
where…”)
The Six Characteristics
 Metabolism
 Reproduction
 Growth
 Organization
 Responsiveness
 Evolution
GOTTA HAVE ‘EM ALL!
If something is missing
even ONE of the
characteristics, then it
is NOT alive.
How do I remember these
characteristics? Metabolism
Reproduction
Growth
Organization
Response
Evolution
Metabolism
Metabolism: process of living
things gathering and using
ENERGY.
 Metabolism turns food into energy.
 In a world…
Reproduction
 All living things have the capacity to reproduce.
 Reproduce = make more organisms like itself. “make
babies”
 Reproduction happens at all levels..
 Human reproduction = have sex, make babies
 Cellular reproduction = every cell inside your body
ALSO makes baby cells
 In a world…
Growth
 All living things change as they get older.
 It doesn’t necessary mean getting bigger, but that is
usually what happens.
 Examples
 Humans start off as babies
 Frogs start off as tadpoles
 Pine trees start off as pine cones.
 In a world…
Organization
 All living things are highly organized.
 Inside cells (More next week….)
 All of a human’s body parts are made up a certain way. A
plant’s leaves and stem fit together in a predictable way.
 Analogy
 Bedrooms are highly organized. Has a bed, sheets,
dresser. Doesn’t have a toilet. Without this organization,
it wouldn’t be a bedroom!
Responsiveness
All living things respond to their environment.
 Whatever is going on around a living thing, the organism can
change to deal with it.
 Examples:
 Animals move towards warmer places when it’s cold outside.
 Plants grow their roots towards water.
 Mr. Sherman fusses when you don’t do your classwork.
 In a world
Evolution
 All living things have a genetic code which
determines how they look (and a lot of other things,
too!)
 Example: how many arms you have
 Over time, DNA can evolve, or change for the better.
 In a world…
Practice…
Where on your body are cells?
Worksheet time!
Wrap-Up
 Add up your points for today.
 Today’s work  Your folder
 Tonight’s HW: none.
Exit Questions
Complete sentences
 Is lightning alive? Why/why not?
 What does MR. GORE stand for? Explain what at least
THREE of the letters stand for, and what that means.