Grade 10 Combined Science
Unit 1 - Biology
Lesson 1 - What does it mean to be considered “alive”?
Learning Objectives
To describe the characteristics of living things
To identify how living organisms are classified
Starter Activity - What does it mean to be “alive”?
Have a quick discussion with the people on your table and write down a minimum of 4
characteristics that all livings must have.
As technology is progressing, the machines available today have the ability to make
decisions. Take a look at the video and list all the characteristics the robots have that
could be used as evidence to prove they are “alive”.
The Future of Robots
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What does it actually mean to be considered alive? Let’s take a look at the breakdown of
these processes.
Seven Processes of Living Things
Grade 10 Combined Science
Unit 1 - Biology
The 7 main life processes or characteristics of living things are listed in the box.
Using what you have learned from the video, write the name of the life process under
each picture. One has been done for you.
Draw lines to match each life process with its correct description. The first one has been
done for you.
Respiration
Nutrition
Excretion
Sensitivity
Movement
Reproduction
Growth
getting rid of waste
moving a part or all of an organism
sensing things in the surroundings
getting food
getting energy from food
increasing body size
producing new organisms like themselves
Activity 5 - Plants are also classified as living organisms. Choose three
characteristics from the list above and state how a plant carries out
that function.
Characteristic
How?
Grade 10 Combined Science
Unit 1 - Biology
The 8th living characteristic
Homeostasis – the control of an internal environment.
What do we need to control?
How are these things controlled?
Take a look at the slide that illustrates the different living organisms. Using key features of
these organisms, can you identify the 5 kingdoms of living things?
Personal Study: Identify 3 features per classification that scientists use to group 5 kingdoms of living
things