Biology & The Characteristics of Life
Name:____________________________________Period:____Date:__________
I. What is BIOLOGY?
•
The study of _____________
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF BIOLOGY?
• Biological principles are daily being applied for the _____________________in
controlling disease, improving health, developing better foods, conserving natural
resources, and understanding our environment
WHY DO WE STUDY BIOLOGY?
• Industry, agriculture, government, and the medical profession provide unlimited
____________________________to young people with a biological background.
• Students find that biology offers many interesting and rewarding _____________as well
as giving them a better understanding of themselves and a greater
________________________of the living things that surround them.
HOW DO WE STUDY BIOLOGY?
• Biology students should be _________________and use careful judgment. A
healthy______________________, believer in cause and effect, and order in
nature is imperative.
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING INTRODUCTORY QUESTIONS:
1. How would you define the word LIFE to a young child?
2. What is the basic unit of life?
3. Do you believe there IS life elsewhere in the universe? Explain your answer.
4. List some activities of living things.
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II. 8 Characteristics of Living Things:
1.
2.
Made of one or more ___________:
•
__________ = basic unit of structure and function of all living things
•
Unicellular-bacterium, paramecium, amoeba
•
Muticellular-humans, snakes, plants, etc.
_______________________________________:
•
Each organized structure in an organism has a specific ___________
ƒ
•
3.
4.
5.
Ex: an anteater’s snout functions as a container for its long
tongue
All parts form an ______________functioning unit
______________________________:
•
Species must replace themselves
•
Is __________necessary for the survival of the
_________________organism; it is needed for the survival of the
____________________!
_________________________________________:
•
Living things grow because their CELLS grow and divide!
•
__________________= the increase in living material (cellular
mass) and the formation of new structures
•
_______________________ = the changes that take place during
the life of the organism.
Responds to Stimuli:
•
_________________ = a condition in the environment that creates
a response from the organism.
o Ex: temperature, weather, other organisms, etc..
•
_________________= the reaction to a stimulus
o Critical for the safety and ________________of an organism!
•
6.
Ex: __________________= shark smells blood in
the water; ______________= shark moves
quickly toward the blood and attacks any
organism present
Requires _________________:
•
______________ = the ability to do work or to make things move.
o Powers life processes
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o Maintains _____________________, __________________,
_________________, and ________________________.
o Obtained from the _________ they eat. (plants make their
own!)
o Main source of energy for all life is the ________
o Energy not only flows through the organism, but also through
the community.
7.
Maintains Homeostasis:
•
___________________________ = the regulation of an organism’s
internal environment to maintain conditions that allow it to live.
o Ex: Human’s _____________ and ______________, help the
body maintain its proper ____________________-regulated
by the hypothalamus
o Ex: ___________________ of the blood- regulated by
hormones
o Ex: ______________ regulation for nerve and muscle
function- regulated by the kidneys and intestine
o Ex: ____________________________balance-regulated by
the pancreas/insulin
o Ex: __________________ balance-regulated via food/water
intake and waste elimination
8.
Adaptations Evolve Over Time:
•
__________________________ = are inherited changes in
structures, behaviors, or internal processes that enable an organism
to respond to stimuli (survive).
o Structure and behavior examples:
ƒ
Long hind legs enable rabbits to quickly avoid predators;
fur to _________________ body temperature; changing
fur color for the different seasons
o Internal stimuli examples:
ƒ
•
____________balance, ________balance
and___________________
______________________
• Motion vs. Locomotion – what is the difference?
• Motion = ___________________________________
• Locomotion = _______________________________________
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____________________________________________________
III. Basic Needs of Life:
1. Energy
ƒ
Main source of energy—> ___________
ƒ
Plants get energy directly from the sun
ƒ
__________________ get energy from dead animals and plants
ƒ
Animals get energy from eating _____________or an organism that
eat plants
2. Water, Oxygen, and Minerals
ƒ
Most organisms need ______________in order to survive
ƒ
Living things are made up of about ________water
The Nature of Science:
y ____________________________________ = Continuous process that seeks to
answer questions about the natural world.
y Science only deals with things that are TESTABLE!
1. Science is subject to ___________________.
‰ Pulling medicine off shelves because researchers found out it harms people.
‰ Scientists thought the world was once flat
‰ Pluto is not longer considered a planet
2. Does not always provide complete answers to all questions.
‰ What happened to the dinosaurs?; no one knows for sure!
3. Science demands ___________________ – i.e. DATA!!!
‰ What certain medicines will treat
4. ___________________________
‰ Doctors and scientists have to think on their feet; not all cases are the same
for Dr.’s and scientist have to be able to trouble shoot.
5. Explains and predicts
6. Scientist try to identify and AVOID ____________
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y Theory vs. Law
ƒ
_______________________ = is an explanation based on many observations
(hypothesis is repeatedly verified over time and through may separate
experiments)
o Enable scientists to predict new facts and relationships of natural
phenomenon
o
Often revised as new information is gathered.
o Ex: Cell Theory, Theory of Evolution
ƒ
_____________= describes relationships under certain conditions in nature
o Describes but does not explain a natural event
o Ex: Law of Gravity; Law of Conservation of Matter
6 Steps of the Scientific Method:
1. State the ________________________
- Ex: How does red light effect plant growth?
2. Gather _______________________________
-
About the ______________________
3. Form a _____________________________
-
A _____________________ must be:
ƒ _________________________
ƒ Related to the ______________________
ƒ Written in “ _____ …., _________ ” format
ƒ Ex: If a plant is placed under red light, then the plant will not grow
very tall.
4. Perform the ______________________
A. Make _________________________!!
B. Choose the variables:
a) Your ____________________ variable is the factor that you will
change in your experiment. (the factor being tested)
•
NOT controlled or influenced by something else
•
Ex: _________________________
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b) The ___________________ variable is what you predict will
change as a result of variation in your experiment.
•
IS controlled or influenced by something else (independent
variable)
•
Ex: ________________________
Note: the independent variable influences the dependent variable!
c) A _________________
•
The __________________is a group that serves as a
standard of comparison.
•
It is exposed to the same conditions as the treatment groups
except for the __________________being tested.
•
Ex: a plant placed in _______________________ (not
exposed to red light)
C. Decide the number of ________________________
o __________________________ are the repetition of an
experiment (trials) and the same conditions are kept in the
experiment.
o Provides better statistical data (averages)
D. Specify the ______________________
• The ____________________in an experiment are the factors that
DO NOT _______________. (Ex: temperature, equipment, etc.)
• What your _____________ will be will depend on what question you
are asking.
• Ex: type of plant, amount of water, type of soil, amount of fertilizer,
keeping plants at same temperature, same size pots, etc.
5. Collect and analyze the ___________
6. Draw _________________________
-
Describe what happened
-
Restate the ____________________
-
Explain the results using the ________ and ________________
-
Propose an __________________________based on the data that was
collected
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The way that scientists answer questions is through an organized series of events called scientific methods. There are no
wrong answers to questions, only answers that provide scientists with more information about those questions. Questions
and collected information help scientists form hypotheses. As experiments are conducted, hypotheses might or might not
be supported.
Observe an unexplained
phenomenon.
Collect information.
Make observations.
Ask questions.
Use prior knowledge.
Review related research.
Form a hypothesis.
Design an experiment to test
the chosen hypothesis.
Conduct an experiment and
record the data.
actual results.
Compare
expected results.
Draw a conclusion.
Repeat experiment
many times until
results are consistent.
Hypothesis
is supported.
Refine and test
an alternate
hypothesis.
Hypothesis is
NOT supported.
Report results of
the experiment.
Compare results from
similar experiments.
accepted hypothesis.
Leads to
additional experimentation
based on accepted hypothesis.
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Applying The Scientific Method Worksheet
Name:_______________________________________________Period:______Date:_____________
PART 1: Vocabulary: Answer the following questions completely and concisely.
1. List the 6 steps of the scientific method.
a. ________________________________________________
b. ________________________________________________
c. ________________________________________________
d. ________________________________________________
e. ________________________________________________
f. ________________________________________________
2. What is a hypothesis?
3. How should all hypotheses be written?
4. What is the difference between an independent variable and a dependent variable?
5. What is a control?
6. What is a constant?
7. What are three examples of constants in an experiment?
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PART 2: Analysis: Answer the following questions completely and concisely.
A student noticed that when a dog is cut, the dog periodically licks its wounds. Usually after a few days, the
wound begins to heal without ever showing signs of infection.
The following steps outline the student’s line of reasoning:
A. I wonder why the dog’s wound doesn’t become infected.
B. If dog’s saliva is present, then the growth of infection-causing bacteria will be
prevented.
C. I’ll obtain a bacterial culture and grow the same kind of bacteria in two identical culture
dishes. Once the bacteria start growing, I’ll add dog saliva to ONLY one of the dishes and leave the
other alone. I’ll cover both dishes. Then I’ll observe what happens each day for one week.
D. Even after adding the dog saliva to one of the dishes, the bacteria continued to grow in both dishes
over the course of the week. However, the bacteria in the dish treated with saliva grew more slowly
than the bacteria in the untreated dish.
E. I think I’ll try something else. I’ll start with two identical culture dishes, as before, and use the same
kind of bacteria in each dish, but this time I’ll treat one dish with dog salvia BEFORE I add the
bacteria. I’ll observe what happens each day for a week.
1. What part of the scientific method is illustrated in step A?___________________________________
2. What part of the scientific method is illustrated in step B? ___________________________________
3. What part of the scientific method is illustrated in step C? ___________________________________
4. What is the independent variable in the student’s experimental design?_________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. What is the dependent variable in the student’s experimental design? _________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
6. What is the control in the student’s experimental design? ____________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
7. Why were both dishes covered?________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
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Review of the Characteristics of Life
Name:___________________________________________________Period:_____Date:____________
Directions: Answer the following questions specifically and concisely.
1. What is biology?
2. What is a cell?
3. ________________ is the ability to do work.
4. What is the main source of energy for all life? _____________________________
5. ____________________ is a condition in the environment that creates a response from an organism.
6. What is the difference between motion and locomotion?
7. What is homeostasis?
8. What is an example of how our body maintains homeostasis?
9. __________________________ is an increase in living material while, _____________________ is
the changes that take place during the life of an organism.
10. What is the “nature of science”?
11. List an example of how science is subject to change.
12. List an example of how science does not provide complete answers to all questions.
13. Fire has some of the characteristics of life (reproduces, needs energy, responds to stimuli). Why is it
considered non-living?
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Review of the Scientific Method
Part 1: Put the following steps of the scientific method in the proper order.
_____ Organize and analyze data
_____ State a hypothesis
_____ Identify the problem
_____ State the conclusion
_____Design and carry out an experiment
_____ Make observations and record data
_____ Gather information
Part 2: Match the definition with its term.
A. Suggested explanation to a problem based upon known
information that is testable
B. A variable that is not controlled or influenced by something
else.
C. Factors that are not changed during the experiment
D. Observation and measurements made during an experiment
E. Part within the experiment that is maintained without change
in order to provide a comparison for what is being tested
F. Hypothesis that has been tested and supported by a great
amount of evidence over a long period of time
G. Statement describing (but not explaining) a natural event or
phenomenon
H. Logical explanations based on observations and experiences
I. A summary that explains whether or not the data supports the
hypothesis
1. Theory
_______
2. Law
_______
3. Hypothesis ______
4. Experiment______
5. Constants ______
6. Control
______
7. Data
______
8. Conclusion ______
9. Inference _______
10. Dependent Variable_____
11. Independent Variable____
J. A variable that is controlled or influenced by something else
K. Used to test a hypothesis
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Unit Learning Map (8 days): Characteristics of Life & The Scientific Method
Class: Hostetter – Biology A: PA Standard –Explain the structure and function at multiple levels of
organization.
Optional
Instructional Tools:
Unit Essential Question(s):
How is scientific
knowledge
constructed?
Concept
Concept
Life
Nature of Science
-
Unknown substance lab
Ice cube Lab
Pseudoscience Materials
Life project
Concept
Scientific Method
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
What are the
characteristics of a
living thing?
How can the
validity of scientific
data be verified?
How are the steps
of the scientific
method used to
investigate the
world around us?
Vocabulary:
Biology
Energy
Homeostasis
Nature of science
Growth
Development
Stimulus
Adaptations
Motion
Locomotion
Vocabulary:
Nature of science
Concept
Vocabulary:
Lesson Essential Questions:
Vocabulary:
Hypothesis
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Control
Replicates
Constants
Theory
Law
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Characteristics of Life & The Scientific Method Vocabulary:
1) Biology = study of life
2) Cell = basic unit of structure and function of all living things
3) Energy = the ability to do work
4) Homeostasis = the regulation of an organism’s internal environment to maintain conditions that allow
it to live
5) Nature of Science = Continuous process that seeks to answer questions about the natural world.
6) Growth = the increase in living material (cellular mass) and the formation of new structures
7) Development = the changes that take place during the life of the organism
8) Stimulus = a condition in the environment that creates a response
9) Adaptations = are inherited changes in structures, behaviors, or internal processes that enable an
organism to respond to stimuli (survive)
10) Motion = movement or gestures
11) Locomotion = the ability to travel from place to place
12) Hypothesis = testable explanation; written in “ IF… THEN ” format
13) Inference = Logical explanations based on observations and experiences
14) Independent variable = the factor that you will change in your experiment
15) Dependent variable = what you predict will change as a result of variation in your experiment
16) Control = a group that serves as a standard of comparison
17) Replicates = are the repetition of an experiment (trials) and the same conditions are kept in the
experiment.
18) Constants = the factors that DO NOT change in the experiment
19) Theory = is an explanation based on many observations (hypothesis is repeatedly verified over time
and through may separate experiments)
20) Law = describes relationships under certain conditions in nature; Describes but does not explain a
natural event
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