Teacher Notes:

Section 1: Characteristics of Living Things

Essential Questions

  1. What is living?
  2. Why are there ambiguities about what is “life”?
  3. How are living things interconnected?
  4. How have living things changed over time?

Activity 1: Is Sammy Alive Activity

Students will read the “Is Sammy Alive” scenarios and draw their own conclusions. The teacher will lead a class discussion of each of the scenarios ensuring that all students have an opportunity to express and opinion. A class consensus will be reached to determine Sammy’s status. From this scenario, students will form small groups for Activity 2.

Activities 2-3-4: Characteristics of life: What is life? / Video clip

  1. Students form small groups (3-5 students), collect a white board, and 1 dry erase maker
  2. Ask the students to write at the top of their board “What is life / What characteristics make something alive?” and divide the lower half of the board into 2 halves (split the board into a left and right side.
  3. Give the groups approximate 5 minutes to brain storm and come up with ideas on what they feel makes something alive. Students should record their ideas on the left side of the board
  4. Stop the students, collect the dry erase markers, have a brief discussion of what characteristics they have derived in their group.
  5. Show the video clip “Introduction to the Characteristics of Life” (
  6. Give the students a second colored marker, students are given 5 more minutes in their own group to come up with additional characteristics or modify their initial list (this should be done in a second color on the right side of the board. )Students are not to erase any of the original information.
  7. After 5 minutes, call time, conduct a board meeting. (In a large circle, each group will present their board to every other group. You should reach a consensus on what are the characteristics of life)
  8. Have the students write down (in their notes, notebooks) the characteristics that you collaboratively decided are the eys to life.

Activity 5: How are living things connected?

Preparation before the lesson: You will need to create a date of biotic and abiotic play cards. On index cards you should paste pictures of living organisms and non living objects from a variety of locations. (EX: Black bear, polar bear, great white shark, air, water, rock, tree, snail, frog, bee, honey, human, grass, sun shine, etc). You should prepare enough cards that each student should receive at least 5 cards (more would be better).

Day of lesson:

  1. Divide the students into groups
  2. Each group of students will be given a stack of biotic/abiotic playing cards
  3. The students should deal the cards until none remains.
  4. One students will lay out a card face up and state what is on the card
  5. The student to the left of the first player will place a card on the table and explain how it is related to the first card (EX: The bear eats the grass. Sun allows the grass to grow. The sun creates the wind on Earth. Pollen from the tree travels on the wind. Etc.)
  6. Each student is allowed to play one card and attempt to make a connection. If a student is not able to make a connection he must pass on that round and the next player is allowed to play. If a student plays a card the other members of the group may veto the play if a majority of the group does not accept the reason for connection.
  7. The player who plays all of his/hers cards first is the winner of this game.
  8. Once the students have completed the game you may end the activity, shuffle the cards and play again, or trade cards with a different group so they can view different organisms and objects.
  9. Once all groups have completed the activity have the students answer the following questions... (this can be completed on individual paper, a group paper, or white boarded)
  10. Can any organism on Earth survive without interacting with other living creatures
  11. Explain your answer.
  12. Can any organism on Earth survive without interacting with non living creatures?
  13. Explain your answer.
  14. If you removed every tree from your state, how would that impact your life?
  15. Does the actions of a person in a foreign country impact a person living in the United States?
  16. How has life changed to become connected to its environment?