Characteristics of Living Things Students will identify the

Characteristics of Living Things Students will identify the characteristics of living things by creating a fictional movie character. Teacher note: Slides 2 -10 accompany the attached student worksheet. Slides 11 -15 are an example of a student project.

What does it mean to be living?

Cellular Organization – All living things are made of cells. Example: • Cells are specialized allowing the human body to do many different things…for example, skin cells, nerve cells, blood cells, etc.

Homeostasis – All living things must maintain a constant internal environment. Examples: • Humans sweat to cool down, or shiver to warm up. • Chameleons change color to blend in with their environment.

Require Energy - All living things use energy and have a metabolism. Take in “food” and release wastes. Examples: • Dogs eat and give off bodily waste • Trees take in CO 2 and H 2 O to create sugar (C 6 H 12 O 6) give off O 2 as waste.

Reproduction – Living things reproduce others like themselves. Description: • Humans, dogs and trees reproduce sexually…two parents. • Bacteria reproduce asexually…one parent that splits in half in a process called binary fission.

Respond to Stimuli – Living things are able to respond to their environment. Examples: House plants placed in a window will grow towards the sunlight.

Heredity – All living things contain genetic information…DNA and/or RNA. Examples: Humans, turtles, trees, flies, and so forth have DNA!!! The DNA is organized in chromosomes…humans have 46, honey bees have 32 and oak trees have 24.

Adapt and Evolve – Individuals in a population with advantageous adaptations will survive and reproduce. Over time the population will evolve. Examples: Ancient giraffes with longer necks were able to eat leaves off of taller trees and would pass on their traits to offspring. Over time, giraffes evolved long necks.

Analysis Questions • Do all living things have all of these characteristics? If you think no, give an example of an organism that does not show all of these characteristics. • What traits do living and dead (once living) things have in common? • Describe two processes that occur while an organism is alive but stop when it dies. • Which of these characteristics may be most challenging for scientists to observe? Explain your answer.

Alien Submission to TBR Studios Presented by:

Biographical Information Name: Maizie Home Planet: Noratunie Climate: Noratunie is a planet of extremes. Very cold half of the year and hot the other. There is much vegetation on Noratunie. Behavior: Very social, affectionate, constantly sensing environment, only aggressive when threatened

“Maizie”

Characteristics of Life of Maizie’s Species • Cellular Organization – Specialized cells on belly identify ground cover, eyes twist 36 o° • Metabolizes – Vegetarian, burps waste into holes in the ground • Reproduces – Sexually reproduces up to twice a year • Heredity (Genetic Information) – Contains DNA…has 100 chromosomes • Maintains Homeostasis – Body changes color to blend into environment

Conclusion Maizie is a very special alien from the distant Planet of Noratunie. She would be a great representative of TBR as she is very friendly and likes to interact with new creatures. Having a ferocious bite, she can be very dangerous if provoked. However her ferocity is a rare response that could be very helpful when protecting those about whom she cares. Maizie would be useful in many different action scenarios. TBR would be very wise to choose a creature like Maizie to be their new action hero.