A stream moves, a dog moves, and a tree hardly moves at all. Only some of them are alive, and saying why is harder than it sounds.
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Students will learn the basic characteristics scientists use to identify living things and understand how organisms interact with their surroundings.
All living things are called organisms and are made of one or more cells. Living things use energy, grow and develop, respond to their environment, maintain stable internal conditions, reproduce, and have inherited characteristics that help them survive.
Pay special attention to stimulus, response, and adaptation. A stimulus causes a reaction. A response is what the organism does because of that stimulus. An adaptation is an inherited characteristic that helps an organism survive.
Students should also understand homeostasis, which is an organism's ability to maintain relatively stable conditions inside itself.
Ask the student to compare a dog, a plant, and a rock. Have them explain which are alive and why. If they say, “Living things move,” point out that water and clouds move too. This helps students discover that scientists need several characteristics to determine whether something is alive.
Near the end of the lesson, connect the complexity and organization of living things to God as Creator. Scripture teaches that life was intentionally created by God and that creation displays His workmanship.
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Before You Start
The words this lesson uses. Tap a card to see what it means, then come back to them whenever a question uses one.
Part One
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Part Two
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