Standard and objective:

·  V1b. Compare living, dead, and non-living things.

Activity title: Living and Non-living

Description: In their small groups, students will use a list of items to look for characteristics that would identity them as living or non-living. They will generalize the minimum necessary requirements for life and organize the list of items using a Venn diagram. This Venn diagram will help show the relationship between the concepts of alive, non-alive, and dead.

Materials needed:

·  Student worksheet that follows

·  Overhead copy of worksheet

·  Overhead projector or front board

Prior knowledge needed: Familiarity with vocabulary used with characteristics of life found in the Life Process Notes PowerPoint presentation and Needs of Life PowerPoint presentation. If students have never used a Venn Diagram, they may need a short demonstration.

Time required: 30 minutes

Special teacher procedures, safety notes, and suggestions:

·  Students may need to decide on some rules, such as “does the item need to move by itself to qualify as ‘moving’.”

Student sheet or handout (if needed): follows

Scoring guide: Come to a consensus as a class using the overhead sheet to take notes on the class’s results.


Name ______Period ___ Living or Non-living?

Place an X in the boxes that show characteristics that are true for that item

Made of cells / Move / Respond to the environment / Reproduce / Have a metabolism / Grow and develop
Rock
Piece of wood
Frog
Leaf
Worm
Safety pin
Cactus
Table
Piece of paper
Grass
T-shirt
Elk
Running shoe
Bicycle
Human
Bacteria
Car
Water
Tree

How can you tell the difference between something that is alive and something that is non-living?

How can you tell the difference between something that is alive and something that is dead?

How can you tell the difference between something that is dead and something that is non-living?


Place the items on the list on the other side in the correct section of the Venn Diagram.