Mr. Nelson        Biology         50 Minutes

Objective: The student will collect several outdoor specimens and determine whether they are living or non- living based on the characteristics of life (Biology, 2.a)

Materials: Paper, pencil, whiteboard, clear plastic baggies, sample classification matrix.

Bell work:  Quiz on the previous day’s lesson.

Set:  Since this is biology, I think it is only right to figure out just what it is we are studying before we start. What does the word biology mean to you? Take a few minutes to think about it and write down what you think it might mean. Biology essentially means “the science, or study of life”. Life? Now what does that exactly mean? What is considered to be living and what is non-living? This room? The crops outside? Our T.V.’s? Now take a couple of minutes and write down some examples of things that you think should be considered “living” and some things that you think should be considered “non-living” explain why you think that is. Listen to answers and reflect on what the students are saying. Explain that by the end of the day the students will be able to more accurately determine what is living and what is non-living because they will be able to identify the characteristics of living things.

Procedure:

1. Have the students answer the following question in their notes "Is the sun living thing? Why or Why not?" What about flower?

Give the students four or five minutes then discuss their answers. Accept all answers but try to steer them toward ideas that distinguish between living and non-living. Lead this into a discussion of what the characteristics of living things would be. Help them discover that these characteristics would be respiration, reproduction, complex chemical reactions, growth, cells, and movement.

2. In small groups have the students explore an area outside to find at least 5 things, living or non-living. After collecting the items, the students will come back into the classroom and create a matrix used to identify the characteristics that the items either do or do not meet.

3. After giving the students time to finish their matrix, discuss any gray areas with them. For instance: do rocks move? Gravity certainly moves them and earthquakes move them, but this movement is not self-directed. Do rocks grow? Sedimentary rocks and crystalline rocks do increase in size. You might want to take the time to decide what definition of growth you want to use. Is growth an increase in cells, and an increase in size? Could it be one or the other? If you choose to say it could be either then the other items in the matrix will rule a rock out as being a living thing. Even if you do decide it grows it won't have all six characteristics.

Closure: Reiterate that in order to tell if something is living or non-living that they must exhibit all 6 characteristics. What is biology? State objective. Have them hand in their matrices and lists. Check them for understanding of the day's concepts. Preview the next lesson.

Assessment:

Objective: The student will collect several outdoor specimens and determine whether they are living or non- living based on the characteristics of life (Biology, 2.a)

Formal: The student will collect several outdoor specimens (M) and determine whether they are living or non- living based on the characteristics of life (C) using a self-made matrix. The matrix will be graded and recorded in the grade book (D).

Informal: The teacher will verbally review (M) with students in reference to the characteristics of life (C).

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