Essential characteristics of life
I can understand whether or not something is alive.
8,000 schools use Gynzy
92,000 teachers use Gynzy
1,600,000 students use Gynzy
General
In this lesson, students will learn the characteristics of living things including that they are made of cells.
Standards
NGSS: MS-LS1-1
Learning objective
Students will be able to understand whether or not something is alive.
Introduction
Students will create a list of characteristics for living and non-living things. After that, they will share with the class and reflect on the characteristics they wrote.
Instruction
Students will be introduced to the six characteristics of living things: 1) Living things are made of cells; 2) Living things have DNA; 3) Living things sense and respond to their environment; 4) Living things reproduce; 5) Living things use energy; 6) Living things grow. Students will also discuss viruses and whether they are alive. They will conduct some short research on this with a partner.
Quiz
Review characteristic of livings things with 10 multiple-choice questions.
Closing
Students will recall what they learned by filling out an exit slip about homeostasis.
The online teaching platform for interactive whiteboards and displays in schools
Save time building lessons
Manage the classroom more efficiently
Increase student engagement
Discover more!
About Gynzy
Gynzy is an online teaching platform for interactive whiteboards and displays in schools.
With a focus on elementary education, Gynzy’s Whiteboard, digital tools, and activities make it easy for teachers to save time building lessons, increase student engagement, and make classroom management more efficient.