Living vs Non-living Things

Living vs Non-living Things

Middle School

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Learning Objectives

• Define an organism and list the six essential characteristics that all living things share.

• Explain how different organisms, like plants and animals, get the energy they need.

• Use the characteristics of life to tell the difference between living and non-living things.

• Describe homeostasis and give examples of how organisms keep their internal environment stable.

Key Vocabulary

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Organism

A living thing that has an organized structure and is capable of reacting to stimuli.

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Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain a stable and constant internal environment.

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Cells

The smallest structural and functional unit of all living things, often called life's building blocks.

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Asexual Reproduction

Process where a single organism produces offspring that are genetically identical to itself.

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Sexual Reproduction

Process involving two parents that results in creating genetically unique offspring.

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Photosynthesis

The process used by plants to convert sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide into their own food.

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The Six Characteristics of Life

• An organism must have all six of these traits to be living.

• It is composed of one or more cells.

• It needs energy to carry out life’s processes.

• It can respond to changes in its environment.

• It must be able to grow and reproduce.

• It must adapt to the environment.

• It maintains a stable internal environment called homeostasis.

Multiple Choice

A robot can move and respond to commands, but why is it not considered a living organism?

• It is not made of cells and cannot reproduce.

• It has a complex structure.

• It uses energy.

• It can respond to its environment.

How Organisms Get Energy

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Plants

• ​Plants capture energy from the sun to make their food.

• ​​This food-making process is well known as photosynthesis.

• ​They are the producers at the bottom of food chains.

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Animals

• ​Animals get their energy by eating other living organisms.

• ​​They cannot make their own food like the plants do.

• ​Some animals eat plants, while others eat fellow animals.

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Fungi

• ​Fungi get energy from the dead or decaying organisms.

• ​​They break down these organisms to absorb their nutrients.

• ​Mushrooms are a very common and known type of fungus.

Multiple Choice

How do plants and animals differ in how they obtain the energy they need to live?

• Both plants and animals get energy by eating other organisms.

• Both plants and animals get energy directly from the sun.

• Animals make their own food using sunlight, while plants eat other organisms.

• Plants make their own food using sunlight, while animals eat other organisms.

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Made of One or More Cells

Unicellular Organisms

• ​Some organisms, like bacteria and paramecium, are made of just one single cell.

• ​​This single cell must perform all functions necessary for life, like getting energy.

• ​Most are so small that they can only be seen with a microscope.

Multicellular Organisms

• ​Organisms like cats, daisies, and humans are made of many different cells.

• ​​They consist of millions, billions, or even trillions of cells working together.

• ​Different cells have specific jobs to help the organism grow and stay alive.

Multiple Choice

What is the primary difference between a unicellular organism and a multicellular organism?

• The way they get energy.

• Their ability to reproduce.

• Their ability to respond to the environment.

• The number of cells they are composed of.

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Reacting, Growing, and Reproducing

Responding to the Environment

• All living things react to changes in their external environment.

• These changes can include light, heat, sound, or physical touch.

• They use structures like eyes and ears to receive this information.

Growing and Reproducing

• All organisms reproduce to create the next generation, ensuring species survival and also show growth.

• Asexual reproduction involves one parent creating identical offspring, called clones.

• Sexual reproduction involves two parents combining information to make a unique offspring.

Multiple Choice

What is the key outcome of sexual reproduction compared to asexual reproduction?

• It creates genetically unique offspring.

• It only requires one parent.

• It creates an identical clone of the parent.

• It is only used by single-celled organisms.

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What Is Homeostasis?

• Homeostasis is how organisms maintain a stable internal environment, despite outside changes.

• When your body gets too cold, you start to shiver to generate heat.

• If you get too warm, your body sweats to release heat and cool down.

• Animals like lizards sunbathe on rocks or birds fluff their feathers to stay warm.

Multiple Choice

A person starts to shiver when they go out in the cold. This is an example of which characteristic of life?

• Being made of cells

• Reproduction

• Homeostasis

• Responding to the environment

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Common Misconceptions About Living Things

Misconception	Correction
Anything that moves or grows is alive.	Non-living things, like fire, can move and grow but are not made of cells.
Plants are not alive because they do not move around.	Plants are living things that grow, reproduce, and respond to light.
All living things must eat food to get energy.	Plants make their own food, and fungi absorb nutrients from their surroundings.
Living things can survive independently of their environment.	All living things depend on their environment and other organisms to survive.

Multiple Choice

A crystal can grow over time. Why is it classified as non-living despite showing this characteristic?

• It does not require energy.

• It is not complex.

• It is not made of cells and cannot maintain homeostasis.

• It does not change over time.

Multiple Choice

If you saw a paramecium, a single-celled organism, divide into two identical copies, what process have you witnessed?

• Getting energy

• Homeostasis

• Sexual reproduction

• Asexual reproduction

Multiple Choice

Imagine a new entity is found. It moves, consumes energy, and grows, but analysis shows it has no cells and cannot reproduce. How should it be classified and why?

• Living, because it can move and grow.

• Non-living, because it is not made of cells and cannot reproduce.

• Non-living, because it does not respond to its environment.

• Living, because it consumes energy.

Multiple Choice

Analyze how a bird fluffing its feathers in the cold and a lizard basking on a hot rock are related. What single life principle do both actions demonstrate?

• Both are examples of responding to a threat.

• Both are examples of reproduction.

• Both are examples of homeostasis, as they regulate internal body temperature.

• Both are examples of getting energy from the sun.

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Summary

• Living things, known as organisms, are identified by six key characteristics.

• All organisms are made of cells and use energy to live.

• They grow, reproduce, and respond to their environment.

• Living things must show all six traits to be considered alive.

Poll

On a scale of 1-4, how confident are you about distinguishing between living and non-living things?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4