Characteristics of Life Worksheets, Projects & Critical Thinking

Description

The characteristics of life are a great way to build expectations in middle school and high school without being bogged down by difficult subject matter.  This series of resources let’s student explore the characteristics of life via worksheets and projects. Some of these resources promote critical thinking using the CER method.

• Characteristics of Life  Zombie Style
• Characteristics of Life. Are Viruses Alive?
• Homeostasis.  Notes, Slide Presentation, and Lab Activity

Characteristics of Life Zombie Style.

Characteristics of life, systems integration, and zombies. A great way to start the school year for your biology or life science class.

Students are provided with a scenario and 6 pieces of evidence that a classmate named Riley provides after observing Quinn during a football game.

Students are asked to evaluate the evidence and compare it to the characteristics of life and decide whether the evidence supports his claim that Quinn is now a zombie.
I have a set of notes with the basic characteristics of life and one that is a blank table to use.

Students will be evaluating Riley’s claim that Quinn is a zombie using the claim-evidence-reasoning = explanation format to evaluate the evidence. This set of worksheets has guiding questions to help students work through the process of evaluating evidence and reasoning.

The characteristics of life are all related to the functions of the organisms to stay alive. In advanced organisms, the characteristics of life are exhibited through organ systems and organ system integration.

Are Viruses Alive?

Are you covering the characteristics of life with your students? This is a great extension activity where kids can apply what they are learning to a real-world science question – are viruses alive? This would be a perfection addition to characteristics of life stations.

Students will be provided 4 pieces of evidence to evaluate and combine that information with what they have already been taught to make an informed decision on whether they think viruses are living or nonliving.

Students are provided a Claim-Evidence-Reasoning sheet to develop their explanation.

Homeostasis Bundle

Homeostasis worksheet and lab bundle will help you cover the basic definition of homeostasis, the parts of a feedback system, and the types of feedback – positive and negative.Digital slides and notes included.

Homeostasis bundle includes

• google slides

• notes

• questions

• lab

In the lab, students are asked to test their fitness and link it to the struggle for the body to maintain homeostasis.