Living Things

Vocabulary

1. Cell2. Homeostasis3. Organism

Answer the following in your Science Notebook.

Think about it.

You walk outside and look up in the sky. You notice birds and clouds moving in the sky. Are the birds and clouds alive?

*Name 3 ways you know something is alive.

Use Your Noodle!You have 3 minutes!

What are living things like? • Any living thing is called

an organism. • Organisms come in

different sizes and are found just about everywhere.

• All organisms have some features in common.▫ These features include

Cells The ability to grow The ability to

reproduce A need for energy.

What is the smallest unit of an organism? •One feature of living things is that they

have one or more cells. ▫Cell – the smallest unit of an organism that

carries on the function of life. •Cells use materials from their

surroundings in many ways.•Each cell has an orderly structure.

▫Also contains instruction for cellular organization and function in its hereditary material

How do living things grow and develop?

•Growth in a one-celled organism is because of an increase in the size of the cell▫Growth in a many-celled organism is

because of an increase in the number of cells.

▫For example, the number of cells increase as a puppy grows into an adult dog.

How do living things grow and develop?• Organisms change as they

grow

▫ These changes are called

development

• Puppies can’t see or walk

when they are born.

▫ 8 or 9 days, they open

their eyes and legs are

strong enough to hold

them up.

How do living things grow and develop?

• The length of time an

organism is expected to

live is called it’s life span

• Some bristle cone pine

trees have been alive

more than 4,600 years

• Human life span is about

80 years.

• A mayfly lives only one

day.

Answer the following in your Science Notebook.

Identify:

What is development?

Use Your Noodle!You have 2 minutes!

Why do living things respond to stimuli? •Living things must interact with its

surroundings. •Anything that causes change in an

organism is a stimulus.•The reaction to a stimulus is a response.•Often, that response results in movement.

▫An organism must respond to stimuli to carry on its daily activities and to survive.

Name types of stimuli?

How do living things maintain homeostasis?

• Living things also must respond to stimuli that occur

inside them

▫Example: an organism makes internal changes to

maintain the right amounts of water and food in its

cell.

▫The regulation of an organism’s internal condition

that keeps it alive despite changes in its environment

This is called homeostasis

Homeostasis is a trait of all living things.

Answer the following in your Science Notebook.

Explain:

Why is homeostasis important to organisms?

Use Your Noodle!You have 2 minutes!

Why do living things need energy? • An organism needs

energy to live.

• Carrying on activities

like finding food

requires energy.

• The energy used by

most organisms comes

directly or indirectly

from the Sun.

Why do living things need energy?

• Plants and some other

organisms use the Sun’s

energy, carbon dioxide and

water to make food.

• Humans cannot directly

use the Sun’s energy.

▫ Instead you eat food as a

source of energy.

▫ Organisms that do not get

energy from the Sun must

take in Oxygen to release

energy in foods.

Why do living things reproduce? •All living things reproduce to make more

of their own kind. ▫Some bacteria reproduce every 20

minutes!▫A pine tree may take 2 years to produce

seeds. •Without reproduction, living things would

not exist to replace those individuals that die. ▫One human can live its entire life without

reproducing. But if humans never reproduces, all humans

would disappear.

Answer the following in your Science Notebook.

Analyze:

What is the purpose of reproduction?

Use Your Noodle!You have 2 minutes!

What do you need to survive?

NOT

What do living things need? •All organisms need a place to live that

meets their unique requirements▫Need enough space to grow and develop

▫How well do flowers do in a bed full of weeds?

Living things need water. •All living things need water

▫It performs many functions Helps to move materials between cells Organisms can take in water from their

surroundings. ▫All organisms take in and give off large

amounts of water each day.▫Homeostasis balances the amount of water

exchanged.

Answer the following in your Science Notebook.

Infer:

How does a corn plant take in water?

Use Your Noodle!You have 2 minutes!

Living things need a food source. • All organisms need a

food source to live.

▫Living things are

made up of

materials such as

proteins, fats, and

sugars.

▫Animals take in

these materials

when they eat.

Living things need a food source.

• Plants and some

bacteria make their own

food.

• When organisms die,

the materials in their

bodies are broken down

and released into the air

and soil.

• The material is can then

be used again by other

living organisms.

Review!! 1. Complete the concept map below to

show what all living things have in common.

What all organism have in

common.

1. Organized into cells

2.

3.

4.

5. Need a place to live, water and food

6.

7.