Characteristics of Living Things: What Makes Them Tick

What characterizes a living thing? Scholars explore the concept during a differentiated instruction unit on living things. They perform lab experiments to determine how animals adapt to stimuli, watch videos and learn about...

Interestingly enough, movement is not a characteristic of living things. The first activity in a series of 20 introduces learners to the concepts of living versus non-living things and then focuses on biologists and what they study....

Earth has more than 80,000 species of edible plants and over 66,000 different vertebrate animals. The sixth activity of 20 introduces young scientists to classification. They compare and contrast plants and animals to see how scientists...

It's a classification sensation! Demystify why we classify using an inquiry activity that helps your class sort things out. Groups begin by classifying a variety of shoes before they research organisms and design their own dichotomous...

Have your life science learners draw a graphic organizer as they view this PowerPoint. One click at at time, it presents the characteristics of living things in an organized manner, and tacks on a cute picture to help illuminate each....

What makes a living thing, well, living? Explore the many characteristics of living things through an animated video. Science scholars become acquainted with the obvious and not-so-obvious traits exhibited by organisms, then learn that...

And the prize for oldest living thing on Earth goes to . . . In this video from PBS Digital Studios, viewers learn about the oldest living things on Earth, all over 2,000 years old, such as bristlecone pines, baobab, sea grass,...

Why do dissonant noise cause a physical reaction of fear in humans? The video explains why some things sound scary and how we evolved to be more afraid of sounds than sights. It details how people constantly live in the past and how this...

Do all species evolve? A timeless video that is part of the "Eons" playlist explains the term living fossils. It presents the species that many believe haven't evolved over millions of years. It goes on to break down each assumption and...

Harness the power of bacteria. Scholars see how using organisms that exist in nature can help solve human problems in the process known as bioremediation. They research and discuss several successful examples, such as using oil-eating...