Is It Alive?
The study of life involves answering the question, "Is it alive?"
Goal:
Goal:
![By Owner of Pet Rock Net.Theymos at en.wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], from Wikimedia Commons](https://s3.amazonaws.com/cms.accelerate-ed.com/image/431d688b-99ee-41db-9d22-126b0043f971.jpg) |
All living organisms share seven characteristics. The ability to perform ALL of these functions is one way to separate living things from nonliving things. Can you look at an organism and know whether it is alive? Try this activity to find out!
Activity
- Gather the following objects and place them on a table: apple, pencil, houseplant, earthworm (in a jar with soil), rock, glass of tap water, glass of pond water, and a leaf.
- Click the Activity button and print out the worksheet, then fill out the chart. Click the Answer Key button to check your answers.
- Describe your results. Which objects were living and which were nonliving? How do you know?