Assignment 1:

What does it take to be a living organism?

Living things share 8 characteristics that are listed in Chapter 1 of your textbook on page 19. Think of an organism or cell in which all 8 characteristics are not obvious. For example, coral looks like it does not move, red blood cells do not reproduce and have no DNA, frogs freeze in the winter so it seems as if they do not maintain homeostasis, and so on.

Focus your discussion on the following:

Make comparisons between living things and nonliving things that have some of the characteristics that define life.

Compare the following pairs and explain what the differences are using the 8 criteria:

A rock to a snail

A rock to a tree

A dog to a TV

Explain why electricity is sometimes called live, or discuss some of the characteristics fire shares with living things (it can grow, it metabolizes, and so on).

Assignment 2:

Using the Scientific Method Lab

Establish a better understanding of photosynthesis and cellular respiration, and apply the scientific method to solve (or understand) a problem. Photosynthesis and respiration are reactions that complement each other in the environment. They are essentially the same reactions, but they occur in reverse. During photosynthesis, carbon dioxide and water yield glucose and oxygen. Through the respiration process, glucose and oxygen yield carbon dioxide and water. They work well together because living organisms supply plants with carbon dioxide, which undergoes photosynthesis and produces glucose, and these plants and bacteria give out oxygen, which all living organisms need for respiration.

Using the M.U.S.E. link, review the background information and animation to complete your report. Use the lab 1 worksheet for assignment instructions and data collection.