1. Studying Life
Read the lesson title aloud to students.

2. Learning Objectives List the characteristics of living things.
Identify the central themes of biology.
Explain how life can be studied at different levels.
Discuss the importance of a universal system of measurement.
Click to show each of the learning objectives.
Ask: What does a biologist study?
Answer: living things
Tell students: The study of biology can be divided into many different fields, but all of the knowledge from these various fields leads to a few central themes.
Ask: Identify three way biology relates to your lives.
Possible answers: their own bodies, the food they eat, the ecosystems on which humans depend for water and other resources

3. Biology Biology is the study of life. But what IS life?
Tell students: The distinction between living and nonliving matter is not as simple as it seems.
Ask: What are the living things in the image aside from the fish?
Answer: The coral is alive.
Tell students: An enormous portion of living things are unseen to the human eye.
Ask: What living things are likely in the image that are unseen?
Answer: bacteria in the fish, tiny plankton in the water

4. Characteristics of Life
Reproduce
Genetic code
Homeostasis
Grow and develop
Metabolism
Evolve
Tell students that the characteristics of life can be organized into a list of eight characteristics.
Hand out the worksheet and have students fill in the definition of each vocabulary term as it is introduced.
Encourage students to include an example.
Click to reveal the first three terms.
Genetic code: Living things are based on a universal genetic language. This language is in the form of a molecular code.
Grow and develop: Living things grow and develop.
Respond to their environment: Living things respond to their environment. External factors such as changes in light or temperature stimulate a response in living things.
Click to reveal the remaining five terms.
Reproduce: Living things reproduce. Tell students there are two methods to reproduce: sexual reproduction (between a male and female) and asexual reproduction (a single organism reproduces on its own).
Homeostasis: Living things maintain a stable internal environment. Tell students the term homeostasis describes the state of stable maintenance by an organism. Example of homeostasis in a person: maintaining a stable internal temperature.
Metabolism: Living things obtain and use material and energy. Tell students a living thing is basically a chemical being that uses matter and energy to run a myriad of chemical reactions, constantly building and breaking down molecules and capturing and releasing energy. The summation of this activity is called metabolism.
Evolve: Taken as a group, living things evolve or change over time.
Made of cells: Living things are made of cells. Tell students many organisms consist of only one cell, while others, like people, consist of trillions of cells.
Respond to their environment
Made of cells

5. Is It Alive? Sample A Sample B
Group students and have them examine two objects: a clock with a working second hand and an active, live animal such as a fish or an insect.
Have students compare and contrast the two objects, writing down similarities and differences.
Make a table on the board where groups can add their findings.

6. Big Ideas in Biology
Cellular Basis of Life
Information and Heredity
Matter and Energy
Growth, Development, and Reproduction
Homeostasis
Evolution
Structure and Function
Unity and Diversity of Life
Interdependence in Nature
Science as a Way of Knowing
Tell students there are ten Big Ideas, or central themes, in the study of biology. Point out to students that an understanding of these Big Ideas will allow them to relate the specific information to a larger, more general concept.
Divide the class into ten groups, and assign each group one of the Big Ideas.
Have groups define and describe each Big Idea.
As each group presents, suggest students use an outline to organize the information in Big Ideas in Biology.
Click to reveal the first five Big Ideas and have each assigned group make their presentations to the class.
1. Cellular Basis of Life
2. Information and Heredity
3. Matter and Energy
4. Growth, Development, and Reproduction
5. Homeostasis
Click to reveal the other five Big Ideas and have each assigned group make their presentations to the class.
6. Evolution
7. Structure and Function
8. Unity and Diversity of Life
9. Interdependence in Nature
10. Science as a Way of Knowing 6

7. Fields of Biology Paleontology Biotechnology Molecular Biology
Entomology
Global Ecology
Explain that biology can be studied in many different settings, focusing on various specific areas. But all biologists contribute to the Big Ideas discussed earlier.
Click to reveal and discuss the following examples of biologists (point out that these are just a few examples of what biologists do).
Global ecology
Biotechnology
Paleontology: building the tree of life
Entomology: ecology and evolution of infectious diseases
Molecular biology: genomics and molecular biology
As you discuss these examples of biologists, encourage students’ exploration of careers in biology or science in general. Challenge them to think beyond the stereotype of scientists in white coats working in a laboratory setting.
Point out that some fields of biology described on these pages, such as genomics and molecular biology, did not exist until relatively recently. The development of new technology was instrumental in their creation.
Other fields of biology described here, such as paleontology, have existed for many years, although they have been changed dramatically by new technology.
Ask: What are some ways that scientists in the fields of biology described on these pages use technology?
Possible answers: Molecular biologists use computers to analyze DNA sequences. Global ecologists use satellites to gather data.
Then, have students consider how the fields of biology described here are interconnected.
Ask: How could a wildlife biologist use information generated by a molecular biologist?
Possible answer: A wildlife biologist could use information generated by a molecular biologist to find out if two species that appear similar are genetically related.
At the end of the lesson, you may wish to invite a school guidance counselor to speak to the class about careers in science. Encourage students to prepare questions for the guidance counselor about science careers and the required educational preparation for those careers.

8. Scientific Measurement
Ask: How important is accurate measurement in science?
Answer: Extremely! Even the slightest errors in measurement decrease the ability for scientific information to be accurate and reliable.
Tell students that using the metric system often involves conversions between metric units, which are all factors of 10.
For example, a measurement made in centimeters might need to be expressed in meters.
Reinforce students’ ability to convert between units.
Click to reveal a set of problems.
Ask volunteers to calculate the answers.
Click again to reveal each answer.
• 0.45 liter = ? milliliters (450)
• 1 kilometer = ? meters (1000)
• 5000 milligrams= ? grams (5)
• grams = ? milligrams (17)
• 130 meters = ? kilometers (0.13)
• 2500 milliliters = ? liters (2.5)
450 17
0.45 liter = _______ milliliters
0.017 grams = _______ milligrams
1000
0.13
1 kilometer = _______ meters
130 meters = _______ kilometers 5
2.5
5000 milligrams = _______ grams
2500 milliliters = _______ liters