Week 2


    This week, we talked about how to identify if something is a living thing or not depending on if it has all of the 8 characteristics. We also talked in detail about the different chracteristics, such as, what they are, how they work, and why they are important. One thing that I learned was that a living thing must have all 8 charcteristics to be considered living. Each of these characteristics are connected to make life possible. An example of how they are connected is reproduction and growth. They are connected becuase every living thing, for example, humans, get genes from a parent, start as something small and grow, and then adventually passes their genes through reproduction. 
    I think that the 8 characertistics and how they work is very clear and straight forward. Although, I do think it could get confusing when trying to apply it to more complex concepts. For example, when we were talking about if a virus is a living thing or a single-cell organism, it can be tricky to decide if they are alive or not and why. 
    I can apply this to my future teaching becuase it is not too complex, so it would be easier for elementary students to learn. Similar to the seed experiement that we did in class today, I think it would be a great idea to have caterpillars in the classroom to watch them grow and develop everyday and become butterfiles. We did this when I was in second grade and I remember it being really interesting and fun. It can also be made as a hands-on activity to set up the temperary home/ecosystem that the caterpillar will live in as a class and also feeding it everyday. 
    What are some other activites that we can use to teach our students about living things? 

Comments

  1. TaylorJanuary 29, 2025 at 3:48 PM

    Hi Audrey! I agree the eight characteristics are pretty straight forward and easy to understand. I did get confused when we discussed whether a virus is a living thing or not as well. The way you plan to implement this in your classroom with caterpillars is such a create idea! Great post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kendra KalkwarfJanuary 30, 2025 at 6:57 AM

    Hey Audrey! I agree with you that the eight characteristics are easy to understand but can become more difficult to discuss when discussing things like viruses. Teaching about these eight characteristics in a future classroom can be a good idea and a fun hands-on activity for young learners.

    ReplyDelete

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