Provide hands-on activities for practice and mastery. Check for understanding of concepts and skills by using relevant standard materials, i.e. worksheets, text problems, workbooks, teacher prepared exercises, etc.

Have the students prepare a list

Objective: The students will explore and investigate the concepts and principals set forth in the lecture notes to gain a deeper understanding.

Activity: 1. Have the students prepare a list describing the characteristics of living organisms. Then, place a series of objects in a shoe box, some living, some nonliving, and some specimens which were once alive. Have the students apply their definitions from their list of criteria to the items in the box. The students should be able to discriminate between living and nonliving things. Have students answer the following questions.
Were you able to categorize all the objects in the box? Why or Why not?
What, if any, problems did you encounter while performing this exercise?
How can this classification activity be improved?
Follow Up Activity – Have students gather information about viruses, virions, and prions. How do these items fit the definition of living organisms? As an example, viruses do not have a metabolism (they do not eat) and they can not reproduce by themselves. Without another organism as a host, they can not perform two very important qualities that are key criteria on the list of what living things do (eat and reproduce). In light of this new information, have the students narrow their focus to define only those items which all living organisms have in common. Explain to the students that they are not alone in this process. This debate is currently going on in the scientific community and is constantly being examined as new information is discovered.
2. See the activity sheet entitled, “It’s Elementary…,” for complete details about this exercise. This activity requires students to search their homes for specific elements found in living organisms. They must list items in the home where these elements can be found – and vitamins do not count.
3.) Have the students complete the “Cellular Chemistry Word Search” puzzle to reinforce the lecture materials.
4. Ask the students to complete the “Nutrition” crossword puzzles which reinforces the content which was delivered in the lecture notes.
5. Have the students work on the “Fat Gram Analysis” worksheet which is provided in the resource materials for this unit.
6. Have the students actively explore the internet sites provided in the “Related Internet Activities” which can be located on the resource list in the ancillary materials for this unit