Living Organisms, Their Structure and Processes — General Characteristics of Living Organisms

About this lesson

This lesson introduces the general characteristics of living organisms, distinguishing them from non-living materials. It covers nutrition (autotrophs vs. heterotrophs, photosynthesis in plants), respiration (cellular respiration in mitochondria, different respiratory organs in organisms like humans, fish, insects, and plants), transport (circulatory system in humans, xylem and phloem in plants), excretion (removal of waste in humans and plants), and movement (musculoskeletal system in humans, limited plant movements, and movement in unicellular organisms like Amoeba, Euglena, and Paramecium). The lesson also includes technological applications like artificial photosynthesis and dialysis machines, and activities for observation, comparison, and practical work. By the end, students should be able to list the characteristics, relate them to cell functions in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, explain the link between photosynthesis and cellular respiration, recognize transport in animals and plants, and compare movement in some unicellular organisms.