43

Lesson 43 of 84 ยท Life Cycles

Experimentโญ 30 XP๐ŸŒฟ Wild Jungle

What Makes Something Alive? (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #43

Life Cycles.

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

โšก The twist

Living things break the rules of non-living things โ€” find the rule they break.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐ŸŒณ Trees can talk to each other through underground fungus networks.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: what will happen to the plant if you change the water?

What You'll Learn

All living things share basic characteristics: they grow, reproduce, respond to their environment, and need energy to survive. Plants make their own food through photosynthesis, while animals must eat other organisms.

Key Words

  • ecosystem
  • producer

Materials Needed

  • zip-lock bags
  • labels
  • seeds
  • soil
  • cups

Safety First

  • Handle glass items carefully to avoid breakage.
  • Do not mix unknown chemicals together.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Create a detailed food web for a local ecosystem. Include at least 8 organisms and use arrows to show energy flow from producers to top predators.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What do plants need to make food through photosynthesis?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

This is why plants grow toward windows and why scabs form.

๐Ÿ†

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Watch a plant or pet for 5 minutes today and write down what you noticed.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œTell me something you noticed about your own body today.โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

๐ŸŒฑShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Life Cycles for 3rd Grade

Get the full Life Cycles track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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What Makes Something Alive? (Part 2) โ€” Life Cycles | 3rd Grade Science | LittleActivity | LittleActivity