This document provides an overview of a science unit on living vs. non-living things and measurement. It includes objectives, activities, and instructions for students. They will identify characteristics of living things, needs for survival, complete a poster comparing living and non-living objects, and learn to use tools like thermometers and graduated cylinders to take measurements in metrics. Students are introduced to key scientific concepts like observations, inferences, predictions, and the scientific method to design experiments and analyze data. Safety procedures are also outlined for laboratory work.

1. Unit 1
•Living vs. Non-living
•Measurement
•Scientific Method

2. What is Science?
Science is an ongoing study of our world.
Why do people study science?
• To solve problems
• To invent new technology
What is Biology?
Biology is the study of life.
Bio = life - ology = The study of

3. Living vs. Non-living
Objectives:
1. Know the six characteristics all living things must
have.
2. Know the four factors an organism needs to remain
alive.

5. In your notebook, complete the following:
1. Put today’s date on the top of the page.
2. Draw a box about half the size of the page.
3. Inside the box, at the top, write the following question:
How do we know something is alive?
4. You have 5 minutes to list your ideas. I am not looking
for the right answer, just what you think. There should
be no talking. You are doing this on your own.

6. How do we know if something is alive?
Living things:
1. Have one or more cells
2. Sense and respond to change
3. Reproduce
4. Have genetic material (DNA)
5. Use energy to carry out activities
6. Grow and develop

7. What do organisms need to stay alive?
Living organisms need:
1. Energy
2. Water
3. Air
4. Shelter (A place to live)

8. Living vs. Non-living Poster
Day 1:
• Look for living and non-living objects in magazines.
• You need to cut out 7 living and 7 non-living pictures.
• You can not use pictures of people, weapons, or anything
inappropriate.

9. Living vs. Non-living Poster
Day 2:
• Continue looking for 7 living and 7 non-living objects.
• After you have your pictures cut out you may get a piece
of construction paper.
• You need to glue your pictures on the paper and
decorate the poster.
• You must identify the objects and classify them as living
or non-living.
• Make sure your name and class period are on the poster.

10. Living vs. Non-living Poster
Day 3: Presentations
• You need to talk about 2 or 3 living and 2 or
3 non-living objects.
• You need to explain at least 1 of the 6
characteristics that makes the object living or
non-living.

11. What do scientists do?
- They do research and experiments to solve problems.
How do they do their job?
• Use safety procedures
• Use equipment
• Use measurement

12. Safety Rules
1. Know where safety equipment is.
2. DO NOT eat or drink in the lab!
3. Never taste chemicals!
4. Be careful with glassware.
5. Report cuts, spills, and broken glass to the teacher
immediately.
6. Wash your hands after experiments
7. Wear goggles when working with chemicals.
8. Tie hair back when working with fire.
9. Use mitts or tongs to pick up hot glassware.

13. Measurement
Objectives:
1. Know the appropriate metric unit for mass, volume,
temperature and length.
2. Know the appropriate instrument for measuring mass,
volume, temperature and length.
3. Know how to use a ruler, balance, thermometer and
graduated cylinder and read measurements.
4. Know how to convert between metric units and
determine larger or smaller measurements.

14. Measurement
A measurement has two parts:
- a number
- a unit
In Science, we always use metric units. All scientists use
metric units so they can easily discuss results.

15. Measurement Vocabulary
Temperature:
Length:
Mass:
Volume:
is a measure of how hot or cold an
object is.
is a measure of the distance from one point to
another.
is a measure of the amount of matter in an
object.
is a measure of the amount of space an
object takes up.

16. Measurement Instrument Metric Unit
Temperature Thermometer Celsius
Length Metric Ruler Meter
Mass Balance Gram
Volume
Graduated
cylinder
Liter

17. Measuring length
• Use a ruler
• Line up from zero not the end of the ruler
• Small divisions are millimeters
0 1 2 3 4

18. Metric Conversions
10 mm = 1 cm
100 cm = 1 m
1000 mm = 1 m
1000 m = 1 km
Base units
g = gram
L = liter
m = meter
Prefixes
m = milli-c
= centi-d
= deci-da
= deca-h
= hecto-k
= kilo-

19. Metric Conversions
kilo-hecto-deca-
Move up
BASE
Move decimal left
deci-centi-milli-
Move down
Move decimal right
1000
100
1
1/10
1/100
1/1000
10

20. Conversion Activity
Please convert the following measurements:
A. 3.5 kg = ________ g
B. 0.27 L = ________ mL
C. 6.2 m = _________ cm
D. 22.0 mm = ________ cm
E. 55 mL = _______ L
F. 3 cm = _______ m
G. 15 dm = ________ m
H. 22 cm = _______ mm
I. 98 g = ________ kg
J. 82.1 dm = ________ cm

21. COPY HOMEWORK on a separate sheet of paper
Conversion Activity
A. 5.6 grams to milligrams
B. 125 centimeters to meters
C. 1350 milliliters to liters
D. 3000 grams to kilograms
E. 25 decimeters to meters
F. 4.2 liters to milliliters
G. 357 milligrams to grams
H. 0.85 kilometers to decimeters
I. 14 millimeters to centimeters
J. 67.5 centimeters to millimeters

22. Sept 25. Measurement Lab
Record your station Color and Number.
Describe the objects being measured.
Follow directions at each station.
Object
Number
Object Description Measurement
& Unit

23. Measuring Mass
• Use a triple beam balance
• First balance it at zero.
• Then put item on the pan.
• Move one weight at a time. Start with the
smallest scale.
• When balanced, add up the weights.
• Put all weights back to zero before removing
object from the pan.

24. 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
0 100 200 300 400 500
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

25. www.edinformatics.com/ math_science/mass.htm

26. Metric Conversions
Small to large move left.
kilo- hecto- deca-
BASE
g, L, m
deci- centi- milli-
Large to small move right.

27. Measuring Volume
• Use a graduated cylinder.
• The water will curve in the
cylinder.
• Hold it level with your eye.
• Read the bottom of the
curve.
• Measures in milliliters mL.
30
20
10

28. Reading a graduated cylinder
1. Always read at eye level.
2. Read the volume at the bottom of the curve
(meniscus).
3. Make sure you use the correct scale.
Each mark = 1 mL
Volume = 13 mL
Each mark = 0.1 mL
Volume = 5.5 mL

29. Measuring Temperature
Water oF oC
Boiling Pt. 212 100
Melting Pt 32 0
Body
Temp.
98.6 37

30. Oct 1. Mass Lab Stations
Purpose: To understand how to use a triple beam
balance to measure Mass.
Station Color Letters Measurement in Grams
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

31. Oct 2. Temperature and Volume Lab
Purpose: To understand how to use a thermometer and
read a graduated cylinder.
Station Temperature
1
2
3
4
Station Volume
1
2
3
4
5
6

32. Vocabulary
Observation:
Inference:
• To take notice
• Use your five senses
• Record what you observe
• Using your observations to form an opinion
• Not facts
Prediction: • Use observations to predict a future outcome.
•What you think may happen based on
observations and your knowledge.

33. Observations: Inference: Prediction:

34. Scientific Method
A series of steps used to answer a question or solve a
problem.
Six steps of the Scientific Method:
1. Ask a question. (What do you want to know?)
2. Develop a hypothesis. (An educated guess of the outcome.)
3. Test the hypothesis ( a. Design an experiment
b. Collect data)
4. Analyze the data. (What does your data mean?)
5. Draw conclusions. (What did you learn?)
6. Communicate results.

35. Scientific Vocabulary
Control: A standard that is used to compare the outcome.
Constant:
Anything that does not change during an experiment.
Independent variable:
The one thing you change in an experiment (ex. sunlight)
Dependent variable:
(manipulated variable)
(responding variable)
The measure of change for the outcome (ex. plant height)
Your grade depends on the amount of effort you put in!

36. Example:
Elisha wants to grow award winning pumpkins
like her grandmother. She read in a magazine that
some of the chemicals found in MiracleGro are
also found in her shampoo. She thinks watering
her plants with shampoo will make them grow as
big as plants watered with MiracleGro and plain
water.
1. What was Elisha’s hypothesis?
2. What is Elisha’s control?
3. What needs to be kept constant?
4. What is the independent variable?
5. What is the dependent variable?