Al-Ittihad School / International Programme

Scholastic year 2021-2022

Grade _8___

Characteristics of Living Things

Subject &
Science (biology) /1113
Code:

Resources: Cambridge / Oxford

Name:

Our Vision

Our vision is to teach students the knowledge

and skills they need to function successfully Our Mission

within the community of our school and to act as Our mission is to prepare a learner to be patriotic,
committed to faith, and a scholar who is able to face all
responsible participants in a global society. challenges. This will be done through engaging

qualified staff, the latest educational theories

and modern technology in order

to thrive towards a bright future.

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 • Living organisms all have certain characteristics. Although non-living things may have
some of them, only living organisms have them all.

1 Movement: an action by an organism or part of an organism causing a change of position or

place

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 2 Respiration: the chemical reactions that break down nutrient molecules in living cells to
release energy for metabolism .

Notes:

3 Sensitivity: the ability to detect or sense stimuli in the internal or external environment
and to make appropriate responses.

Changes that cause responses in plants and animals:

4 Growth: a permanent increase in size and dry mass by an increase in cell number or cell
size or both.

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 5 Reproduction: the processes that make more of the same kind of organism (species)

6 Excretion: the removal from organisms of toxic materials, the waste products of
metabolism (chemical reactions in cells including respiration) and substances in excess of
requirements.

Toxic materials are:

• carbon dioxide is a waste product of respiration. (removed by breathing out)
• Urea is a waste product of chemical reactions other than respiration. (removed by urinating
and sweating)

Materials that are in excess of requirements are:

• Water (when you drink lots of water, your body takes what it needs and the excess is
removed either by sweating or urinating)
• Salts the same as water removed by the same way

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7 Nutrition: the taking in of materials for energy, growth and development.

• plants require light, carbon dioxide, water and ions; animals need organic compounds, ions
and usually need water