Needs of Living Things Observation Lab

Scientific Question: What does life need to live?

List some things one must provide an organism in order to have it live
a long time.
Prelab:

Overview: You will be assigned a description of environment for growing

organisms.
You will then decide
What essential materials does the initial environment provide to
organisms living in it?
Which of these essential materials may run out in less than ten days?
What must you provide in order for the organisms living in your
environment to live a long time?
My Environment is : ____________________________
Hypothesis: IF I want organisms to survive in my environment, THEN I must
______________________________________________________________________

Procedure:
1. Read the instructions on your card.
2. Brainstorm what else you might need to do to keep organisms alive
over the course of 10 days.
3. Fill out the following table to ensure that your environment has all the
components needed to sustain life.
Requirement for
life

How my environment will meet

this requirement

Water Source
Energy (food source)
Nutrients/Minerals
Suitable Habitat
(right temperature,
protection, etc.)
4. After your teacher approves your plan, create the growing
environment.
5. Predict what will be growing in your environment in ten days.
Hypothesis #2: IF I provide my environment with the requirements of life,
THEN I will be able to observe the following organisms in my environment:
____________________________________________________________________
6. How will you tell that the organisms inhabiting your environment are
alive?

7. What are some things each environment in the class has in common
with the others?

8. Based on the classs environments, list the things you think are
essential for life to exist.

9. Observe your environment for ten days. Record your observations in

the data table. Use the How to tell whats growing in your
environment key to identify what is growing in it.
Data Collection:
Day

Sketch of Environment

Analysis and Conclusions

2 Qualitative
Observations

What I think is
in my
Environment