Introduction to Biology and Characteristics of Life

What this page covers

This unit collects material on what makes something alive. Many resources use the MRS GREN checklist: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition. You will find it in mind maps such as Mrs Gren and Characteristics of Life, and in flashcard decks such as MRS GREN and Life Processes - Mrs Gren.

Other resources go wider. Biology Prefixes and Suffixes helps with scientific vocabulary. Scientific Method appears as both a quiz and a flashcard deck. Concepts in Biology Final Exam covers the hierarchy of life, emergent properties and natural selection.

Where to start

1. Open a short mind map such as Characteristics of Living Organisms to see the full list of life processes on one screen.
2. Run through the Mrs Gren flashcards until the terms feel familiar.
3. Take the Characteristics of Living Things Quiz to check what stuck.
4. Move on to exam-style practice, such as the GCSE Biology Quiz or the Living Environment Regents Practice Questions.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map first, then quiz yourself. If a question catches you out, go back to the matching branch of the map and reread it. The 0654 Characteristics of Living Things Quiz is a good example: it asks you to name the characteristic shown when worms come to the soil surface after heavy rain, so you must apply the idea, not just recall it.

Teachers can use the slide sets and notes, including the Living Systems slideshow, as a starting point for a lesson, then set a quiz to close it.

Where it sits

This unit belongs to the Foundations of Biology strand within Biology and natural sciences. It is the place to build the base ideas before cells, diseases, photosynthesis and respiration, which appear in some of the listed maps such as Photosynthesis & Respiration.

Most resources suit secondary courses, with some for younger pupils and some for university students. Choose one resource, work through it, and see what you still need to review.