ALEX Learning Activity

Students will use Google Drawings to create an infographic describing why an organism is classified as a living thing. 

This learning activity was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science University, GEMS-U Project.

Students will prove an organism is a living thing through the creation of an infographic. 

Students will develop 21st Century skills as they work with a peer in creating the infographic. 

Students will construct an infographic providing evidence that an organism is a living thing based on their ability to obtain and use resources, grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living in a constantly changing external environment.

1. The teacher will introduce infographics to students and share examples. 

2. Teacher asks students what they notice about the infographics. Pictures, icons, facts, etc...

3. Students will work with a partner and choose an organism to focus on while creating their living thing infographic. The teacher could provide a list of possible organisms for students.

4. Students will use what they learned about living things to prove the organism is a living thing by including 4-5 facts about the organism and describing why it is considered living.

5. Students will take facts and create an infographic using Google Drawings.  

6. Students will share the infographic with the class. 

Students will turn in infographics as a summative assessment. The infographics are evaluated based on if students used information from multiple sources to describe that organisms are classified as living things rather than nonliving things.

Teachers will need to collect a sample of infographics to share with students and be able to share with students why infographics are created. 

Google Drawings is a Google tool for education that allows students to create work using text boxes, images, word art, etc. It is similar to Microsoft Publisher but with more freedom. Students can add text boxes and images anywhere on the paper and create one-of-a-kind drawings. Click on the link for a How-To of using Google Drawings: https://support.google.com/docs/answer/179740?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en

Students should understand that infographics are created to inform readers about a certain topic or subject. 

Google Drawing will require a Google/Gmail account. 

Students can complete the activity with a partner or with a group. It is recommended that groups include three to four students each. With Google Drawings sharing capabilities, all students can be working and editing the same document at the same time.