Revision Notes for Class 6 Science

Chapter 10 – Living Creatures : Exploring their Characteristics

Living and Non-Living Objects: Characteristics and Life Cycles

Objects around us can be classified into two broad categories: living and non-living.

Characteristics of Living Beings

Living beings are distinguished by several essential features:

• Movement: They have the ability to move, either independently or through external
forces.

• Nutrition: They consume food for growth and energy.

• Growth: They increase in size and complexity over time.

• Respiration: They breathe in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.

• Excretion: They remove waste products from their bodies.

• Response to Stimuli: They react to changes in their environment.

• Reproduction: They produce offspring to ensure the continuation of their species.

• Death: They eventually cease to live.

The absence of any of these features indicates that an entity is not a living being.

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Life Stages of Living Beings

Every living being undergoes several stages throughout its life cycle. These stages vary
depending on the type of organism.

Seed Germination

The germination of seeds is influenced by the availability of:

• Water

• Air

• Appropriate light and/or dark conditions

During seed germination:

• Roots typically grow downwards.

• Shoots generally grow upwards.

Plant Life Cycle

A plant’s life cycle includes:

1. Seed Germination: The seed begins to grow.

2. Growth and Development: The plant develops through various stages.

3. Flowering: The plant produces flowers.

4. Seed Production: New seeds are created for the next generation.

The seeds produced will germinate into new plants, continuing the life cycle.

Animal Life Cycle

For animals, the life cycle begins with a newborn and includes:

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 1. Growth and Development: The animal goes through various stages of growth.

2. Adult Stage: The animal reaches maturity.

3. Death: The animal eventually dies.

Reproduction ensures the survival and continuity of the species.

Examples of Life Cycles

• Mosquitoes: They undergo four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

• Frogs: Their life cycle includes eggs, tadpoles, froglets, and adults.

In certain living beings, such as mosquitoes and frogs, significant changes occur during
their life cycle stages. These changes can affect body shape, structure, and sometimes even
their habitat.

Real-Life Observation

Avadhi and Aayush, while on a morning walk with their parents, encounter some shells.
Avadhi attempts to pick them up, but her mother advises her against it. She explains that
the shell may belong to a living snail and is an integral part of its body. This prompts
Avadhi and Aayush to think about how the shell could be a vital part of a living creature.

Growth and Movement in Plants

Plants respond to sunlight, which plays a key role in directing their growth. The roots and
shoots of plants grow in specific directions based on their orientation. What happens when
a plant is placed upside down? Would the root still grow downwards and the shoot
upwards? To explore this, let's design an activity to find out.

Activity : Let Us Design

1. Take some bean or gram seeds and place them on a moist cloth or tissue paper.

2. Allow the seeds to germinate until small roots and shoots form.

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 3. Take three glass beakers (labeled A, B, and C) and attach a piece of thick blotting
paper to one side of each glass plate using soft cotton thread.

4. Carefully fix the seedlings on each plate without damaging them.

5. In Beaker A, place the plate upright with the seedling attached, ensuring the root is
directed downwards and the shoot upwards.

6. In Beaker B, position the seedling plate upside down so the root points upwards and
the shoot downwards.

7. In Beaker C, position the seedling with light entering through a small hole to ensure
the seedling receives light from only one direction.

8. Pour water into each beaker so the blotting paper remains moist.

Make predictions about the direction of growth for each beaker and record your
observations.

Results from Activity :

• When placed upright, the root grows downward, and the shoot grows upward.

• When inverted, the root bends downward, and the shoot bends upward.

• When light is provided from only one direction, the shoot grows toward the light,
while the root continues to grow downward.

These observations help us conclude that shoots grow upward toward sunlight, while roots
grow downward.

Jagadish Chandra Bose's Contributions

Jagadish Chandra Bose, an Indian scientist, conducted significant experiments on plant

responses to stimuli like light, heat, and gravity. He invented a machine called the
crescograph to measure plant growth and demonstrated that plants can sense and respond
to external stimuli.

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Life Cycle of a Plant

We know that plants undergo several changes throughout their life cycle. Let’s explore the
stages involved.

Activity : Let Us Explore

1. Plant a bean seed and provide the required conditions for its growth.

2. Observe its development over three months, recording the dates when any changes
occur.

3. Sketch the growth stages, noting when the first flower appears and how it progresses
into fruit.

You will notice that the seed grows into a plant, produces flowers, and eventually bears
fruits that contain seeds. This entire process is called the life cycle of a plant.

Life Cycle of Animals

Just like plants, animals also go through different life stages. Let’s explore the life cycle of
a mosquito.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Mosquitoes pass through four stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Female mosquitoes lay
eggs on stagnant water, and larvae and pupae live in water, frequently coming to the
surface to breathe.

Activity : Let Us Analyze

Design an activity to observe the transformation of mosquito larvae into pupae, and
eventually into adult mosquitoes. This process helps determine the correct sequence of
growth stages in mosquitoes.

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The adult mosquito lays eggs, which develop into larvae, then pupae, and finally adult
mosquitoes. Significant changes occur at each stage, with the body shape and structure
evolving throughout the life cycle.

Life Cycle of a Frog

Frogs also undergo remarkable changes in their life cycle, which includes egg, tadpole,
froglet, and adult stages.

Activity : Let Us Explore

Observe the stages of a frog’s life cycle, beginning from eggs laid in a jelly-like substance
known as spawn. As tadpoles develop, they grow legs and lose their tails, transforming
into froglets and eventually adult frogs that live both in water and on land.

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