NCERT Curiosity · Class 6 · Science
Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics
A snail's shell doesn't move on its own — but the snail inside it is very much alive. What actually makes something "living"?
Key idea
What Sets the Living Apart
1
Plants move too
Flowers open. Climbers wind around nearby objects. Insectivorous plants like Drosera move their sticky hairs to trap insects.
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2
So what's the real test?
Living beings share a set of life processes that non-living things never show, no matter how they move.
Key idea
The Life Processes
GrowthIncreasing in size over time.
NutritionTaking in food for growth and energy.
RespirationBreathing in oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide.
ExcretionRemoving waste from the body.
Response to stimuliReacting to touch, light, or other triggers.
ReproductionProducing new individuals of the same kind.
Key idea
What a Seed Needs to Germinate
1
Water
Softens the seed coat and lets the embryo inside grow into a plant.
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2
Air
Needed from spaces between soil particles; those same spaces let roots grow easily.
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3
Light
usually not needed yet — Most seeds germinate without light, though sunlight is essential once the seedling appears.
Key idea
Which Way Do Roots and Shoots Grow?
1
Jagadish Chandra Bose
Invented the crescograph, an instrument to measure how plants grow and respond to light, heat, electricity, and gravity.
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2
One-sided light
When light comes from only one direction, the shoot bends and grows toward it — while the root still grows straight down.
Key idea
Life Cycle of a Plant
Seed → Young plant → Flowers & fruit → New seeds
Key idea
Life Cycle of a Mosquito
Egg → Larva → Pupa → Adult
Key idea
Life Cycle of a Frog
Spawn (eggs) → Tadpole → Froglet → Adult frog
Chapter · Key terms to remember
Key Terms
Germination
A seed developing into a seedling.
Respiration
Breathing in oxygen, releasing carbon dioxide.
Excretion
Removal of waste from the body.
Chapter · Key terms to remember
More Key Terms
Stimulus
Anything that triggers a response.
Life cycle
The stages from birth to producing the next generation.
Larva / Pupa
Early wormlike stage / resting transformation stage.
Chapter · Key terms to remember
More Key Terms
Spawn
A jelly-like cluster of frog eggs.
Tadpole / Froglet
Young stages of a frog, before adulthood.
Questions for your notebook
Write these down, then discuss
1List the similarities and differences in the life cycles of plants and animals.
2Can you find real examples for: an object that neither grows nor respires; one that respires but doesn't grow; one that grows but doesn't respire; and one that does both?
3You've learnt that seeds need certain conditions to germinate. How can this help us store grains and pulses properly?
Project as-is — students copy the questions, then the class discusses answers together.