In this lesson, students will learn about the difference between living and nonliving things by creating their own definitions for each. Students will use the definitions to divide things into living and nonliving categories and identify things based on similar characteristics. The students will:
- distinction between living and non-living things.
- organize things by similar characteristics.
- compare things having different characteristics.
Can I explain why living things require air and water?
- Living: Something that grows, changes, and needs food, air, and water to survive.
- Nonliving: Something that does not grow, may or may not change, and may or may not need food, air, and water to survive.
- Basic Needs: Things a living organism needs in order stay alive. They include food, air, water, and shelter.
- chart paper
- marker
- sentence strip
- clipboard
- paper
- pencil
- Living and Nonliving Sorting Cards (S-K2-7-1_Living and Nonliving Sorting Cards)
- What Does It Look Like? graphic organizer (S-K2-7-1_What Does It Look Like)
- Observation Walk Chart (S-K2-7-1_Observation Walk Chart)
- Living and Nonliving Sorting Mat (S-K2-7_Sorting Mat)
- magazines
- Observe students as they answer questions and listen to read-aloud stories.
- Monitor how students respond to objects discovered during the class nature walk.
- Monitor students as they sort and classify objects in small groups and independently.
Active Engagement, Modeling, Explicit Instruction
W: Students will sort and classify objects to demonstrate their knowledge of living and nonliving things. Students will be expected to create a working definition of living and nonliving things, as well as draw conclusions regarding their similarities and differences. Students will practice sorting and classifying in large groups as well as independently.
H: Students will connect with the lesson by listening to books about living things in their environment.
E: Students will sing songs to reinforce their understanding of the differences between living and nonliving things.
R: Students go on a nature walk to observe both live and non-living things outside the classroom. Students share their observations and use features to evaluate whether the things they see are living or nonliving.
E: Formative assessments, object sorting, and nature walk observations will measure student understanding of the lesson. There will be opportunities for practice and reteaching throughout the class.
T: Students will engage in teacher-led discussions, group and individual activities. Students will have numerous opportunity to practice sorting and classifying using sorting cards and actual objects.
O: This lesson provides students with opportunities to collaborate in large and small groups before working independently. The lesson also invites students to generate definitions based on their observations. Students are then given the opportunity to apply these definitions to the test during a nature walk.
Day 1
Activity 1: Read Aloud in the Whole Class Setting
Begin this lesson by asking students, "What do you need every day to make it a good day?" Listen to student suggestions and encourage them to discuss things they need to live.
Introduce the concept of living and nonliving by reading one of the recommended books, such as
What’s Alive? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld, Collins, 1995.
Is It a Living Thing? by Bobbie Kalman. Crabtree Publishing, 2007.
Use a variety of reading strategies while reading the book to ensure that students understand what they are reading. After reading the book, ask the following questions:
"What does it mean to be alive?"
"Can you name something that is alive?"
"How do you know it is alive?"
Show students the graphic organizer titled "What Does It Look Like?" (S-K2-7-1_What Does It Look Like). Note: The graphic organizer can be expanded and laminated. Use a visual organizer to assist your students organize their comments.
Ask students to recall living things from the book they just read. Ask,
"Can you tell me something in the story that is living?"
"What does it look like?"
"What does it need to live?"
Record student responses on the graphic organizer, leaving the Nonliving section unfilled.
After several instances of living things, go over the organizer. Circle repeated responses like "air," "water," and so on. Encourage students to conclude that all living things have the same basic needs, are mobile, and may change or grow. Ask students to name anything that is neither living nor nonliving, and enter their answers in the Nonliving box.
Display the next organizer, Nonliving Things.
"What if something is not alive, what would you call that?"
“We call something that is not alive nonliving. What is different about something that is nonliving?”
Repeat the practice with students naming nonliving things in the story or around the room. Students continue to describe the things as you note their comments in the organizer. Circle answers that are the same to assist students conclude that all living and nonliving entities share similar characteristics.
Ask students to define living in their own words. Accept students' responses and then explain that scientists define living things as things that grow, change, and require food, air, and water for survival.
Ask students to define nonliving in their own words. Accept student responses and explain that scientists define nonliving things as things that do not grow, change, or require food, air, or water to survive. Encourage students to discuss the concepts of living and nonliving with their peers. Have the partners share and then collaborate to come up with class descriptions for those two concepts. Students will practice using the definitions as they learn more about living and nonliving things. Display a sentence strip containing the terms Living and Nonliving, as well as a working definition, in the room. Refer to the definition throughout the class.
Activity 2: Songs for Reviewing Living and Nonliving
Teach students the following songs to reinforce the concepts of living and nonliving. You may want to create pictures to go along with the songs.
Living Things Are All Around (Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star)
Living things are all around
You can find them on the ground
In the sky and in a house
Dogs, cats, birds, me, and a mouse.
They need food, and air, to grow
They need water as they change and grow.
If You’re a Living Thing (Tune: If You’re Happy and You Know It Clap Your Hands)
If you’re a living thing you need air
If you’re a living thing you need water
If you’re a living thing
You need food to help you to grow
If you’re a living thing you grow and grow.
A Nonliving thing doesn’t grow
A Nonliving thing doesn’t grow
It doesn’t eat or drink
It doesn’t move or even think
A Nonliving thing doesn’t grow.
Tell the students they'll be going for a walk. During their walk, they will look for both living and nonliving things. Students are to walk and observe as they go. Students have to look for at least one living and one nonliving thing. Guide students through their walk, and after finished, have them sit in a circle to discuss what they observed. Nature walks can also be conducted within the school.
Set guidelines and expectations before going for a walk. Students should keep their eyes alert and their hands to themselves (no touching nature). Ask students to identify one living and one nonliving creature they saw on their stroll. As students share their observations, fill out the Observation Walk Chart (S-K2-7-1_Observation Walk Chart). Instruct students to answer each question and place a checkmark next to each Yes answers. Discuss with students whether each of the things met the concept of living or non-living.
Provide each student with a set of Living and Nonliving Sorting Cards (S-K2-7-1_Living and Nonliving Sorting Cards) and a Living and Nonliving Sorting Mat (S-K2-7_Sorting Mat). Cut the cards apart before the lesson, or give them extra time to do so. Students should classify the cards into two categories depending on their definitions of living and nonliving. You might wish to model a few cards together.
Extension:
Students who require further learning can construct a booklet of Living and Nonliving Things by drawing illustrations or finding pictures in newspapers.
Students can also use a sorting mat to distinguish between living and nonliving things as an additional learning opportunity. Encourage students to draw sketches of living or nonliving things in their home.
What Do You See? (S-K/2-7-1)
This is an educational worksheet titled 'What Do You See?'. It focuses on teaching the distinction between living and nonliving things. The worksheet includes objectives, core questions, vocabulary definitions for 'living' and 'nonliving,' and a list of materials needed for an activity. The activity involves defining living and nonliving things and categorizing them based on their characteristics. Materials needed include chart paper, marker, sentence strip, clipboard, paper, and pencil.
Grade Level Suitability:
This worksheet is suitable for Kindergarten to 2nd grade (K-2), as indicated by the code 'S-K/2-7-1.' The content is designed to introduce basic concepts about living and nonliving things, making it appropriate for early elementary students.
Why Use It:
This worksheet helps students learn the difference between living and nonliving things by having them create their own definitions and categorize items. It promotes critical thinking, vocabulary development, and organizational skills. It also introduces the concept of basic needs for living organisms.
How to Use It:
Use the worksheet as a guide to discuss the characteristics of living and nonliving things. Have students create their own definitions. Then, use the chart paper, marker, sentence strip, clipboard, paper and pencil to create a chart or list to categorize various objects or things as living or nonliving. Encourage students to explain their reasoning.
Target Users:
The target users are elementary school students, specifically those in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, and their teachers. It is also suitable for homeschooling parents looking for resources to teach basic science concepts.
