Concept: / We can tell the difference between living and non-living things.
Objective/ Standard: /
  • Students will be able to differentiate from living and non-living materials.
  • Students will be able to recognize the physical attributes/traits of living and non-living things.
  • Students will be able to categorize living and non-living materials into their respective groups.
  • Students will be able to group plants, animals, and people as “living things.”
  • Students will be able to group objects and inanimate materials as “non-living things.”
Life Science SKL1.
“Students will sort living organisms and non-living materials into groups by observable physical attributes.”
Materials: / Whole Group
  • Graphic organizer/poster showing 5 attributes of a “living thing.”(18x24)
  • Graphic organizer/poster showing 5 attributes of “non-living things” (18x24)
Individual *color copy of one each, the graphic organizer with 5 attributes of living things and the one for non-living things, 1 per student.
  • Worksheet: This is a Living Thing (1 per student)
  • Worksheet: This is a Non-Living Thing (1 per student)
  • A labeled box filled with pictures of living things doing things they need to live. Also, a labeled box with pics of non-living things.
Living Things: In my box there will be pics of:
  • A grazing cow
  • A crying baby
  • A sleeping cat
  • A kid in his/her living room
  • A plant getting watered
  • A bug making a nest (bee, beetle, ant)
Non-Living Things: In my box there will be pictures of:
  • Rocks
  • Toys
  • A broom
  • A cell phone
On a separate box, there will be a mix of pictures of living and non-living things taken from the internet and magazine clippings. They are going to serve as a picture bank for the kids to sort later.
Advanced Preparation: /
  • Prepare posters using Kidspiration, Inspiration 8 or Word document.
  • Zoom up the posters, or have a slide ready with the graphic organizer on the smartboard.
  • Make copies of the student-required papers.
  • Gather and put together the living and non-living box
  • Gather and put together pictures
**Make sure ALL PICTURES ARE LABELED with the name of what they are***
*For Green Ribbon initiative*- Avoid using paper, and have students use their journals and state how they should format their living and non-living thing written activity. Keep the format posted on the white board or smart board.
Procedure: / ------see below------
motivating question / What are the telling signs of something being “alive”?
Answers on the poster:
  1. Living things breathe or need air.
  2. They need food and water.
  3. They need a place to live
  4. They need to protect themselves from danger.
  5. They express themselves
  6. OPTIONAL: They are born and then they die
  7. OPTIONAL: They have babies.

how to do it / Opening:15 minutesThe teacher will present the poster for “Living Things” showing the 5 traits of living things. She will explain that a “TRAIT” is something that tells me that you are different or alike someone or some people. It could that you look like your mom. It could be that you talk in a special way. Those are “characteristics” that belong to you and people like you.
All living things share a group of traits. Not all living things are alike, but they need the same things to be alive. “What can tell me whether something is a living thing” based on what the poster says.
After discussing each of the five traits, the teacher will take out a box filled with pictures of living things. Teacher will specify that THE IMAGE SHOWN IN THE PICTURE REPRESENTS a living thing.
Middle35 minutes:
Discussion: 20 minutes: Now that we have discussed 5 things that make things “living,” let’s discuss that the traits of NON-LIVING things are the opposite:
Answers:
  1. They do not need air to breathe
  2. They do not need water, food, or a place to live
  3. They do not express themselves
  4. They do not need protection from danger
  5. They do not move on their own
Teacher will show the poster. She will also show the objects inside the non-living box and will ask them to talk about their traits:
“Clap for me” (5 minutes)
After the students discuss the traits of non-living things, the teacher will do a quick game where she will pull out a picture from the box of mixed pictures. Teacher will ask students to stand up and clap for her if she calls the proper picture.
For example: The teacher will say: THIS (shows a picture) is a LIVING THING.
  • If she is correct, the kids will stand up and clap one time.
  • If she is incorrect, they will remain sitting and be quiet.
Activity: 10 minutes- Students will select 1 picture from the mixed picture box. They will decide whether the picture is of a living thing, or non-living thing. When they decide, they will write the name of the thing and draw its picture in the corresponding sheet. Students should complete 1 living and 1 non-living sheet.
Evaluation: / “What things do living things need to stay alive?”
“Are non-living things alive?” “Do they need anything to live?”
Extension: / The students will be asked to look for their favorite book that they have read in class so far (even if it is a picture reading). They will look at images in that book and place a GREEN sticky note on a picture that shows a LIVING THING. A PINK sticky note will be placed on top of a picture showing a NON-LIVING THING.
We will discuss our findings and divide what we find in a chart of “Living vs. Non-Living things in our Books”