Is it living?

Students will identify living and nonliving things.

A lesson plan for grade 1 English Language Arts and Science

By Genita Powell

Learn more

Related pages

• Getting to know spiders: This lesson is useful for helping students understand the differences between spiders and insects. They will also learn about a spider's particular body parts. Live spiders will be observed over the course of a few days to see how sound, light, and movement affect the spiders.
• Is it a duck? Is it a chick?: Students will compare and contrast the characteristics of a chick and a duckling by using a Venn Diagram.
• Intrigue of the Past: Teach your students about North Carolina's fascinating past. This edition contains lesson plans about the fundamental concepts, processes, and issues of archaeology, as well as essays for the teacher with detailed information about four periods in North Carolina's ancient history.

Related topics

• Learn more about biology, compare and contrast, graphic organizers, language arts, living, non-living, observation, and science.

Help

Please read our disclaimer for lesson plans.

Legal

Learning outcomes

Students will:

• identify basic needs of living organisms
• identify a particular thing as living or nonliving
• group living and nonliving things
• compare, identify, sort and group living and nonliving things

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

4 days

Materials/resources

• Step 1: fish, rock, fish food, chart paper, marker
• Step 2: Smart T.V., Kidspiration program
• Step 3: picture cards with living and nonliving things, check sheet, pencils
• Step 4: magazines, construction paper, glue, marker or pencil, white board or overhead, writing paper
• Step 5: “Write From the Beginning,” pencils, and paper
• Step 6: computer with word processing
• Step 7: computer with internet connection

Technology resources

• Smart T.V.
• Kidspiration program
• computer word processor
• computer with internet connection

Activities

Step 1

Teacher and students will conduct an experiment with a rock and fish to determine which is living. First the teacher will have the students predict what will happen when both the rock and fish are fed. The teacher will write responses on the piece of chart paper. Next, the teacher will feed both the fish and rock fish food. The teacher and students will observe and compare the differences and write them on the chart. Afterward, the teacher will have students determine which object was living and note why on the chart. Last, students will review the characteristics of what made the fish a living organism.

Step 2

Teacher will use the Smart T.V. and Kidspiration program to have students identify and sort living and nonliving organisms. Teacher will use a chart labeled living and nonliving. Teacher will point to a picture and students will click the picture on the side of the chart were the picture should go.

Step 3

In small groups or during center time, give students picture cards with living and nonliving things. Students will sort the cards. Give students the check list (attached) to verify whether objects are living or nonliving.

Step 4

Have students fold a piece of construction paper in half. Label one side living and the other side nonliving. Next, students will look in magazines and choose living and nonliving things. Have students cut the pictures out, glue them to the construction paper on the appropriate side, and label the pictures.

Step 5

Teacher will use the “Write From the Beginning” steps to have students complete observational writing on living things. The writing process will start on the first day and continue for three days.

Day 1

Teacher models the writing process. First, brainstorm facts using a Circle Map. Next, organize facts using a Tree Map. Last, use the Tree Map to write observational sentences.

Day 2

Display only the Tree Map from prior day. Students will write sentences using the Tree Map.

Day 3

Display only the Circle Map from the first day. Next, have students construct a tree map to organize their ideas and facts. Last, students will write sentences using the Tree Map.

Step 6

Students will type their paper using a computer with a word processing program.

Step 7

Students will answer questions.

Assessment

Assessment will be based on students’ sorting of living and nonliving organisms from the magazine project and the activity using Kidspiration. Next, the teacher will observe students check list with sorting picture cards to determine whether objects are living or nonliving.

Supplemental information

Comments

I was inspired to do this lesson because many of my students were not able to answer a few questions that I asked them prior to the lesson about objects that were living. This unit is geared for K–1 grades. I would suggest this unit be taught at the beginning of the year because you will be able to piggyback off of the terms living and nonliving throughout the year.