You will learn
- Say what a living thing is.
- Name living things around them.
- Say that people, animals and plants are living things.
- Tell a living thing from a toy or a stone.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- Living things are alive.
- People, animals and plants are living things.
- Living things grow and need water.
- A stone or a toy is not alive.
Words to know
a thing that is alive, such as a plant, an animal or a person
having life: growing, needing water and changing
a living thing that grows in soil or water and usually stays in one place
a living thing that moves about and eats food, such as a dog, a bird or a person
1. Discover: The snail and the stone
Ayo finds a snail on a wall, and a stone next to it. After a while the snail slowly moves along and leaves a wet trail. The stone stays where it is. “The snail is alive,” says Ayo. He watches but does not touch it.
Think: How could Ayo tell that the snail is alive and the stone is not?
2. Understand: What does alive mean?
Idea 1: Alive
A living thing is alive. It grows, needs water and food, and changes over time. A dog, a mango tree and a baby are all alive.
Idea 2: People, animals and plants
People, animals and plants are living things. Trees, flowers, grass, birds, insects, fish and children are all alive.
Idea 3: Not alive
A stone, a spoon, a toy car and a cloud are not alive. They do not grow or need food. A toy can move when you push it, but it is still not alive.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Is it living?
A goat is eating grass.
- Does it need food? Yes, it is eating.
- Does it grow? Yes, a young goat grows into a big goat.
- Is it alive? Yes.
Answer: Yes, the goat is a living thing.
Example 2 (We do it together): Is it living?
A toy car rolls down a slope.
- Does it need food or water? No.
- Does it grow? No.
- It moves only when it is pushed or when it rolls down.
Answer: No. The toy car is not a living thing.
Example 3 (You try): Sort the things
A mango tree, a stone, a dog and a spoon.
Show the steps and answer
- Which grow and need water? The mango tree and the dog.
- Which do not? The stone and the spoon.
- Make two groups.
Answer: Living: mango tree and dog. Not living: stone and spoon.
Did you know?
There are millions of different kinds of living things on Earth, and scientists are still finding new ones.
Why this matters
Knowing what is alive helps us look after animals and plants and understand the world.
4. Explore: Living or not living walk
Walk in a safe place with an adult and look for living things.
- Find three living things.
- Find three things that are not living.
- Say how you know for each one.
- Draw one of each.
Think about it: what did you notice?
How did you decide? Living things grow and need water and food.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- ___ is a living thing.
- ___ is not alive.
- I know because it ___.
- Living things need ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Is a dog living?
Yes.
Question 2. Is a stone living?
No.
Question 3. Name one plant.
Any plant, such as a tree, grass or a flower.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Is a dog living?
- Is a stone living?
- Name one plant.
- Name one animal.
- Is a person a living thing?
Level 2: Grow
- Is a toy car alive? Say why not.
- Name two living things in your home.
- Why is a tree a living thing?
Level 3: Stretch
- Ayo says a cloud is alive because it moves. What do you tell him?
- Sort six things into living and not living.
- A seed does not move. Is it alive? How could you find out?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
Which living things do you see on your way to school?
Show a sample answer
Trees, grass, birds, people and insects.
Another one. Tell a family member one thing from this lesson. Use the words you learned.
Show a sample answer
A clear sentence that uses at least one word from Words to know.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: A car and a cloud move, but they are not alive. Living things also grow and need water and food.
Fix: Plants are alive. They grow and need water and light.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say what a living thing is.
- I can name living things around them.
- I can say that people, animals and plants are living things.
- I can tell a living thing from a toy or a stone.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- Living things are alive.
- People, animals and plants are living things.
- Living things grow and need water.
- A stone or a toy is not alive.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Characteristics of living things. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- What is a living thing? [2 marks]
- Name two animals and one plant. [3 marks]
- Is a toy car alive? Give a reason. [2 marks]
- Sort the dog, the stone, the tree and the spoon into living and not living. [2 marks]
- Is a seed alive? Explain. [1 mark]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- A thing that is alive [1]; for example, it grows and needs water and food [1]
- Two animals [2]; one plant [1]
- No [1]; it does not grow or need food [1]
- Living: dog and tree [1]; not living: stone and spoon [1]
- Yes, it can grow into a plant [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- Is a dog living?
- Is a stone living?
- Name one plant.
- Name one animal.
- Is a person a living thing?
- Is a toy car alive? Say why not.
- Name two living things in your home.
- Why is a tree a living thing?
- Ayo says a cloud is alive because it moves. What do you tell him?
- Sort six things into living and not living.
Homework
With an adult, list five living things and five non-living things at home or in your yard. Tell how you know.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is a dog living? | Yes. | 1 |
| 2. Is a stone living? | No. | 1 |
| 3. Name one plant. | Any plant, such as a tree, grass or a flower. | 1 |
| 4. Name one animal. | Any animal. | 1 |
| 5. Is a person a living thing? | Yes. | 1 |
| 6. Is a toy car alive? Say why not. | No. It does not grow or need food. | 1 |
| 7. Name two living things in your home. | Any two, such as people, a pet or a plant. | 1 |
| 8. Why is a tree a living thing? | It grows and needs water. | 1 |
| 9. Ayo says a cloud is alive because it moves. What do you tell him? | A cloud moves but does not grow or need food, so it is not alive. | 1 |
| 10. Sort six things into living and not living. | A correct sorting of any six things. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Yes.; 2 No.; 3 Any plant, such as a tree, grass or a flower.; 4 Any animal.; 5 Yes.. Level 2: 1 No. It does not grow or need food.; 2 Any two, such as people, a pet or a plant.; 3 It grows and needs water.. Level 3: 1 A cloud moves but does not grow or need food, so it is not alive.; 2 A correct sorting of any six things.; 3 Yes, a seed is alive. Plant it with water and watch it grow..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Say what a living thing is | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Name living things around them | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Say that people, animals and plants are living things | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Tell a living thing from a toy or a stone | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Things that move are alive.” A car and a cloud move, but they are not alive. Living things also grow and need water and food.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Sort only two things first, such as a dog and a stone, then add more.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns what living things are and how to tell them from things that are not alive. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Point to things outside and ask, “Is it alive? How do you know?”
- Talk about pets, plants and people at home.
- Praise careful reasons, not only answers.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: say what a living thing is; name living things around them; say that people, animals and plants are living things; tell a living thing from a toy or a stone.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Pictures or objects of living and non-living things (a leaf, a stone, a toy car, a spoon), chart paper, pencils and crayons. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Collect safe objects and pictures. Write two headings on the board: living and not living.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Show a picture of a snail and a stone and ask, “Which is alive? How do you know?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach alive, plant, animal and people. Compare them with non-living things.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners sort pictures and objects and walk to find living things.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners draw one living and one non-living thing and tell how they know.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Is it alive? How do you know? Does it grow and need water and food?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with real objects and safe, hands-on observation. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always say “how do you know?”. Keep to the safety notes, and use local, safe materials.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use real objects and pictures, short sentences and a partner. Let learners point, show or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example at home and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Things that move are alive.” A car and a cloud move, but they are not alive. Living things also grow and need water and food.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Sort only two things first, such as a dog and a stone, then add more. Enrichment. Look for one new example near your home or school, draw it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: Next Generation Science Standards, Cambridge Primary Science and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Science curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 2, topic 1; Next Generation Science Standards, from molecules to organisms (what plants and animals need); Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, living things; IB Primary Years Programme, how the world works. These sources informed the lesson.