You will learn
- Name signs of life.
- Say that living things grow, need food, water and air, and have young.
- Say that living things sense things and react.
- Use signs of life to decide if something is alive.
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 grow and change.
- They need food, water and air.
- They can have young.
- They sense things and react.
Words to know
to get bigger and change
to take air in and let air out
baby animals or new plants
to do something when something happens
1. Discover: The kitten and the plant
Ama has a kitten and a bean plant. The kitten drinks milk, plays and grows bigger each week. The bean plant grows taller and leans toward the light from the window. “My toy cat never changes,” says Ama.
Think: What do the kitten and the plant do that the toy cat does not?
2. Understand: Signs of life
Idea 1: Living things grow
Living things grow and change. A puppy grows into a dog. A seed grows into a plant. Growing means getting bigger and changing.
Idea 2: Food, water and air
Living things need food, water and air. Animals eat food and breathe air. Plants take in water and air, and they use light from the Sun to make food.
Idea 3: Young and reacting
Living things can have young. Hens lay eggs, cats have kittens and plants make seeds. Living things also sense things and react. You pull your hand away from something hot. A plant leans toward the light.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Does it grow?
A chick becomes a hen.
- Is the chick small? Yes.
- Does it get bigger? Yes.
- Is it growing? Yes.
Answer: Yes. The chick grows, so it shows a sign of life.
Example 2 (We do it together): Does it react?
A dog hears its name and runs to you.
- What happened? The dog heard a sound.
- What did it do? It ran to you.
- That is reacting.
Answer: Yes. The dog senses sound and reacts.
Example 3 (You try): Toy cat or real cat?
A toy cat sits on a shelf. A real cat sleeps, eats and grows.
Show the steps and answer
- Does the toy cat eat? No.
- Does it grow? No.
- Does the real cat? Yes.
Answer: The real cat is alive. The toy cat is not.
Did you know?
Some plants react quickly. The leaves of the touch-me-not plant fold up when they are touched.
Why this matters
Knowing what living things do helps us look after them and tell what is alive.
4. Explore: Watch a living thing
Watch a plant, or a small animal such as an ant or a snail from a distance, with an adult for five minutes.
- Look at what it does. Write or draw two things.
- Ask: does it grow? Does it need food or water? Does it react?
- Tell a partner what you saw.
- Say why it is alive.
Think about it: what did you notice?
Which signs of life did you see? Living things show signs of life.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- It grows because ___.
- It needs ___.
- It reacts when ___.
- This shows it is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Does a puppy grow?
Yes.
Question 2. Do plants need water?
Yes.
Question 3. Name one thing a chicken needs.
Food, water or air.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Does a puppy grow?
- Do plants need water?
- Name one thing a chicken needs.
- Does a toy grow?
- What does a hen lay?
Level 2: Grow
- Name two things living things do.
- What does a plant do when it needs light?
- Why is a real cat alive but a toy cat is not?
Level 3: Stretch
- A friend says a robot is alive because it moves. What do you say?
- Explain how you know a bean plant is alive.
- List three signs of life in a dog.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
How do you know your pet or a plant at home is alive?
Show a sample answer
It grows, it eats or is watered, and it reacts.
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: Plants grow, need water and have young (seeds) too.
Fix: A toy car moves, but it does not grow or need food.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can name signs of life.
- I can say that living things grow, need food, water and air, and have young.
- I can say that living things sense things and react.
- I can use signs of life to decide if something is alive.
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 grow and change.
- They need food, water and air.
- They can have young.
- They sense things and react.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Living and non-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.
- Name three signs of life. [3 marks]
- Give one way a plant shows it is alive. [1 mark]
- Why is a toy cat not alive? [2 marks]
- A puppy hears its name and runs to you. Which sign of life is this? [1 mark]
- Explain how you can tell that a seedling is alive. [3 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Any three: grow; need food, water and air; have young; react [1 each]
- Grows, needs water or makes seeds [1]
- It does not grow [1]; it does not need food or react [1]
- Reacting [1]
- It grows taller [1]; it needs water [1]; it makes leaves or leans toward light [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
- Does a puppy grow?
- Do plants need water?
- Name one thing a chicken needs.
- Does a toy grow?
- What does a hen lay?
- Name two things living things do.
- What does a plant do when it needs light?
- Why is a real cat alive but a toy cat is not?
- A friend says a robot is alive because it moves. What do you say?
- Explain how you know a bean plant is alive.
Homework
Watch a plant or a pet at home for three days. Each day, write or draw one sign of life.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Does a puppy grow? | Yes. | 1 |
| 2. Do plants need water? | Yes. | 1 |
| 3. Name one thing a chicken needs. | Food, water or air. | 1 |
| 4. Does a toy grow? | No. | 1 |
| 5. What does a hen lay? | Eggs. | 1 |
| 6. Name two things living things do. | Any two: grow, need food and water, take in air, have young, react. | 1 |
| 7. What does a plant do when it needs light? | It grows toward the light. | 1 |
| 8. Why is a real cat alive but a toy cat is not? | The real cat grows, eats and reacts. | 1 |
| 9. A friend says a robot is alive because it moves. What do you say? | A robot does not grow, eat or have young. It is not alive. | 1 |
| 10. Explain how you know a bean plant is alive. | It grows, needs water and light, and makes seeds. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Yes.; 2 Yes.; 3 Food, water or air.; 4 No.; 5 Eggs.. Level 2: 1 Any two: grow, need food and water, take in air, have young, react.; 2 It grows toward the light.; 3 The real cat grows, eats and reacts.. Level 3: 1 A robot does not grow, eat or have young. It is not alive.; 2 It grows, needs water and light, and makes seeds.; 3 Any three: eats, grows, breathes, reacts, has puppies..
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 Name signs of life | 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 Say that living things grow, need food, water and air, and have young | 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 living things sense things and react | 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 Use signs of life to decide if something is alive | 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: “Only animals show signs of life.” Plants grow, need water and have young (seeds) too.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Focus on one sign of life at a time, such as growing, and compare a puppy with a toy.
- 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 the signs that show something is alive. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Watch a pet or plant together and talk about the signs of life.
- Ask, “Does a toy do these things?”
- Praise careful watching.
- 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: name signs of life; say that living things grow, need food, water and air, and have young; say that living things sense things and react; use signs of life to decide if something is alive.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. A potted plant or pictures of living things, a toy, 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. Bring or find a potted plant. Make a chart of the signs of life: grow, food, water, air, young, react.
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). Compare a toy cat and a picture of a real cat. Ask, “What can a real cat do?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach the signs of life, with an action for each.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners watch a plant or an animal and note the signs of life.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners decide if two things are alive and give reasons.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. Does it grow? Does it need food and water? Does it react?
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. “Only animals show signs of life.” Plants grow, need water and have young (seeds) too.
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. Focus on one sign of life at a time, such as growing, and compare a puppy with a toy. 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 2; 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.