You will learn
- Say that animals are living things.
- Name signs of life in animals.
- Name what animals do to stay alive.
- Say that people are animals too.
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
- Animals are living things.
- Animals move, eat, drink, breathe, grow and have young.
- They sense things and react.
- People are animals too.
Words to know
a living thing that moves about and eats food
a baby animal
to go from one place to another
what animals eat to live and grow
1. Discover: The hen and her chicks
Kofi watches a hen. She pecks at grains, drinks water and walks across the yard. Four small chicks walk behind her. “They are growing,” says Kofi. “Last week they were eggs.” A bird flies over. The hen clucks and the chicks run under her wings. “She reacted,” says Kofi.
Think: Which signs of life did Kofi see?
2. Understand: What animals do
Idea 1: Animals are alive
Animals are living things. Dogs, birds, fish, insects and people are all animals.
Idea 2: What animals do
Animals move about, eat food, drink water and breathe air. They grow and change. Their young are born or hatch from eggs.
Idea 3: Sensing and reacting
Animals sense the world with eyes, ears, noses and skin. They react: a hen clucks, a fish swims away and a cat jumps at a sound.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Is it an animal?
A fish swims, eats and has young.
- Does it move? Yes.
- Does it eat? Yes.
- Does it have young? Yes.
Answer: Yes, a fish is an animal and it is alive.
Example 2 (We do it together): Signs of life in a hen
A hen pecks grain, drinks and lays eggs.
- Pecking grain: eating.
- Drinking: needing water.
- Laying eggs: having young.
Answer: She eats, drinks and has young, so she is alive.
Example 3 (You try): Are people animals?
A child runs, eats, drinks, breathes and grows.
Show the steps and answer
- Does she move? Yes.
- Does she eat and drink? Yes.
- Does she grow? Yes.
Answer: Yes, people are animals too.
Did you know?
An ant can carry things that are many times heavier than its own body.
Why this matters
Knowing what animals do helps us care for pets and protect wild animals.
4. Explore: Animal watch
Watch an animal such as a bird, a hen or an ant from a safe distance with an adult for five minutes.
- Look at how it moves.
- Look for what it eats or drinks.
- Look for how it reacts to sounds or movement.
- Draw it and write one thing it does.
Think about it: what did you notice?
Which signs of life did the animal show? Animals move, eat, breathe and react.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- An animal can ___.
- It eats ___.
- It reacts when ___.
- People are animals because ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Is a dog an animal?
Yes.
Question 2. Name one animal that flies.
A bird, a bee or a bat.
Question 3. Name one animal that swims.
A fish.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Is a dog an animal?
- Name one animal that flies.
- Name one animal that swims.
- What do animals drink?
- What do hens lay?
Level 2: Grow
- Name two signs of life in a cat.
- How do animals sense the world?
- How do chicks begin?
Level 3: Stretch
- Explain why a person is an animal.
- A friend says a bird is not an animal because it flies. What do you say?
- How can you find out if a small creature is alive without touching it?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
Which animals live near your home? What do they do?
Show a sample answer
Birds fly, ants carry food and dogs walk and bark.
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: Insects, fish and birds are animals too, big or small.
Fix: People are animals too. We move, eat, grow and have young.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say that animals are living things.
- I can name signs of life in animals.
- I can name what animals do to stay alive.
- I can say that people are animals too.
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
- Animals are living things.
- Animals move, eat, drink, breathe, grow and have young.
- They sense things and react.
- People are animals too.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Basic needs 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.
- Name three animals. [3 marks]
- Give two signs of life in animals. [2 marks]
- How do chicks begin their life? [1 mark]
- Explain why people are animals. [2 marks]
- A friend says a bee is not an animal. What do you say? [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Any three animals [1 each]
- Any two: move, eat, drink, breathe, grow, have young, react [1 each]
- They hatch from eggs [1]
- People move, eat, drink and grow [1]; they breathe, have young and react [1]
- A bee moves, eats, grows and has young [1]; so it is an animal [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 an animal?
- Name one animal that flies.
- Name one animal that swims.
- What do animals drink?
- What do hens lay?
- Name two signs of life in a cat.
- How do animals sense the world?
- How do chicks begin?
- Explain why a person is an animal.
- A friend says a bird is not an animal because it flies. What do you say?
Homework
Watch an animal at home or outside for five minutes. Draw it and write two things it does.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Is a dog an animal? | Yes. | 1 |
| 2. Name one animal that flies. | A bird, a bee or a bat. | 1 |
| 3. Name one animal that swims. | A fish. | 1 |
| 4. What do animals drink? | Water. | 1 |
| 5. What do hens lay? | Eggs. | 1 |
| 6. Name two signs of life in a cat. | Any two: moves, eats, drinks, breathes, grows, reacts. | 1 |
| 7. How do animals sense the world? | With eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin. | 1 |
| 8. How do chicks begin? | They hatch from eggs. | 1 |
| 9. Explain why a person is an animal. | People move, eat, drink, breathe, grow and have young. | 1 |
| 10. A friend says a bird is not an animal because it flies. What do you say? | A bird moves, eats, grows and has young, so it is an animal. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Yes.; 2 A bird, a bee or a bat.; 3 A fish.; 4 Water.; 5 Eggs.. Level 2: 1 Any two: moves, eats, drinks, breathes, grows, reacts.; 2 With eyes, ears, nose, tongue and skin.; 3 They hatch from eggs.. Level 3: 1 People move, eat, drink, breathe, grow and have young.; 2 A bird moves, eats, grows and has young, so it is an animal.; 3 Watch it move, eat or react..
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 that animals 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 |
| O2 Name signs of life in animals | 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 Name what animals do to stay 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 |
| O4 Say that people are animals too | 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 big animals are animals.” Insects, fish and birds are animals too, big or small.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Look at one animal and say one thing it does for each sign of life.
- 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 that animals, including people, are living things. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Watch a bird or a pet together.
- Ask, “What does it eat? How does it move?”
- Remind your child to stay a safe distance from wild animals.
- 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 that animals are living things; name signs of life in animals; name what animals do to stay alive; say that people are animals too.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Pictures of animals (a dog, a fish, a bird, an ant, a person), 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 animal pictures. Find a safe place to watch animals. Write the signs of life on the board.
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). Tell the story of the hen and chicks and ask which signs of life the hen shows.
Explanation (10 min). Teach what animals do. Show pictures of different animals, including a person.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners watch an animal or look at animal pictures and note signs of life.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners share one thing their animal does and why it is alive.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What does it do? What does it need? Is it alive?
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 big animals are animals.” Insects, fish and birds are animals too, big or small.
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. Look at one animal and say one thing it does for each sign of life. 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 5; Next Generation Science Standards, from molecules to organisms (what plants and animals need to survive); Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, living things; IB Primary Years Programme, how the world works. These sources informed the lesson.