You will learn
- Say that living things grow and change.
- Describe how a plant grows from a seed.
- Describe how an animal or a person grows.
- Put stages of growth in order.
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.
- A seed grows into a seedling and then a bigger plant.
- Animals and people start small and grow bigger.
- Growth happens in order: first, next, then.
Words to know
to get bigger and change
to become different
one step in a series of changes
a young plant that has just grown from a seed
1. Discover: Ama’s photos
Ama’s mother shows her some photos. In one, Ama is a baby. In another, she is two years old. In a third, she is at school. “I grew and changed,” says Ama. In the garden, her bean has grown too. First it was a seed, then a shoot, then a plant with leaves.
Think: How have you changed since you were a baby?
2. Understand: How living things grow
Idea 1: Growing means changing
When living things grow, they get bigger and they change. Growth takes time: days for a bean, weeks for a chick and years for a child.
Idea 2: How a plant grows
A seed takes in water and swells. A root grows down. A shoot grows up. Leaves open. The plant grows bigger and may make flowers and new seeds.
Idea 3: How animals and people grow
A baby animal grows into an adult. A chick becomes a hen. A puppy becomes a dog. A baby becomes a child and later an adult. Some young animals look different from adults.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Put the stages in order
A plant with leaves, a seed and a shoot.
- What comes first? The seed.
- What comes next? The shoot.
- What comes last? The plant with leaves.
Answer: Seed, shoot, plant with leaves.
Example 2 (We do it together): What will it become?
A chick.
- Is it small? Yes.
- It eats and grows.
- What does it become? A hen or a rooster.
Answer: A chick becomes a hen or a rooster.
Example 3 (You try): Has it changed?
Ama’s plant was tiny on Monday and taller on Friday.
Show the steps and answer
- Compare Monday and Friday.
- Is it bigger? Yes.
- Has it grown? Yes.
Answer: Yes, the plant has grown and changed.
Did you know?
A kitten opens its eyes about a week or two after it is born.
Why this matters
Watching growth shows us that living things change over time and helps us look after them.
4. Explore: Growth line
Use your bean drawings from the earlier lesson or make new drawings.
- Draw a seed, a shoot and a plant with leaves on three cards.
- Mix up the cards, then put them in order.
- Say what changed between the cards.
- Draw yourself as a baby and as you are now.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What changed between the pictures? Growing takes time.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- First it is a ___.
- Next it becomes a ___.
- Then it is a ___.
- It has changed because ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What do living things do over time?
They grow and change.
Question 2. What does a seed grow into?
A plant.
Question 3. What does a puppy grow into?
A dog.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What do living things do over time?
- What does a seed grow into?
- What does a puppy grow into?
- What comes first, a shoot or a seed?
- Do toys grow?
Level 2: Grow
- Put in order: leaves, seed, shoot.
- How have you changed since you were a baby?
- Name an animal that looks different when it is young.
Level 3: Stretch
- Draw and label the growth of a bean in three stages.
- Why does a child take longer to grow than a bean plant?
- How could you show that a plant has grown?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
How can you show at home that a plant has grown?
Show a sample answer
Draw it or measure it each week and compare.
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: They grow and change, though they grow at different speeds.
Fix: Many young animals look different, such as a chick or a caterpillar.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can say that living things grow and change.
- I can describe how a plant grows from a seed.
- I can describe how an animal or a person grows.
- I can put stages of growth in order.
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.
- A seed grows into a seedling and then a bigger plant.
- Animals and people start small and grow bigger.
- Growth happens in order: first, next, then.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Living things in our surroundings. 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 does grow mean? [1 mark]
- Put in order: plant with leaves, seed, shoot. [3 marks]
- Name an animal and say what it grows into. [2 marks]
- Give two ways you have changed since you were a baby. [2 marks]
- How could you show that a plant has grown? [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- To get bigger and change [1]
- Seed [1]; shoot [1]; plant with leaves [1]
- An animal [1]; its adult form [1]
- Any two correct changes [1 each]
- Draw or measure it [1]; compare over days [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
- What do living things do over time?
- What does a seed grow into?
- What does a puppy grow into?
- What comes first, a shoot or a seed?
- Do toys grow?
- Put in order: leaves, seed, shoot.
- How have you changed since you were a baby?
- Name an animal that looks different when it is young.
- Draw and label the growth of a bean in three stages.
- Why does a child take longer to grow than a bean plant?
Homework
Look at a photo of yourself as a baby, if you have one. Say or write three ways you have changed. Draw yourself now.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What do living things do over time? | They grow and change. | 1 |
| 2. What does a seed grow into? | A plant. | 1 |
| 3. What does a puppy grow into? | A dog. | 1 |
| 4. What comes first, a shoot or a seed? | The seed. | 1 |
| 5. Do toys grow? | No. | 1 |
| 6. Put in order: leaves, seed, shoot. | Seed, shoot, leaves. | 1 |
| 7. How have you changed since you were a baby? | Any correct changes, such as taller, more teeth, can walk. | 1 |
| 8. Name an animal that looks different when it is young. | A chick, a tadpole or a caterpillar. | 1 |
| 9. Draw and label the growth of a bean in three stages. | A drawing with seed, shoot and plant. | 1 |
| 10. Why does a child take longer to grow than a bean plant? | Different living things grow at different speeds. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 They grow and change.; 2 A plant.; 3 A dog.; 4 The seed.; 5 No.. Level 2: 1 Seed, shoot, leaves.; 2 Any correct changes, such as taller, more teeth, can walk.; 3 A chick, a tadpole or a caterpillar.. Level 3: 1 A drawing with seed, shoot and plant.; 2 Different living things grow at different speeds.; 3 Draw it each day or measure its height..
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 living things grow and change | 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 Describe how a plant grows from a seed | 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 Describe how an animal or a person grows | 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 Put stages of growth in order | 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: “Living things stay the same size.” They grow and change, though they grow at different speeds.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Use only three cards of one plant. Put them in order and say first, next, then.
- 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 living things grow and change over time. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Look at baby photos together and talk about how your child has changed.
- Ask, “What can you do now that you could not do then?”
- Watch a plant grow together.
- 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 living things grow and change; describe how a plant grows from a seed; describe how an animal or a person grows; put stages of growth in order.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Bean seedlings or drawings from the plant lesson, blank cards, crayons, pencils and chart paper. 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. Prepare blank cards. Gather pictures of a seed, a shoot and a plant, and of a chick and a hen.
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). Ask learners what they could do as a baby and what they can do now.
Explanation (10 min). Teach growth and stages with the bean and chick pictures.
Guided activity (10 min). Learners make growth cards and put them in order.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners say what changed between stages.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What changed? What came first? What comes next?
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. “Living things stay the same size.” They grow and change, though they grow at different speeds.
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. Use only three cards of one plant. Put them in order and say first, next, then. 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 7; Next Generation Science Standards, from molecules to organisms and ecosystems; Cambridge Primary Science Stage 1, living things and their environment; IB Primary Years Programme, how the world works and sharing the planet. These sources informed the lesson.