You will learn
- Name living things in the places around them.
- Say where different living things are found.
- Say that different living things live in different places.
- Observe living things safely and carefully.
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 all around us.
- Different living things live in different places.
- A habitat is the place where a plant or an animal lives.
- We watch living things carefully and do not disturb them.
Words to know
the things and places around us
a place where plants are grown
a small area of water
the place where a plant or an animal lives
1. Discover: The school yard
Mina’s class goes outside to look for living things. They find ants near a wall, a lizard on a rock, grass, and a tree with birds in it. “Each living thing has its own place,” says the teacher. “That place is its home.”
Think: Which living things live near your school?
2. Understand: Where living things live
Idea 1: Living things everywhere
Living things live in many places: gardens, fields, trees, ponds, rivers, the soil and even our homes.
Idea 2: Different places, different living things
Fish live in water. Birds build nests in trees. Worms live in soil. Ants live in nests under the ground or in walls. Plants grow where they get light and water. The place where a living thing lives is its habitat.
Idea 3: Watching without disturbing
We look carefully and gently. We do not pick up wild animals or break plants. After we look, we leave things as we found them.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Where does it live?
A fish.
- Fish need water.
- Where is there water? A pond or a river.
- So a fish lives in water.
Answer: A fish lives in water, such as a pond or a river.
Example 2 (We do it together): Match the animal and its home
A bird, a worm and a fish.
- Bird: a tree or a nest.
- Worm: the soil.
- Fish: the water.
Answer: Bird in a tree, worm in the soil, fish in the water.
Example 3 (You try): Is it safe?
You see a spider near a rock.
Show the steps and answer
- Do we touch it? No.
- Do we tell an adult? Yes.
- Do we leave it alone? Yes.
Answer: Watch from a distance, tell an adult and leave it alone.
Did you know?
A handful of garden soil can hold millions of tiny living things.
Why this matters
Finding living things near us helps us care for the places where they live.
4. Explore: Living things hunt
Go with an adult to the school yard or garden. Make a tally of the living things you find.
- Draw a table with the headings plants, insects and other animals.
- Look carefully and make a tally mark for each one you see.
- Draw one living thing and say where it lives.
- Share your findings with the class.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What kinds of living things did you find? Different places have different living things.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- I found a ___ in the ___.
- A ___ lives in ___.
- I looked without ___.
- This place is home to ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. Where do fish live?
In water.
Question 2. Where do birds build nests?
In trees.
Question 3. Name a living thing in a garden.
A plant, an insect or a bird.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- Where do fish live?
- Where do birds build nests?
- Name a living thing in a garden.
- Do we touch wild animals?
- What do we call the place where a living thing lives?
Level 2: Grow
- Name two living things you might find in soil.
- Why do we put things back after we look?
- Why do plants grow where there is light and water?
Level 3: Stretch
- List five living things in your area and where each one lives.
- What could happen if we pick up a nest?
- Why do different living things live in different places?
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Science in everyday life
Where in your community can you find many living things?
Show a sample answer
A garden, a market, a field, a river or a park.
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: Living things live in gardens, soil, ponds, towns and homes too.
Fix: Do not touch wild animals. Some may bite or sting, and we can hurt them.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can name living things in the places around them.
- I can say where different living things are found.
- I can say that different living things live in different places.
- I can observe living things safely and carefully.
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 all around us.
- Different living things live in different places.
- A habitat is the place where a plant or an animal lives.
- We watch living things carefully and do not disturb them.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Caring for 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 living things in a garden. [3 marks]
- Where do fish live? [1 mark]
- What is a habitat? [2 marks]
- Give two rules for watching animals safely. [2 marks]
- Why do different animals live in different places? [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Any three plants or animals found in a garden [1 each]
- In water [1]
- The place where a plant or an animal lives [2]
- Any two: do not touch; stay at a distance; stay with an adult; leave nests alone [1 each]
- They need different things [1]; such as water, food or shelter [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
- Where do fish live?
- Where do birds build nests?
- Name a living thing in a garden.
- Do we touch wild animals?
- What do we call the place where a living thing lives?
- Name two living things you might find in soil.
- Why do we put things back after we look?
- Why do plants grow where there is light and water?
- List five living things in your area and where each one lives.
- What could happen if we pick up a nest?
Homework
Take a short walk with an adult. Draw three living things you see and write where each one lives.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Where do fish live? | In water. | 1 |
| 2. Where do birds build nests? | In trees. | 1 |
| 3. Name a living thing in a garden. | A plant, an insect or a bird. | 1 |
| 4. Do we touch wild animals? | No. | 1 |
| 5. What do we call the place where a living thing lives? | Its habitat or home. | 1 |
| 6. Name two living things you might find in soil. | Any two, such as worms and ants. | 1 |
| 7. Why do we put things back after we look? | So the living things are not harmed. | 1 |
| 8. Why do plants grow where there is light and water? | They need light and water. | 1 |
| 9. List five living things in your area and where each one lives. | Five correct pairs. | 1 |
| 10. What could happen if we pick up a nest? | The young could be harmed or the parents might leave. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 In water.; 2 In trees.; 3 A plant, an insect or a bird.; 4 No.; 5 Its habitat or home.. Level 2: 1 Any two, such as worms and ants.; 2 So the living things are not harmed.; 3 They need light and water.. Level 3: 1 Five correct pairs.; 2 The young could be harmed or the parents might leave.; 3 They need different things, such as water, food or shelter..
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 living things in the places 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 |
| O2 Say where different living things are found | 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 different living things live in different places | 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 Observe living things safely and carefully | 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 only live in forests.” Living things live in gardens, soil, ponds, towns and homes too.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Look at one place, such as a tree, and name three living things that could be there.
- 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 looks for living things in the surroundings and learns where they live. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Walk around your neighbourhood and look for living things.
- Ask, “Where does it live? What does it need?”
- Remind your child not to touch 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: name living things in the places around them; say where different living things are found; say that different living things live in different places; observe living things safely and carefully.
Prerequisite knowledge. None. Learners should be able to look, listen and talk about what they notice.
Materials. Clipboards or notebooks, pencils, chart paper and pictures of habitats. 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. Plan a safe route in the school yard. Draw a table with plants, insects and other animals. Check the area for hazards.
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, “Where do you think we will find living things today?”
Explanation (10 min). Teach habitat and where different living things live. Teach the rules for watching safely.
Guided activity (10 min). Take the class on a living things hunt and make a tally.
Independent activity (10 min). Learners share what they found and where it lives.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What lives here? What does it need? How can we watch it safely?
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 only live in forests.” Living things live in gardens, soil, ponds, towns and homes 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. Look at one place, such as a tree, and name three living things that could be there. 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 8; 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.