You will learn
- Describe surroundings.
- Name living and non-living things.
- Use senses.
- Say how surroundings matter.
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
- Our surroundings are everything around us.
- They have living and non-living things.
- We observe with our senses.
- Surroundings affect how we live.
Words to know
everything around us
alive, such as plants and animals
not alive, such as stones
the world around us
1. Discover: The school yard walk
Ms Smith takes the class for a walk in the school yard. They see trees, birds, stones, a water tank and ants. They hear the wind and a bell. They smell wet earth. “These are our surroundings,” she says. “Some things are living. Some are not.”
Think: What is in your surroundings?
2. Understand: Surroundings
Idea 1: What are surroundings?
Our surroundings are everything around us: the land, water, air, plants, animals, buildings and people. Together they make our environment.
Idea 2: Living and non-living
Living things grow, eat or take in food, and can have young: plants, animals and people. Non-living things do not grow or breathe: stones, water, soil, chairs and tables.
Idea 3: Observing
We observe our surroundings with our senses: we look, listen, smell and feel. We do not taste unknown things. Observing carefully helps us understand and care for places.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Living or not
Sort.
- Look.
- Is it alive?
- Decide.
Answer: Tree: living. Stone: non-living.
Example 2 (We do it together): Use senses
What do you hear?
- Be quiet.
- Listen.
- Say.
Answer: Birds and wind.
Example 3 (You try): Describe
Describe the yard.
Show the steps and answer
- Look.
- Think.
- Say.
Answer: Green and busy.
Did you know?
A single tree can be home to hundreds of living things, including insects, birds, fungi and plants growing on its bark.
Why this matters
Knowing our surroundings helps us look after them.
4. Explore: Senses walk
Go on a short supervised walk. Look, listen, smell and feel (safely). Record two living and two non-living things.
- Stay together.
- Use senses.
- Record.
- Share.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Many living things were small.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- Surroundings are ___.
- A living thing is ___.
- A non-living thing is ___.
- I hear ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What are surroundings?
All around us.
Question 2. Name a living thing.
Tree.
Question 3. Name a non-living thing.
Stone.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What are surroundings?
- Name a living thing.
- Name a non-living thing.
- Name a sense.
- What is environment?
Level 2: Grow
- Why observe?
- Why careful?
- Why care?
Level 3: Stretch
- Record the walk.
- Draw your surroundings.
- Describe one thing.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Name two living and two non-living things near you.
Show a sample answer
Answers vary.
Another one. Look around your home and name five things.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: Water is non-living.
Fix: They include everything.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can describe surroundings.
- I can name living and non-living things.
- I can use senses.
- I can say how surroundings matter.
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
- Our surroundings are everything around us.
- They have living and non-living things.
- We observe with our senses.
- Surroundings affect how we live.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Natural and built environments. 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 two living and two non-living things. [4 marks]
- Say what our surroundings are. [2 marks]
- Say how we observe safely. [2 marks]
- Say why we care for our surroundings. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Four [4]
- Meaning [1]; example [1]
- Senses [1]; safety [1]
- Live [1]; reason [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 are surroundings?
- Name a living thing.
- Name a non-living thing.
- Name a sense.
- What is environment?
- Why observe?
- Why careful?
- Why care?
- Record the walk.
- Draw your surroundings.
Homework
Draw your surroundings and label living and non-living things.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What are surroundings? | All around us. | 1 |
| 2. Name a living thing. | Tree. | 1 |
| 3. Name a non-living thing. | Stone. | 1 |
| 4. Name a sense. | Sight. | 1 |
| 5. What is environment? | The world around us. | 1 |
| 6. Why observe? | To understand. | 1 |
| 7. Why careful? | Stay safe. | 1 |
| 8. Why care? | We live there. | 1 |
| 9. Record the walk. | Record. | 1 |
| 10. Draw your surroundings. | Drawing. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 All around us.; 2 Tree.; 3 Stone.; 4 Sight.; 5 The world around us.. Level 2: 1 To understand.; 2 Stay safe.; 3 We live there.. Level 3: 1 Record.; 2 Drawing.; 3 Sentence..
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 Describe surroundings | 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 and non-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 |
| O3 Use senses | 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 how surroundings matter | 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: “Water is living.” Water is non-living.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Draw a picture of home and surroundings.
- 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 observes their surroundings. Please take a safe walk and notice living things together. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Walk together.
- Name living things.
- Do not touch unknown 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: describe surroundings; name living and non-living things; use senses; say how surroundings matter.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 1 ideas: natural and human-made features and sharing resources.
Materials. Paper, pencils, clipboards. 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. Check the yard 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 what they notice.
Explanation (10 min). Teach surroundings.
Guided activity (10 min). Senses walk.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What is around us? What is living and non-living?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Water is living.” Water is non-living.
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. Draw a picture of home and surroundings. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about 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: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities 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 Social Studies curriculum, Grade 1 Unit 10, topic 1; NCSS C3 Framework, people, places and environments; Cambridge Primary Humanities, places and environment; IB Primary Years Programme, sharing the planet. These sources informed the lesson.