Lesson 1

What are living things?

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Lesson Plan

Preparation

The investigation worksheet requires pupils to collect and observe living things. If the living thing is small, they may require magnifying glasses. Allow time for pupils to bring these in (whether plants, insects, pets or other). All should be returned to their environment once the observation activity is completed.

Curriculum links

Working scientifically

Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.

Living things and their habitats

Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive.

Plants

Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy.

Animals, including humans

Notice that animals, including humans, have offspring which grow into adults; Find out about and describe the basic needs of animals, including humans, for survival (water, food and air).

Suggested teaching strategies

Create a schema map using the lesson heading to identify prior knowledge, misconceptions and record new learning at the end of each lesson. A common misconception would be that plants are not living things.
Construct a vocabulary wall to collect and display vocabulary throughout the unit.

Introduction

Display the digital lesson on your smartboard to introduce living things.

Ensure pupils understand the characteristics of living things before they attempt to answer the comprehension questions on the worksheet. In particular, discuss the sentence ‘Living things react to the world around them’. Explain what this means and ask questions about specific living things. For example, ‘What happens if you gently touch a grasshopper with your finger?’, ‘What does your dog do when it starts to rain?’, ‘What happens to the leaves on some types of trees (deciduous) when the weather becomes very cold in winter?’ or ‘What happens to the skin on your arms when it gets very cold?’

The summary and worksheet should be used together.

Development

Provide pupils with the summary and worksheet to complete. Read each question on the worksheet to assist the pupils or allow them to answer the questions independently.

Discuss possible answers to Questions 4 and 5.

Pupils may like to share their answers to Question 7 with a partner or the class.

Differentiation

If pupils are not sure whether plants are living things, show them time-lapse footage of a plant growing.
Select a living thing and create a modelled response for the investigation as a class.

Conclusion

Pupils discuss the findings from the investigation worksheet with each other.

Assessment

Worksheet answers
1. plants, animals, people
2. grow, have babies, change, move
3. alive
4. Possible answers: Plants can grow taller, lose leaves, grow flowers, wilt, grow more leaves
5. Possible answers: People can grow taller, fatter or thinner, learn things, need glasses when their eyes change, grow hair and nails
6. (a) food (b) move, work
7. Answers will vary

Investigation worksheet answers
Teacher check