Is it living, non-living or once living?

Preparation

• Collect some of the items mentioned in the last two paragraphs of the student summary e.g. bouquet of flowers, fruit, fossils, paper and wood, milk and cheese, flour. Collect the materials listed on the investigation sheet:
• Collect the materials listed on the investigation sheet: 4 seedlings (such as bean plants) in small plastic pots or containers; a large shoe box lined with plastic; the shoe box lid with a hole, about 5cm diameter, cut to one side.

Curriculum links

• Australian Curriculum: ACSSU044, ACSIS053, ACSIS054, ACSIS055, ACSIS057, ACSIS215, ACSIS058, ACSIS060
• NSW Curriculum: ST2-4LW-S, ST2-1WS-S
• VIC Curriculum: VCSSU057, VCSIS065, VCSIS066, VCSIS067, VCSIS069, VCSIS070, VCSIS072
• WA Curriculum: ACSSU044, ACSIS053, ACSIS054, ACSIS055, ACSIS057, ACSIS215, ACSIS058, ACSIS060

Suggested teaching strategies

• Collaborative learning
• Scaffolding of learning

Introduction

• Display the digital lesson to introduce the concept of what is living, non-living or once living.
• The student summary and worksheet should be used together.

Development

• Provide students with printable versions of the student summary and worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet.
• Take the students on a ‘nature walk’ outside so they can observe their surroundings to identify living and non-living objects. Ask them to take note of any objects they’re unsure about.
• Introduce the students to the experiment on the investigation sheet. The aim of the experiment is for students to understand that, like all living things, plants can and do move. Plants usually move slowly that we don’t notice. Plants respond to a number of different cues in their environment with movement. These movements are called ‘tropisms’ and include gravitropism (response to gravity), hydrotropism (response to water) and phototropism (response to light).

Differentiation

• Show time lapse photography of a plant moving upward towards light. This could help some students to understand that plants do in fact move.

Conclusion

• Discuss with the students after the activity how the experiment worked or didn’t work, what might have gone wrong, and what they would change to make it better.

Assessment

Worksheet answers

1. (a)-(b) Answers might include items that move or have moving parts; e.g. clock, sun, clouds. (c) Answers could include because it doesn’t take in food or nutrients, have offspring, give off wastes etc.
2. Teacher check
3. Refer to 1(c)
4. They were both once living
5. Living: (d), (e), (g), (h)
   Non-living: (a), (b), (f), (i)
   Once living: (c), (j), (k)
6. Possible answers: paper, wood, milk, cheese, flour

Investigation sheet answers

It is expected students will test to determine if plants grow towards the light (phototropism).
After about two weeks, with the box situated in a bright location and with regular watering, students should note the stems of the plants in the darkest part of the box are bent towards the light.