Living vs. Nonliving?

Timothy Reger

Tier 3

Lesson Plan

Living vs. Nonliving?

Students will be able to identify and classify objects as living or nonliving based on key characteristics.

Understanding the difference between living and nonliving things helps us make sense of the natural world, fostering curiosity and critical observation skills in our environment.

Audience

4th Grade Student (Individual Adaptive Classroom)

Time

30 minutes

Approach

Direct instruction, visual aids, and hands-on sorting.

Materials

Whiteboard or digital display, Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck, Markers or stylus, Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet, Collection of real objects or pictures (e.g., plant, rock, toy car, animal picture, book, feather), and Living vs. Nonliving Answer Key

Prep

Gather Materials & Review

10 minutes

Gather real objects or print pictures of living and nonliving things (e.g., a small potted plant, a rock, a toy car, a picture of a cat, a book, a feather, a pencil).
* Review the Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck and Living vs. Nonliving Script to familiarize yourself with the content.
* Print copies of the Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet.
* Ensure the whiteboard or digital display is ready.

Step 1

Warm-Up: Think About It!

3 minutes

Begin with the Living vs. Nonliving Warm-Up activity.
* Ask the student: "What makes something alive?" or "How do you know if something is living?"
* Record their initial thoughts on the whiteboard.

Step 2

Introduction: What Does 'Living' Mean?

5 minutes

Use the Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck (Slides 1-3) and follow the Living vs. Nonliving Script to introduce the concept of living and nonliving things.
* Explain the 5 key characteristics of living things (MRS. GREN - Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition). Simplify as needed for the student's adaptive needs (e.g., Can it grow? Can it eat? Can it move by itself?).

Step 3

Guided Practice: Sorting Challenge

10 minutes

Present a selection of real objects or pictures gathered during prep (e.g., plant, rock, toy car, animal picture, book, feather).
* For each item, guide the student to apply the characteristics discussed.
* Ask questions like: "Does this grow? Does it need food? Can it move on its own?"
* Sort the objects into two piles: "Living" and "Nonliving" on a table or designated area.
* Provide immediate feedback and clarify any misconceptions.

Step 4

Independent Practice: Worksheet Time

8 minutes

Distribute the Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet.
* Instruct the student to work through the worksheet, applying what they've learned to classify various items.
* Offer support and guidance as needed, reading questions aloud or breaking down instructions if necessary.

Step 5

Review & Cool-Down: Check for Understanding

4 minutes

Review the Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet together, using the Living vs. Nonliving Answer Key as a guide.
* Address any incorrect answers and re-explain concepts as needed.
* Conclude with the Living vs. Nonliving Cool-Down activity, asking the student to reflect on their learning.

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Slide Deck

What's Alive?

How do you know if something is living or nonliving?

Welcome the student and explain that today's lesson is about understanding the difference between living and nonliving things. Ask them to share what they already know or think about this topic.

Signs of Life

Living things usually...
- Grow
- Need food and water
- Move on their own
- Reproduce (make more of themselves)

Introduce the key characteristics of living things. Simplify to 'Can it grow?', 'Does it need food/water?', 'Can it move on its own?', 'Can it have babies?'. Emphasize that all living things do these things. You can use the MRS. GREN acronym as a memory aid if appropriate for the student (Movement, Respiration, Sensitivity, Growth, Reproduction, Excretion, Nutrition).

Not So Alive!

Nonliving things do NOT...
- Grow (by themselves)
- Need food or water
- Move on their own
- Reproduce

Explain that nonliving things do not have these characteristics. Give examples. Emphasize that something can move or change but still be nonliving (e.g., a car moves, a cloud changes shape, but neither is alive).

Let's Sort!

Can you tell the difference?

Prepare for the guided sorting activity. You will use real objects or pictures at this stage, so this slide is more of a transition.

Your Turn!

Complete the worksheet to show what you know.

This slide is for the independent worksheet activity. Encourage the student to apply what they've learned.

Recap & Reflect

What did you learn today about living and nonliving things?

This slide is for reviewing the worksheet and the cool-down. Ask the student what was easy, what was hard, and what they learned.

Script

Living vs. Nonliving? - Teacher Script

Warm-Up: Think About It! (3 minutes)

Teacher: "Hi [Student's Name]! Today we're going to explore something really interesting: what makes something alive? And what makes something not alive? To start, I want you to think for a moment. What comes to mind when you hear the word 'living'? What about 'nonliving'? How do you know if something is living or nonliving?"

Teacher: "Let's jot down some of your initial ideas on our whiteboard. Don't worry if it's not perfect, we're just brainstorming!"

(Record student's thoughts. Transition to Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 1)

Introduction: What Does 'Living' Mean? (5 minutes)

(Display Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 1: "What's Alive?")

Teacher: "Great start! Now, let's look at some common ideas about what makes something alive. Take a look at this picture. What do you see?"

(Display Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 2: "Signs of Life")

Teacher: "Here are some big clues! Living things usually:"

"Grow - Think about a tiny seed becoming a big tree, or you growing taller every year!"
"Need food and water - Like how you eat breakfast to have energy, or how plants need water to stay green."
"Move on their own - A dog runs, a bird flies, even a plant turns towards the sun!"
"Reproduce (or make more of themselves) - A mother cat has kittens, a flower makes seeds for new flowers."

Teacher: "Can you think of an animal or a plant and tell me how it shows one of these 'signs of life'?"

(Display Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 3: "Not So Alive!")

Teacher: "Now, what about nonliving things? Nonliving things are usually the opposite. They do NOT:

"Grow by themselves (a building doesn't grow taller on its own!)"
"Need food or water"
"Move on their own (a toy car moves if you push it, but it doesn't just start driving itself!)"
"Reproduce (your pencil won't make more pencils!)"

Teacher: "It can be tricky because some nonliving things can seem to do these things. For example, a river moves, and a fire grows, but are they truly alive? Let's use our four clues to help us decide!"

Guided Practice: Sorting Challenge (10 minutes)

(Display Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 4: "Let's Sort!")

Teacher: "Alright, it's challenge time! I have some real objects (or pictures) here. We're going to sort them into two groups: 'Living' and 'Nonliving'. For each item, we'll ask our four important questions:"

"Does it grow?"
"Does it need food and water?"
"Does it move on its own?"
"Does it make more of itself?"

(Present objects one by one. Guide the student through the questions and their answers for each. Provide immediate feedback and correction.)

Example Object 1: Potted Plant
Teacher: "First up, a potted plant. Does it grow?"
Student: "Yes!"
Teacher: "Does it need food and water?"
Student: "Yes, water and sunlight!"
Teacher: "Does it move on its own?"
Student: "No, not really. It just grows."
Teacher: "That's a good observation! While it doesn't walk around, it does turn towards the sun slowly. But more importantly, it grows and needs food/water. Does it make more of itself?"
Student: "Yes, seeds!"
Teacher: "Excellent! So, is a plant living or nonliving?"
Student: "Living!"

(Place in "Living" pile)

Example Object 2: Rock
Teacher: "Next, a rock. Does it grow?"
Student: "No."
Teacher: "Does it need food and water?"
Student: "No."
Teacher: "Does it move on its own?"
Student: "No."
Teacher: "Does it make more of itself?"
Student: "No."
Teacher: "Perfect! So, a rock is...?"
Student: "Nonliving!"

(Place in "Nonliving" pile. Continue with remaining objects, facilitating discussion for each.)

Independent Practice: Worksheet Time (8 minutes)

(Display Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 5: "Your Turn!")

Teacher: "You're doing a fantastic job with the sorting! Now, it's your turn to show what you've learned on your own. I have a Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet for you."

"On this worksheet, you'll see pictures of different things. Your job is to decide if each one is 'Living' or 'Nonliving' and explain why. Remember our four clues! I'll be here if you have any questions or need help reading anything."

(Distribute Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet. Observe the student and provide support as needed, rephrasing questions or prompting them to recall the characteristics of living things.)

Review & Cool-Down: Check for Understanding (4 minutes)

(Display Living vs. Nonliving Slide Deck Slide 6: "Recap & Reflect")

Teacher: "Alright, let's go over your worksheet together! You can use your Living vs. Nonliving Answer Key to check your answers too."

(Review the worksheet using the Living vs. Nonliving Answer Key. Discuss any answers where the student struggled, providing clear explanations and reinforcing the concepts.)

Teacher: "You did a really great job today! To wrap things up, I want you to tell me one new thing you learned about living or nonliving things today, or one thing that surprised you. You can write it down on your Living vs. Nonliving Cool-Down sheet or just tell me."

Teacher: "Fantastic! You now have a much better idea of how to tell if something is living or nonliving. Keep an eye out for living and nonliving things around you every day!"

Warm Up

Living vs. Nonliving Warm-Up

Question: Look around the room or outside a window. Name two things you think are living and two things you think are nonliving.

Living Things:

Nonliving Things:

Think: What made you decide if something was living or nonliving?

Worksheet

Living vs. Nonliving Worksheet

Name: ________________________

Instructions: Look at each picture or read the word. Decide if it is Living or Nonliving. Then, explain why using the clues we discussed (Does it grow? Does it need food/water? Does it move on its own? Does it make more of itself?).