Telling Living and Nonliving Things Apart
About this lesson
Children use four signs of life (grows, needs food and water, breathes, makes young) to decide whether everyday things are living or nonliving, then explain their thinking with a partner. It takes about 12 minutes and needs only a short list written on the board.
- Grade
- 2
- Subject
- Science
- Time
- 12 min
- Prep
- 2 min
Objective
Students will classify things as living or nonliving and give at least one sign of life as a reason.
Prep
2 min: write the four signs of life on the board (grows, needs food and water, breathes air, makes young)
Materials
- whiteboard and marker
Steps
- Read the four signs of life on the board aloud and say, 'Living things do all of these. Nonliving things do not.' Act each one out with a simple gesture, such as stretching up tall for 'grows', so children can remember them.
- Say a thing aloud (dog, rock, tree, pencil, spider, chair, grass, ball) and have children stand up tall if it is living or crouch down if it is nonliving.
- After each item, ask one child to name a sign of life that helped them decide, for example 'A tree grows and needs water.'
- Give trickier items (seed, cloud, fire, toy robot, bread) and have partners talk for 30 seconds before showing their answer, then discuss why things like fire or a robot can seem alive but are not.
- Finish by having each child whisper one living thing and one nonliving thing they can see in the classroom to a partner.
Quick Check
Point to two objects in the room and ask children to show with their bodies which is living, then call on three children to name a sign of life that proves it.
Differentiation
Make it easier: Use only clear examples (cat, rock, flower, book) and point to the matching sign of life on the board as you discuss each one.
Make it harder: Add a third group, 'once living', for things like a wooden pencil, a dry leaf or paper, and have children explain how they know.
Good For
- Transition time
- Brain break
- Review
- Supply teacher
