Lesson Plan in Science

Unit 1 Living and Non-Living Things P. 1/3

Function What are living things?
What are non-living things? Time: ___ Hrs.

Theme: 1 Standard: 1 (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4)

1. Learning Outcome:
- Identify and name living things and non-living
things.
- List the characteristics of living things.
- Talk about the differences between living and non-
living things.

2. Objectives:
- Develop the concept that all things can be
classified as living and non-living things.
- Generalize that all living things need air, water,
food and shelter.
- Discuss characteristics of living and non-living
things.
Investigate and understand basic needs and life
processes of plants and animals.

3. Content:
Living things and Non-Living Things.

4. Materials:
Plant, wood, (plastic bird, hamster, turtle, crab),
beans, leaves, rocks, buttons, paper clips, coins, plastic
bottle caps, seashells, feathers, Styrofoam plate, glue,
marker, picture of a person or a pet.
5. Activity for Learning.

Lesson 1

1) Drill/Warm – up:
a. Discuss with the children and develop the
idea of ‘living things’ and ‘non-living things’ by
trying to find out what living things do e.g. they
grow, they breathe, they eat, etc.
b. Have children individually or in groups look
through magazines and cut out pictures of ‘things’
they think are living and non living or better still,
have each child draw or paint pictures of each group
and add captions.
c. Have each group sort out the pictures into
two appropriate piles and then report back to the
whole class to give their reasons for the
classifications.
d. Paste the pictures onto two large charts
entitled ‘Living Things’ and Non-Living Things’.

2) Presentation/Comparison/Abstraction:
a. Ask the children what living things they
know of e.g. plants and animals, Make a long list of
as many plants and animals that the children can
come up with.
b. Focus on animals only and develop the idea
of classification (putting them into similar groups)
of animals in the broadest sense e.g. fish, birds,
mammals, insects, spiders…
c. Divide pupils up into interest groups and
have them draw/paint pictures of their favorite
animals on the cardboard. Have them paint/draw
pictures of these, cut them out and make into group
mobiles. Don’t forget to paint both sides. Add
captions.
d. Select various classifications e.g. fish and
have the children list as many as different types of
fish as they can. Use books for research. Try this
with other classifications and make a colourful
bulletin board called ‘Fish we know’, Birds we
know’, etc.

3) Science Concept:
All things can be classified as living and non-
living things.

4) Fixing Skills:
A.
a. If possible, have fish, a cat, a dog, a bird in
the classroom or arrange a visit to a zoo, aviary,
farm, etc.
b. Have Children closely observe the animals
and describe their characteristics, eyes, way they
move, mouth, how they eat, how they breathe,
drinking, legs, beaks, scales, feathers, furs, etc.
c. Have pupils in turn, mime the ways different
animals move. Class to guess the animals.
B.
a. Find out what children already know about
looking after and caring for pets and animals.
b. Start by asking the children how they would
care for fish. List the responses from a discussion or
brainstorming. Repeat for other animals.
 c. Make large colourful ‘How to Care for’
charts for many common animals and include
children’s pictures.
d. Try setting up an aquarium or small fish
bowl roistering groups of children to care for the
fish.

5) Application:
a. Focus on pot plants. Have children
describe/measure them. Discover what plants need
to survive.
b. Try to name and recognize as many plants as
possible.
c. Go on walks around the school grounds and
learn the tree names and label tress with their
names.
d. Have individual or groups adopt and care for
a plant giving regular reports back to the class on
observable changes.
e. Arrange a class display of non living things.
Have the children classify them in terms of size,
shape, colour, texture, use. Bring out the idea that
some of these objects came from living things but
are no longer living.
f. Discuss imaginative uses of the objects.

6) Evaluation:
a. Showing understanding of living and non
living things through classification of pictures.
b. Recognize the differences in size, shape,
structure and mobility of plants and animals on a
class walk.
 d. Miming the facial characteristics and
movements of a chosen animal.

7) Homework:
Answer WB2 and WB3.

Lesson 2

1) Drill/Warm – up:
Health Inspection.

2) Review:
Give examples of living things and non-living
things.

3) Presentation/Comparison/Abstraction:
a. Take the students for a walk around the
school. Have each student make a list of all the
living thins they see.
b. Develop a game for the identification of
living and non-living things.
c. Tell the pupils to bring a healthy plant to
school. Do not water the plant for a week or two.
Have the students observe what happens to the un-
watered plant. Keep a class journal of what
happened.

4) Science Concept:
All living things need food, air, water and
shelter in order to survive.
5) Fixing Skills:
a. Tell the students to hold their breath for as
long as they can. Record the amount of time each
student holds his or her breath. How did you feel
after this activity?
b. Have students explain different kinds of
shelter used by humans. Ask them if all people need
shelter.
c. Have students think of things that might
destroy the good air at home or out-of-doors.

6) Application:
a. How does something in the world qualify as
a living thing?
b. What two groups can everything in the
world are divided into?
c. What is an organism?
d. What are tow differences between
living and non-living things?

7) Evaluation:
Write the name of all living things under the
appropriate category.

Living Things Non-living Things

1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
4. 4.
5. 5.
 All living things have three general
characteristics. What are they?
1.
2.
3.

8) Homework:
Answer WB4 and WB5.

Lesson 3

1) Drill/Warm – up:
Let the students read this:

You’re a living thing!

You are made up of cells.
You can eat.
You can breathe.
You can grow.
If you are a plant,
Though animals can’t,
You make your own food.
Animals from place to place can go.
But plant or animal for sure,
You can eat, reproduce, breathe, and grow!
2) Review:
All living things have three general
characteristics. What are they?
1.
2.
3.
3) Presentation/Comparison/Abstraction:
a. Explain to students that all things are living
or non living. Plants and animals are living things,
unless of course, they’re dead.
b. Tell students that living things eat,
reproduce, breathe, and grow. Discuss these
concepts by using a human being or a pet as an
example.
c. Start a T chart and record characteristics and
needs of living things under Living Things column.
Use this list to record what non-living things do not
need or have under the Non-living things column.

4) Science Concept:
Living things can eat, reproduce, breathe and
grow.

5) Fixing Skills:
a. When discussing living organisms, review
two of the Five Kingdoms, Plant and Animal.
b. Pass the plate and models of living and non-
living things to each group. Students will classify
the models and will place them in the correct
section of the plate.
c. Check students work for correct
classification.

6) Application:
a. One of the most important things we citizens
ever learn in any place or in anytime is to respect all
things, living and non-living, especially as we study
living things. We must respect the form and
function of all things in our universe.

7) Evaluation:
Ask students to explain how they can tell
whether things are living or non-living.

8) Homework:
a. Ask students to draw living and non-living
things they see at home.
b. Answer WB6 and WB7.