Curated OER
What is a Living Thing?
In this living things worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by filling in statements describing the characteristics of living things.
Curated OER
Renewable vs. Non-Renewable Resources
Here's a fine lesson on renewable and non-renewable sources of energy for your 5th graders. In it, learners list a number of natural resources on the board, then try to sort the resources into appropriate categories. This helps them to...
Curated OER
KWL Chart: Living and Non Living
In this KWL chart worksheet, students fill in this graphic organizer about living and non-living things. Students complete 3 sections in the chart.
Curated OER
Can Bacteria Arise from Non-living Things?
Fourth graders, in groups, determine whether bacteria arises from non-living things,
Curated OER
Characteristics of Living Things: What Makes Them Tick
Students list the characteristics of living things and give specific examples of living things exhibiting these characteristics. They bring in examples of living things.
Curated OER
Living or Nonliving
Young scholars explore the characteristics that distinguish living things from nonliving things. By examining video and photographs, students gather evidence and develop criteria to decide if something is living or nonliving.
Curated OER
Sorting Living and Nonliving Objects
Third graders sort and classify objects. In this sorting lesson, 3rd graders sort small objects such as cereal or candy. Then, students classify and sort objects that are living or nonliving.
Curated OER
Getting nosy
A nose knows! Connect animals to their noses with a fun science activity. Animals include elephants, rats, pigs, and even humans. For a science exploration, kindergartners answer questions about what they can smell. A great addition to...
Curated OER
Does It Move On It's Own?
Young scientists look at drawings of six animals, then match up a word that describes how they move. The words are: hop, crawl, swim, fly, run, and jump. They also answer two additional questions about the animals and how they move. A...
Curated OER
Living vs. Nonliving
Students explore the characteristics that distinguish living things from nonliving things. Students examine video clips and still photographs to gather evidence and develop criteria to decide if something is living or nonliving.
Utah Education Network (UEN)
Utah Open Textbook: 3rd Grade Science
How do we interact with Earth? Scholars learn about the sun, Earth, moon, forces, gravity, and heat sources by reading a text and performing hands-on demonstrations. They also differentiate between living and non-living things using...
Curated OER
Going on a Living and Nonliving Hunt
Students distinguish between things that are living, things that were once-living, and things that are nonliving. They graph results and create a compare and contrast Venn Diagram. They read 'Living and Nonliving' by Angela Royston.
National Wildlife Federation
Habitat Web
It's all connected. Classes create a web to connect living things in a local ecosystem. They create cards with both living and nonliving things found in their areas while considering the characteristics of each. After they have a good...
Curated OER
Growing
Growing is part of being a living thing. Kindergartners decide which illustrations represent the life cycle of a living thing, then put a check mark next to the correct pictures. They then examine their own growth on a height chart.
Curated OER
What's the Matter? (Living and Non-Living Things)
Understand how chemical reactions recombine atoms to create the "chemicals of life". An experiment, showing the basic chemical reactions of an iron nail or a match, helps young children start their understanding of permanent changes.
Curated OER
Is it alive?
Kids in grades K-2 increase their logical reasoning and visual discrimination skills by determining which things shown are alive. They use the criteria that all living things move on their own to mark each image as alive or not.
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Living Things Share Common Genes
Everything evolved from a common ancestor, but how did modern plants and animals develop so many more genes? Scholars use an online interactive to learn about the process. They begin to understand common genes with an animation, multiple...
Curated OER
What is Life?
Students investigate the characteristics of living things. In this life science lesson, students examine several living and non-living specimens. Students determine which things are living and non-living.
Curated OER
Is It Alive?
First graders explore living things and their habitats. They create an original It's Alive! book to demonstrate what they have learned.
Curated OER
What is Life? Demonstrations & Discussion
Display seven items for your biologists to consider. Are they living or non-living? How can you tell? This is a simple outline of what you can display and questions that can be discussed as this topic is explored. One way to use this...
Curated OER
Reconstructing the Squares
Students visit an outdoors area and mark out a square on the ground that they examine, looking for living and non-living things. They make a model or drawing of the findings from the actual square.
Curated OER
Investigation 3 - Terrariums / Aquariums
Third graders create aquariums or terrariums to explain how creatures depend on living and nonliving things.
Curated OER
Living Systems Part III
Here is a fantastic, informative, interactive presentation on plant and animal cells. The PowerPoint is produced by an elementary school teacher who has a doctorate in science, and it shows! This would be a splendid presentation to use...
Curated OER
How Are We Alike and Different?
Students review an online database and look for similarities and differences among the plants, animals, and non-living things that were listed. They compose a narrative based on their conclusions.