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Living or Nonliving? Let’s Investigate?

A Kindergarten STEM Lesson

Allyson Seale

7/25/2023

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Notes for Teachers

This 45-minute lesson is an introduction to living vs nonliving things for kindergarten students.

The lesson can be broken up into multiple days if needed.

If students have access to tablets, they can take their own pictures of living and nonliving things.

List of Materials

Pictures or objects of living things and nonliving things
Chart paper and markers for teacher
Drawing paper and crayons for students
Optional: books to read aloud about living and nonliving things
Access to technology

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Standards

Life Science

K.L2U1.8 Observe, ask questions, and explain the differences between the characteristics of living and nonliving things.

Science Crosscutting Concepts:

Patterns, Structure and Function

ELA

Speaking & Listening

K.SL.3 Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.

K.SL.6 Speak audibly and express thoughts, feelings, and ideas clearly.

Ed Technology

Creative Communicator

K-2.6.a. Students, with guidance, use a variety of tools for creating something new and communicating with others.

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Objective(s):

Today we will be able to observe, ask questions, and explain the difference between living and nonliving things.

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Agenda

Introduction (10 min.)

Sorting Activity (10 min.)

Characteristic Discussion (10 min.)

Drawing Activity (10 min.) OR Photo Activity (20 min.)

Conclusion - Whole Group (10 min.)

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Introduction

Introduction (10 min.)

Begin the lesson by gathering students a central area. (i.e. rug or carpet)
Ask the question “What are some things you see around you?” Allow for students to share answers aloud or in partners.
After they mention both living and nonliving things, explain that today, they will learn how to tell the difference between these two types of things.

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Hands-On Activity

Sorting Activity (10 min.)

Show students picture or actual objects of living and nonliving things one by one.
As you display each item, ask students if the item is living or nonliving and why they think that.
On the chart paper, create a T-Chart with living things in one column and nonliving things in the other column.
Place a picture or draw a sketch of the item with the word in the correct column.

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Hands-on Activity

Characteristic Discussion (10 min.)

After the sorting activity, review the categories with students.

Optional: read a book about living and nonliving things to get characteristics

Discuss characteristics of living things, such as:

Living things grow and change.
Living things need food, water, and air to survive.
Living things can move on their own.

Discuss characteristics of nonliving things, such as:

Nonliving things do not grow or change on their own.
Nonliving things do not need food, water, or air to survive.
Nonliving things do not move on their own.

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Hands-on Activity

Drawing Activity (10 min.)

Provide each student with paper and crayons.

The paper can already have the T-Chart with living and nonliving things on it, or students can fold their paper in half and label the columns with guidance.

Students will draw and label living and nonliving things, making sure to showcase the differences in their characteristics.
The teacher will circulate during this time and prompt students to identify an item from each column and explain in a full sentence why it belongs in that columns.

OR Photo Activity (20 min.): (Technology Integration)

If students can use iPads or tablets, have students take pictures of living and nonliving things around the school. Students can use a t-chart created in Google Slides to type the word of the item in the photo for classification. If you have the ability to help them paste the images on the slide, you can have students place it directly in the T-chart. Students could also use voice recording to capture the classification of living vs. nonliving.

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Conclusion

Conclusion (10 min.)

Gather students back together and show a few drawings or photos from students that used items not shown in the teacher example.
In complete sentences, have students state “_______ is living/nonliving because _________.” to explain their reasoning.
Summarize the key differences between living and nonliving things and use a whole class response (thumbs up/thumbs down) for students to state if examples are living or nonliving.

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Assessment

Students will sort and draw objects based on their characteristics, identifying if the object is living or nonliving.

The teacher will elicit two complete sentences from each student about a living object and a nonliving object they drew.

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Differentiation

For students that do not have the motor skills to draw their own pictures, the teacher can provide images cut out that the students can sort and paste.

If students are having difficulty differentiating between living and nonliving, the question “Is this living?” can be asked instead. That way the student can answer with a yes or no.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students that are ready can write a sentence about the living and nonliving object the chose to draw.

“_________ is living/nonliving because __________.”