Living and Non-Living things

1. Topic and Big Ideas: Differences between living and non-living things
2. Name: Briana Falconer
Name of Professor: William Dilluvio
Host Teacher: Michelle Amoia
Grade Level: Kindergarten
3. Instructional Decisions: It is important to learn about living vs non-living things in order
to understand that we must treat living things ethically, understand that living things need
care and understand their role in the environment.
4. Prior Knowledge: Students need to have a basic concept of characteristics of living
things and be able to identify the differences between a real and stuffed animal.
5. Misconceptions: Kindergarten students may have some misconceptions about what is
essential for life (i.e. breathing air to live, having a heart, etc.)
6. New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards:
5.3.2.A.1 Investigate and compare the basic physical characteristics of plants, humans, and
other animals.
5.3.P.A.2 Observe similarities and differences in the needs of various living things, and
differences between living and nonliving things.
5.1.P.C.1 Communicate with other children and adults to share observations, pursue
questions, and make predictions and/or conclusions.
6&7. Objectives and Assessments
Objectives

Assessments

Cognitive Skills
1. Observes similarities and differences in
1. Participates and discussion of the book
the needs of living things
Whats Alive? By giving at least one
observation.
2. Comprehends and communicates the
2. Child is able to the place picture cards
difference between living and non-living
into either the living or non living category
things
and explain why it belongs their
8. Lesson Map Out:
a. Estimate Lesson Timing: 40 minutes
TOTAL LESSON TIMING:
Motivational Beginning: 5 minutes
Reading book and class discussion: 15 minutes
Picture Sort: 15 minutes
Closure: 5 minutes

b. Motivational Beginning: Students will be presented with a video of live bunnies,

as well as a stuffed animal bunny. They will be asked to note difference between
the live bunnies and the stuffed bunny.
c. Challenging Activities:
1. Watch a video of a live bunny. Compare the live bunny to the stuffed bunny in
the classroom.
2. Read the book Whats Alive? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld and discuss
whether each item is alive.
3. Talk about characteristics of living things. Also discuss how to differentiate
between what is living and what is not living.
4. Using the pocket chart, and preprinted pictures, students will sort each object.
5. As a class, we will discuss each objects place on the chart. Each child will give
an explanation as to why their card fits into the category he or she chose.
Classroom Management: Students will be reminded to remain in the magic five
while on the rug. If a student is not focusing or is being disruptive, they will be
asked to sit in the chill out chair until they feel that they are ready to return to
the group.
Materials and how they are used:
-Book: Whats Alive? By Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld: This book will be read to
students after the motivational beginning activity. The book lists characteristics of
different living things, which can be used to make a chart of characteristics of
living things.
-iPad: This will be used to project the video of live bunnies.
-Stuffed Animal Bunny: Students will use the bunny to make comparisons
between living (live bunny video) and non-living things.
-Living and Non-living Things cards: Students will be asked to sort living and
nonliving objects as a class
-Pocket Chart: used to hold cards.
Technology: We will be using an iPad to project a video of a bunnies running
around and eating.
Safety Issues: There is no apparent safety risk involved in this lesson. However,
while coming up to the board, we must ensure there is a pathway for the student,
so he or she does not trip. We will remind students to remain in the magic 5 so
everyone is safe and focused while on the rug.
d. Groupings and Transitions: We will use Mrs. Amoias chime when needed to
gain students attention and have them freeze. To get the students to the rug, we
will first ask students to sit in theater seats facing the whiteboard. The students
will then be asked to turn their bodies to listen to the book. The students will
then be asked to stand up and we will do Simon Says. Students will then be asked
to arrange themselves into their meeting seats for the sort activity.

e. Questions to Stimulate Thinking & Possible Answers

1. What do I have in front of me? (in reference to the living and stuffed bunny)
(Rabbit, bunny, stuffed animal)
2. Is this bunny the same as the bunnies hoping around in the video? (no)
3. What makes the stuffed bunny different from the bunny in the video? (its alive,
it moves, its eating, its breathing, etc.)
4. Which is the living bunny? (if not already addressed) (The one on the video)
5. How can you tell that the bunnies in the video are alive? ( if not already
addressed) (they are moving, they are eating, they breathing)
6. (Questions from the story. Ex: are you like a cat? Children will give thumbs up
if they think so and some will be called on to give verbal answers) (yes, no)
7. Can you figure out which objects are living and non-living?
8. How do you know x is a living thing? How do you y isnt living? (it breathes, it
grows, it moves, etc.)
9. Were there more living things or non-living things? (living)
f. Closure and Sharing Student Work: We will go through the picture sort, and
discuss the categories and their differences.
g. Integrating and Differentiating Instruction:
For ELL students we will say the name of the objects in Spanish. If a student does not
know what the object is we will describe it to her. If we give them a card that that student
cannot sort, they can pick a friend to help him/her. We will go through the cards and have
reasons that explain what makes each card living and non-living.