Looking at Living Things: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Foundation Biological sciences. Print this pack and the term is prepared: every lesson comes with a step-by-step plan, the questions to ask, student worksheets, cut-out cards, an assessment kit and every answer.

Start here: five minutes to Monday

1. Skim the term at a glance on the next page.
2. Print the lesson you need. Each lesson is three A4 sheets: plan, worksheet, cards or tickets.
3. Gather the few everyday items under “You need” on the plan. Nothing needs a science cupboard.
4. Open the free interactive unit on your board or projector. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
5. Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the science idea in plain words, lists the ideas young children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it even if science was never your subject.

Two ways to run each lesson

Every lesson works as one 45-minute block, or as two short sessions. The split point is marked in every plan. Ten lessons fill a weekly science slot for a whole term, or up to twenty shorter sessions if your timetable runs small blocks.

The term at a glance

One lesson a week for a term. Each lesson stands on the ones before it, so run them in order where you can.

How the sequence builds

Lesson 1 sorts the world into living and not living. Lessons 2 and 3 name the external features of animals and plants. Lessons 4 to 6 build the big idea: we can group living things by a shared feature, group them a new way, and compare them one feature at a time. Lessons 7 and 8 group many animals and many plants, Lesson 9 takes the skill outside, and Lesson 10 is the making task and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9SFU01 quoted on the cover. The lessons also work these Science Inquiry and Human Endeavour descriptors:

Assessment in this pack

• Every plan ends with “Answers and look-fors”: what meeting the idea sounds like in a Foundation voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a sorting poster plus the “Show what we know” check sheet.

Materials for the whole term

One gathering session covers all ten lessons. Everything on this page is an everyday item or something you can pick up outside; nothing needs a science cupboard.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: scissors, glue, big paper, sticky notes, string or wool, this pack printed.
• From home or the toy box: a soft toy or two, a small pot plant, old magazines or catalogues to cut.
• From outside (gathered safely): a few leaves, a flower, a blade of grass, a garden weed with its roots.

Safety in one look

• Check plant allergies before Lessons 8 and the outdoor hunt.
• Wash hands after handling plants, soil or anything from outside.
• Look, do not taste. Nothing gathered outside goes near mouths.
• Watch for prickles, bees and ants on flowers and weeds.
• Stay on the safe patch of yard for the Lesson 9 hunt.

Assessment without extra work

The term assesses itself. Every lesson plan ends with answers and look-fors, and Lesson 10 is the summative pair: the sorting poster plus the check sheet. This sheet is the place to jot down what you notice along the way.

The three levels

Class observation checklist

A tick a lesson is plenty; the Lesson 10 check sheet fills the gaps.

Word wall cards

Cut out the cards and build the wall as the words arrive. Lesson 1 starts the wall with living and not living; add the feature words as the lessons land.

Dear families

This term in science, our class becomes a group of living-thing detectives. We look closely at plants and animals, name the parts we can see, and sort them into groups by the features they share.

Every lesson points to one big idea: living things have features we can observe, and we can group them by those features. A bird, a bee and a bat can go together because they all have wings. Your child will practise noticing and naming features all term.

Try this at home

• On a walk, point at an animal or plant and ask: what parts can you see?
• Sort the soft toys into groups: which have legs, which have wings, which have neither?
• Look at a pot plant together and find the roots, stem, leaves and flower.
• Play “living or not living” with things around the house.

What to ask your scientist

• What features did you look at today?
• How did you sort them into groups?
• Could you group them another way?

A small safety note: we wash hands after handling plants and anything from outside, and we look rather than taste.

Warm regards,

The Foundation team

Printed from the free seegongsik Looking at Living Things teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/foundation/biological/AC9SFU01/pack

Living or not living

Children sort the world into living and not living, and start to say how we can tell. This lesson lays the ground for the term: before we group plants and animals, the class needs to know that plants and animals are the living things we will look at.

We are learning to

• say what living things do: they grow, and they need food or water,
• sort things into living and not living,
• give a reason for where a thing goes.

Success criteria

• I can sort things into living and not living.
• I can say one reason a thing is living.

You need

• a hoop or two loops of wool to make two sorting circles on the floor,
• the sorting cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• a real living thing to show if you can: a pot plant or a class pet,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Sort the cards. Start Session B by re-sorting two cards from memory, then go on to Draw and write.

Watch for these ideas

• “It moves, so it is alive.” A car moves but is not living. Come back to growing and needing food.
• A seed or an egg looks still, so children call it not living. It is living: it will grow.
• Water, the sun or a river called living because it moves or helps us. It is not living: it does not grow or eat.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just four clear cards, two living and two not, before adding the rest.
• Bigger: find one living and one not-living thing in the room and say how you know.

Answers and look-fors

• Living: dog, bird, gum tree, flower, fish, ladybird. Not living: rock, spoon, ball, chair.
• Tricky: the seed is living (it grows into a plant); the teddy is not living (it never grows or eats, even though it looks like a bear).
• Look for a reason, not just a sort: “the dog is living because it eats and grows” meets the goal.

Living or not living

Living things grow and need food or water. Draw one of each. Then finish the sentence.

Living or not living?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two circles: living and not living. Two cards are tricky on purpose.

Teacher note: the seed and the teddy are the tricky pair. The seed is living because it will grow; the teddy is not living, even though it looks like a bear.

Looking at animals

An animal has parts on the outside we can see and name: ears, legs, a tail, wings. Children point to these parts and say their names, and start to notice that not every animal has every part. This is the language we will use all term when we look closely at living things.

We are learning to

• point to and name parts on the outside of an animal: ears, legs, tail, wings,
• know these are the parts we can see,
• notice that not every animal has every part.

Success criteria

• I can name parts of an animal.
• I can find a part that two animals share.

You need

• a toy animal, or a big clear picture of an animal the whole class can see,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• the feature cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Feature spotter. Start Session B by naming two features on the class toy from memory, then go on to Draw and label.

Watch for these ideas

• “It is the body.” The whole animal gets one word. Keep pointing to and naming the separate parts: ears, legs, tail.
• “Every animal has legs and wings.” Show a fish and a snake: they have no legs, and a fish has no wings.
• The animal’s name is used for a part, like calling the tail “the dog”. Split the two: the animal is the dog, the tail is a part of it.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: name just two parts, ears and legs, on one animal before adding tail and wings.
• Bigger: find one feature that two different animals share and say its name.

Answers and look-fors

• A dog has ears, legs and a tail. A bird has wings, legs and a beak. A fish has none of ears, legs or wings, but it has a tail and fins.
• Shared features will vary: a dog and a cat both have ears, legs and a tail; a bird and a bee both have wings.
• Look for the child naming a part, not the whole animal: “this is the tail” meets the goal, “this is the dog” does not.

Name the parts

Draw one animal in the box. Then write the name of each part on the lines. Finish the sentence at the bottom.

My animal

Which parts does it have?

Cut out the animal cards. For each one, tick the parts it has: ears, legs, tail, wings.

Teacher note: the fish and the snake are the surprise cards. A fish has a tail but no legs or wings; a snake has none of ears, legs or wings. Naming what is missing counts too.

Looking at plants

Children look closely at a real plant and learn to name its parts: roots, stem, leaves and flower. Just as we named the parts of an animal in Lesson 2, we now see that a plant is a living thing with parts we can name too, and that each part has a simple job.

We are learning to

• name the parts of a plant: roots, stem, leaves and flower,
• say what each part does: roots hold it and drink, the stem holds it up, leaves are wide and flat, the flower is often bright,
• see that plants and animals are both living things with parts we can name.

Success criteria

• I can name parts of a plant.
• I can point to the roots, stem, leaves and flower.

You need

• a small pot plant, or a garden weed pulled up with its roots, to show the class,
• a quick allergy and prickle check on the plant before children touch it,
• the plant-part cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Name the parts and their jobs. Start Session B by naming two plant parts from memory, then go on to the card match.

Watch for these ideas

• “A plant is not living because it does not move.” It is living: it grows and needs water, even though it stays in one place.
• Calling the whole plant “a flower”. The flower is one part; the plant also has roots, a stem and leaves.
• Forgetting the roots because they are underground. Show the roots on the pulled-up plant so children see them.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: name just two parts first, the stem and the leaves, before adding roots and flower.
• Bigger: find a plant in the room or yard and point to and name three of its parts.

Answers and look-fors

• Roots hold the plant and take in water. Stem holds the plant up. Leaves are wide and flat. Flower is the bright part.
• Plants and animals are both living things, and both have parts we can name.
• Look for the child pointing to and naming a part: “these are the roots” meets the goal.

Label a plant

Draw a plant with roots, a stem, leaves and a flower. Write each part name on its line. Then finish the sentence.

Match the plant parts

Cut out the cards. Match each plant part to what it does. Then use the parts to build a whole plant.

Teacher note: read the job on each card with the group if children are still learning to read. Line the parts up from the roots at the bottom to the flower at the top to build a whole plant.

Sort by one feature

When some living things share a feature, like wings, we can put them in one group. Children pick one feature, check who has it, and split a mixed pile of animals into two groups: has wings and no wings. Choosing one feature and checking who has it is how we sort.

We are learning to

• pick one feature and sort animals into two groups by it,
• say why an animal is in a group,
• name the feature the group shares.

Success criteria

• I can sort by one feature.
• I can say the feature the group shares.

You need

• the animal cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• two sorting circles: hoops, or two loops of wool on the floor,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Sort into two groups. Start Session B by re-checking two cards for the feature, then go on to the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• Sorting by the animal name or by “I like it” instead of a feature. Come back to the one feature we chose: wings.
• “A bat cannot go with a bird.” It can: both have wings, so they share the feature, even though one is furry.
• Wanting to use two features at once. Keep it to one feature this time; more features come later.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just four clear cards, two with wings and two without, before adding the rest.
• Bigger: pick a new feature, like four legs, and sort the same cards again.

Answers and look-fors

• Has wings: bird, bee, bat, duck. No wings: cat, fish, dog, ant, frog, horse.
• Bird, bee and bat go together because they all have wings, even though they look very different.
• Look for a feature named as the reason: “it is in this group because it has wings” meets the goal.

Sort by one feature: wings

Sort these animals by one feature: wings. Put each one in the right box. Use these: bird, bee, cat, fish, bat, dog. Write or draw them.

Animal cards

Cut out the cards. Pick one feature, wings, and sort them into two circles: has wings and no wings.

Teacher note: keep this set of animal cards. The same cards come back in Lesson 5 and Lesson 7, so children sort a familiar pile by new features.

Group it another way

The same living things can be grouped more than one way. Group them by where they live, or by whether they have legs, and the same animals land in different groups. This lesson shows the class that the feature we choose is what decides the groups.

We are learning to

• group the same animals a new way,
• see that a new feature makes new groups.

Success criteria

• I can group the same animals two ways.
• I can say the groups changed because the feature changed.

You need

• the same animal cards from Lesson 4,
• two sorting circles, made with hoops or loops of wool,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Sort by lives in water. Start Session B by re-sorting the same animals by has legs, then go on to the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• An animal has one “true” group. It does not: the duck can sit in a water group or a legs group, both are right.
• Being surprised the duck can be in two different groups on different days. That is the whole idea: a new feature makes new groups.
• Calling a grouping “wrong” when it is just a different feature. No group is wrong here; it just answers a different question.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just three animals, like fish, duck and horse, both ways before adding the rest.
• Bigger: pick a third feature, like has wings, and sort the same animals again.

Answers and look-fors

• By water: fish, frog, duck live in water; horse, tree, ant live on land.
• By legs: frog, duck, horse, ant have legs; fish, tree do not.
• The duck and the frog move between the two sorts.
• Look for the child saying the feature changed, so the groups changed.

Group it another way

Here are the same animals: fish, frog, duck, horse, tree, ant. Write each one into both tables. Then finish the sentence.

Sort 1: where does it live?

Which feature will we sort by?

Cut out the feature cards. The class picks one card, then sorts the animals by that feature. Pick a new card and sort again.

Teacher note: any animal from the set works. For example the duck can be in the lives in water group and in the has legs group. Look for two groups that come from two different features.

Same and different

To group living things, we compare them one feature at a time. Ask the same question of each thing — does it have wings? — and answer yes or no. Where the answers match, the two things are the same; where they differ, they belong in different groups.

We are learning to

• compare two living things feature by feature,
• say one way they are the same,
• say one way they are different.

Success criteria

• I can compare two living things.
• I can name a same feature and a different feature.

You need

• two soft toys or two clear animal pictures that share some features and differ on others, such as a cat and a duck,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• the compare cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Mark yes or no. Start Session B by asking one feature of both animals from memory, then go on to the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “They are the same because both are animals.” Push for a shared feature: they both have legs.
• Only looking at differences. Ask for a same feature too, not just a different one.
• Changing the question between the two animals. Ask the very same question of each one.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: compare just one feature, has wings, for both animals before adding more.
• Bigger: pick two of your own animals and find a same feature and a different feature.

Answers and look-fors

• Cat: has legs yes, has wings no, has leaves no, lives in water no.
• Duck: has legs yes, has wings yes, has leaves no, lives in water yes.
• Same: both have legs. Different: only the duck has wings and lives in water.
• Look for the same question asked of both animals, not two different questions.

Same and different

Ask the same question of the cat and the duck. Tick yes or no in each box. Then write one same and one different.

Only cat · both · only duck

Cut out the cards. Put each feature where it belongs: only cat, both, or only duck. The blank cards are for comparing your own two animals.

Teacher note: the cat and the duck are the same because both have legs. Only the duck has wings and lives in water, so those cards go under only duck. Neither has leaves.

Grouping animals

Children take a big pile of animals and make groups by a feature they choose, like fur, feathers, legs, or where the animal lives. The big idea is that the same animals can make several different groups: pick a new feature and the groups change.

We are learning to

• sort a larger set of animals into groups by a feature we choose,
• use more than one feature across the lesson: fur, feathers, legs, where they live,
• label each group with its feature.

Success criteria

• I can group many animals by a feature.
• I can label each group with its feature.

You need

• the animal cards from Lesson 4, or a bigger set if you have one,
• floor space for four or five groups,
• sticky notes for group labels, or the cut-out label cards (third sheet),
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Choose a feature. Start Session B by rebuilding one group from memory, then go on to Try a second feature.

Watch for these ideas

• A group with no shared feature, like “the ones I like”. Ask what the animals in the group all have the same.
• An animal with fur and legs can confuse a child: which group? It can go in either, depending on the feature we chose.
• Forgetting to label the group. A group without a label does not tell us how it was made.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: give one feature and just four animals, and sort those before adding the rest.
• Bigger: find a feature that makes three or more groups, or group by two features at once.

Answers and look-fors

• Has fur: cat, dog, horse. Has feathers: bird, duck. Lives in water: fish, frog, duck.
• Some animals fit more than one group. The duck has feathers and lives in water.
• Look for a labelled group where every animal truly shares the feature, not just a pile.

Grouping animals

Here are eight animals: cat, dog, bird, duck, fish, frog, horse, bee. Write each animal into the boxes it fits. Some animals fit more than one box.

Label your groups

Cut out the labels. Place one above each group on the floor so everyone can see how the group was made. Write your own feature on the blank labels.

Teacher note: a labelled group tells the class how it was made. The same animals can make new groups: pick a new feature and the labels change.

Grouping plants

Plants can be grouped too, just like animals. Children look closely at real leaves, flowers and grass, name a feature, and sort the plants into groups. A feature might be leaf shape, whether the plant has a flower, or size: a tall tree, a small flower, a blade of grass.

We are learning to

• observe features of real plants: leaves, flower, size,
• sort plants into groups by one feature,
• name the feature we sorted by.

Success criteria

• I can name a plant feature.
• I can sort plants into groups.

You need

• a handful of leaves gathered safely outside, big ones and small ones,
• a flower or two, and a blade of grass,
• the plant cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Check for allergies before gathering, and watch for prickles. Wash hands after handling plants.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after Pick a feature. Start Session B by naming two plant features from memory, then go on to Sort the cards.

Watch for these ideas

• “Every plant has a flower.” Some do not: grass and ferns have no flower to show. That can be a group of its own.
• Calling every plant a “tree”. Only some plants are trees. A daisy and grass are plants too, but not trees.
• Sorting only by colour. Steer to a feature like leaf shape or has a flower.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort just four clear cards by one feature, has a flower and no flower, before adding the rest.
• Bigger: sort the same plants a second way and say what changed.

Answers and look-fors

• Has a flower: wattle, daisy, dandelion. No flower shown: gum tree (leaves), grass, fern.
• Trees: gum tree. Not trees: wattle, grass, daisy, fern, dandelion.
• Look for a feature-based sort with a label: “I sorted by has a flower” meets the goal.

Grouping plants

Look at the real leaves and flowers. Sort them into the boxes. Then draw a plant you like and finish the sentence.

Sort the plants

Cut out the cards. Sort them by a feature: has a flower or no flower, or is it a tree.

Teacher note: has a flower are wattle, daisy and dandelion; no flower shown are the gum tree, grass and fern. The only tree here is the gum tree.

Living things outside

Now the class takes the whole skill outside. On a safe patch of yard, children find living things, look closely at their features with their senses, and record what they notice. It pulls together the whole term: living or not, plant or animal, and the features we have named.

We are learning to

• find living things outside,
• observe and record a feature of each one,
• sort what we find into plants and animals.

Success criteria

• I can find a living thing outside.
• I can record a feature I notice.

You need

• the outdoor hunt worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• a clipboard or a hard book each, so children can write while standing,
• a safe patch of yard, checked ahead for bees, ants and hazards,
• the group cards (third sheet) if you sort back in class.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? Hunt and record outside in Session A. Start Session B by sorting the finds into plants and animals, then share a feature.

Watch for these ideas

• Touching or picking up living things. Remind the class: we observe, we do not disturb.
• A rock or the wind called living because it is there or it moves. It does not grow or eat, so it is not living.
• Recording the name only, like “bird”. Ask for a feature too: “a bird has wings”.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: find just one living thing and name one part before hunting for more.
• Bigger: find one plant and one animal, and say a feature that helps each one live.

Answers and look-fors

• Finds vary. Look for a living thing correctly called plant or animal, with a real feature recorded.
• Good records: a bird has feathers and wings; a gum tree has leaves; an ant has six legs.
• Not-living finds, like rocks or litter, are sorted out and not called living.

Outdoor hunt record

Find living things on our safe patch. Write what you found, if it is a plant or an animal, and one feature you noticed.

Plant or animal?

Cut out the two header cards. Put your finds under the card they belong to. Set aside anything that is not living.

Safe hunt rules

Teacher note: keep the header cards on the sorting mat back in class. A rock or a piece of litter is not living, so it does not go under either card.

Show what we know

The summative lesson, run as a celebration. Children pull the whole term together: living things have features, and we can group them by those features. Each child makes a sorting poster of living things grouped by one feature they choose, the class gallery-walks the posters, then everyone sits a short final check alone. The term closes with the unit’s on-screen quiz played as a class game.

We are learning to

• make a poster that groups living things by a feature and label the feature,
• show what we know on our own on the final check.

Success criteria

• I can group living things on a poster and label the feature.
• I can answer the check.

You need

• old magazines or catalogues to cut up, scissors and glue,
• large paper for each child, or wall space to draw on,
• the making-plan worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• the final check sheet (third sheet), one per child,
• the interactive unit open on the board for the closing quiz.

Lesson flow (about 45 minutes)

Running two short sessions instead? End Session A after the sorting poster and keep the posters safe. Start Session B with the gallery walk, then the final check and the class quiz.

Watch for these ideas

• A poster grouped by colour, or by the things a child likes best, rather than by a feature. Ask: “What do all the things in this group share?”
• A group with no shared feature, where things are just placed together. Come back to one clear feature all of them have.
• Forgetting to label the group. A group without a label does not show the feature yet, so ask for the word.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: give a ready feature to group by, such as has wings, so the child only sorts and labels.
• Bigger: group the same set of living things a second way, by a different feature, and label both.

Answers and look-fors

• A finished poster shows a labelled feature group: things sorted by one clear feature, with the feature named.
• Final check marking guide: 1 grow, and need food or water (any of these). 2 wings (or fur, legs, tail, beak). 3 roots, stem, leaves or flower. 4 bird, bee and bat all have wings. 5 any sensible new grouping of the same set, such as by number of legs. 6 any true feature, such as it has leaves.
• Look for grouping by a feature, not by colour or by liking. The named feature matters more than how pretty the poster is.

My sorting poster plan

Plan your poster here first. Choose one feature to group living things by. Plan what goes in each group. Then build the real poster on big paper.

Show what we know

Show what you know about living things. Read each one, then write, circle or draw. Take your time.

1. Write one thing all living things do.
2. Name one feature of an animal.
3. Name one part of a plant.
4. Circle the animals that all share the feature “has wings”:

   bird   ·   fish   ·   bee   ·   bat   ·   snake

5. Here is a set: dog, bird, cat, bee. Group them a new way. Draw or write your two groups.
   Group 1

   Group 2
6. Is a tree a living thing?   Yes □    No □

For the teacher: read the items aloud one at a time. Answers: 1 living things grow, and need food or water (any of these). 2 wings, and also fur, legs, tail or beak. 3 roots, stem, leaves or flower. 4 bird, bee and bat all have wings. 5 any sensible new grouping of the same four, such as by number of legs or has wings. 6 yes, a tree is living: it grows and needs water. Look for grouping by a feature, not by colour or by liking.