Living and Non-living Things: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Year 3 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 misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it even if biology was never your subject.

Two ways to run each lesson

Every lesson works as one 60-minute block, or as two 30-minute 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

Lessons 1 and 2 set the sorting language: living things share four jobs, and some things that look non-living were once part of life. Lessons 3 to 5 walk plant and animal life cycles, then place them side by side. Lessons 6 to 8 take the ideas into the field, into once-living materials, and into hands-on cycle models. Lesson 9 connects to people who work with living things, and Lesson 10 is the showcase and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9S3U01 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 Year 3 voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a showcase model 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; nothing needs a science cupboard.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: paper, card, scissors, sticky tack, clipboards, pencils, markers, string.
• From the shops or storeroom: optional packet of seeds, clear zip bags, three large sheets for sorting mats.
• From outdoors or donations: clean dry leaves, a wooden peg or block, scrap paper, a seashell photo or clean shell, classroom plant if you have one.

Safety in one look

• Outdoor hunt: stay in the agreed boundary; no tasting plants; wash hands after handling soil or leaves.
• Allergy check before any food-related props (none are required in this pack).
• Shells and wood stay dry and clean; nothing goes in mouths.
• Respect living things: observe insects and plants without harming them.

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 showcase model 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 the four jobs; add life-cycle words as Lessons 3 to 5 land.

Dear families

This term in science, Year 3 becomes a class of living-things detectives. We ask what makes something living, how to sort living, non-living and once-living things, and how plants and animals grow through life cycles.

Every investigation points to two big ideas. First, living things share jobs: they grow, they need food and water, they can make young, and many can move by themselves. Second, plants and animals both travel a life cycle that loops back when new seeds or young begin again, even though their stages look different.

Try this at home

• Hold up a wooden spoon, a rock and a house plant. Ask: which is living, non-living, or once-living?
• Plant a few seeds in a jar or pot and watch for the first sprout. Talk about the next stages together.
• Look for a butterfly, moth or insect outside. Guess which stage of its life cycle it is in now.
• At the recycling bin, hold paper or cardboard and ask: where did this material come from?

What to ask your scientist

• What jobs does a living thing do?
• Is that object living, non-living or once-living?
• How is a plant cycle like an animal cycle? How is it different?

A small safety note: on school field hunts we stay in agreed boundaries and do not taste plants. At home, an adult helps with any outdoor exploring.

Warm regards,

The Year 3 team

Printed from the free seegongsik Living and Non-living Things teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y3/biological/AC9S3U01/pack

The living-things checklist

Children learn that living things share four jobs: they grow, they move on their own, they need food and water, and they make young. Ticking those jobs for real examples is how we decide what is living. This lesson lays the ground for the term.

We are learning to

• name four jobs that living things do,
• tick the jobs for everyday examples (animal, plant, rock),
• say that something that does the jobs of life is a living thing.

Success criteria

• I can name the four jobs of living things.
• I can decide if something is living by using the checklist.

You need

• a tray of small objects or photos: toy animal or dog photo, leaf or classroom plant, rock, plastic toy,
• four trait cards (third sheet), cut out and sticky-tacked on the board as an anchor,
• subject cards (third sheet) or the real objects for table sorting,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Checklist at the tables. Start Session B by re-reading the four trait cards, then go on to the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “Plants are not alive because they do not walk.” Plants move slowly (toward light, roots through soil). Stress grow, food/water and make young; movement is not only walking.
• “Fire is alive because it moves and grows.” Fire does not need food and water the way living things do, and it does not make young of its own kind. Park it for a later talk if it comes up.
• “Only animals are living.” Use the gum tree checklist to show plants meet the jobs too.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: work only Dog vs Rock as a class, then add Gum tree together.
• Bigger: invent a fifth subject from the classroom and run the full checklist without help.

Answers and look-fors

• Dog: yes to all four jobs. Gum tree: yes to grow, food/water, make young; move is yes if you accept slow plant movement, or discuss and still call it living. Rock: no to all four.
• Sentence stems: a living thing does the jobs of life / something that does none of the jobs is non-living.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “The rock does not grow or need food, so it is not living.”

The living-things checklist

Living things do four jobs. Tick yes or no for each job. Then decide: living or non-living?

Jobs of living things

Cut out the four job cards for the board. Cut out the subject cards for table talk.

Subject cards

Teacher note: Dog and Gum tree are living; Rock, Plastic toy and Metal spoon are non-living. Fern is living. Keep the four job cards up all term as the class anchor.

Living, non-living or once-living?

Children sort things into three groups, not two. Some things are alive now, some were never alive, and some came from living things (wood, paper, shell). This three-way sort stops the common trap of calling everything that is not moving non-living.

We are learning to

• sort things into living, non-living and once-living,
• give a reason for each sort,
• recognise that wood, paper and shells came from living things.

Success criteria

• I can place a thing in the right bin and say why.
• I can name one once-living material and where it came from.

You need

• three large sorting mats labelled LIVING, NON-LIVING, ONCE-LIVING,
• the sorting cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead,
• optional real objects: wooden block, seashell photo, plastic cup, leaf,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Table sort (photograph the mats). Start Session B by re-sorting two tricky cards from memory, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “Wood is living because it used to be a tree.” Once-living is the careful word: not alive now, but from life.
• “Water is living because we need it.” Water is non-living; living things need it, but water itself does not do the four jobs.
• “Everything hard is non-living.” Shells are hard and once-living; use the source test, not hardness.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort only six cards (Butterfly, Fern, Stone, Water, Wooden chair, Seashell) as a class.
• Bigger: each child finds one more classroom object and defends its bin to a partner.

Answers and look-fors

• Living: Butterfly, Fern, Worm. Non-living: Stone, Water, Plastic bottle, Metal key. Once-living: Wooden chair, Seashell, Paper page, Cotton sock. Gum leaf: living or once-living with reason.
• Drawing names the living source (tree for wood/paper, animal for shell/bone/cotton plant or sheep for cotton).
• Meeting the idea sounds like “The chair is once-living because the wood came from a tree.”

Three bins

Write or draw three things in each bin. Then draw one once-living thing and show where it came from.

Where does it go?

Cut out the cards. Sort them onto living, non-living or once-living mats. Be ready to say why.

Teacher note: fresh gum leaf can sit in living (still plant tissue) or once-living (picked and drying). Ask for the reason. Cotton sock is once-living from plant or animal fibre.

A plant’s life cycle

Children order the stages of a plant from seed to new seed and discover that the path is a loop, not a straight line. The last stage makes seeds that start the journey again. That is why we call it a life cycle.

We are learning to

• name the main stages of a plant life cycle,
• put the stages in order from seed to new seed,
• explain why a life cycle is a loop, not a line.

Success criteria

• I can order the plant stages correctly.
• I can say why the cycle goes back to the start.

You need

• plant stage cards (third sheet), one set per pair, cut out ahead,
• optional: a few real seeds in a clear bag to pass around,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• string or arrow cards if you want floor-size cycles.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Order the cards. Start Session B by reordering from memory, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “The plant dies after the flower, so it is a line not a loop.” The individual plant may die later, but the cycle continues through new seeds. Focus on the type of plant, not one body only.
• “Seeds are non-living.” Seeds are living (dormant). They can grow when conditions are right.
• Stages named out of order: keep Seed first and New seed last before the loop.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: order only Seed, Plant, Flower as a class, then add Sprout and New seed.
• Bigger: children add one extra label for fruit if your garden has fruiting plants.

Answers and look-fors

• Order: 1 Seed, 2 Sprout, 3 Plant, 4 Flower, 5 New seed, then back to Seed.
• Sentence: it is a cycle because new seeds start the journey again / the path loops.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “New seeds mean it goes back to the beginning.”

A plant’s life cycle

Number the stages in order from 1 to 5. Then draw the cycle as a ring (not a straight line).

Plant stages

Cut out the five cards. Shuffle, then put them in order. Bend New seed back toward Seed.

Teacher note: keep a spare set for Lesson 5 (side-by-side compare) and Lesson 8 (models). Order is Seed, Sprout, Plant, Flower, New seed.

An animal’s life cycle

Children follow the butterfly from egg to butterfly and back to eggs. The big surprise is that a caterpillar looks nothing like the butterfly it becomes, yet it is the same animal at a different stage. Like the plant, the path is a loop.

We are learning to

• name the main stages of a butterfly life cycle,
• put the stages in order from egg to lays eggs,
• explain that the animal can change shape and still be the same kind of living thing.

Success criteria

• I can order the butterfly stages correctly.
• I can say that a caterpillar and a butterfly are stages of the same animal.

You need

• butterfly stage cards (third sheet), one set per pair, cut out ahead,
• optional photo of a chrysalis or empty shell if you have one,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• the plant stage set nearby for a one-minute contrast at the end.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Order the cards. Start Session B by reordering from memory, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “The caterpillar dies and a new butterfly is born.” It is the same animal changing form. Chrysalis is a change stage, not a death stage for our purposes.
• “All animals have a chrysalis.” Not true; butterflies and moths are our model. Other animals have different stages. Stay with the butterfly for this lesson.
• Mixing plant words (seed, flower) into the animal cycle: gently redirect to egg and butterfly language.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: order only Egg, Caterpillar, Butterfly as a class, then add Chrysalis and Lays eggs.
• Bigger: children name one other animal they know and guess two stages (e.g. egg and adult for many birds).

Answers and look-fors

• Order: 1 Egg, 2 Caterpillar, 3 Chrysalis, 4 Butterfly, 5 Lays eggs, then back to Egg.
• Drawing pairs often: Caterpillar with Butterfly, or Egg with Butterfly. Any two different stages meet the goal.
• Sentence: they are the same animal at different stages of the life cycle.

An animal’s life cycle

Number the butterfly stages in order from 1 to 5. Draw two stages that look very different.

Butterfly stages

Cut out the five cards. Shuffle, then put them in order. Bend Lays eggs back toward Egg.

Teacher note: keep a spare set for Lesson 5 and Lesson 8. Order is Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis, Butterfly, Lays eggs. Chrysalis is also called a pupa in some texts; use chrysalis here to match the on-screen unit.

Two cycles side by side

Children place plant and animal cycles next to each other and practise comparing: what is alike, what is different. Both are loops that return to the start, but the stage names differ and the butterfly changes shape far more than the plant.

We are learning to

• place plant and animal stages side by side,
• name at least one likeness and one difference,
• use the word compare when we say what is alike and what is different.

Success criteria

• I can say one way the two cycles are alike.
• I can say one way the two cycles are different.

You need

• plant stage cards from Lesson 3 and butterfly stage cards from Lesson 4 (one set of each per pair),
• a large sheet of paper or desk space labelled PLANT and ANIMAL,
• compare prompt cards (third sheet), optional for stretch tables,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Side-by-side build (photo the desks). Start Session B with one pair rebuilding both cycles for the class, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “They are exactly the same.” Push for stage names: seed is not egg; flower is not chrysalis.
• “They have nothing in common.” Push for the loop and making young or seeds.
• Comparing size or colour only: redirect to stages and the idea of a cycle.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: complete the alike/different sentences as a shared write first.
• Bigger: use the six compare prompt cards and tick which ones the pair can prove with their models.

Answers and look-fors

• Likenesses: both loop; both are life cycles; both make the next generation; both have ordered stages.
• Differences: stage names; start is seed vs egg; butterfly changes shape more; plant stays plant-shaped while adding flower and seed.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “Both go in a loop, but the stages have different names.”

Two cycles side by side

Compare a plant life cycle and a butterfly life cycle. Fill the table, then write two sentences.

Compare prompts

Cut out the cards. After you build both cycles, pick a card and prove it with your models. Keep the set for Lesson 8 practise.

Teacher note: answer table for the worksheet steps is Seed/Egg, Sprout/Caterpillar, Plant/Chrysalis, Flower/Butterfly, New seed/Lays eggs (matching the on-screen five-step pairing). Accept any clear mapping if pairs justify it.

Field hunt and classroom sort

Children take the three-way sort outdoors (or on a photo walk of the playground) and record real finds. Back in class they sort the finds together and check their reasons against the four jobs and the once-living idea.

We are learning to

• observe living, non-living and once-living things in a familiar place,
• record finds and sort them with reasons,
• use the checklist and the three bins on real examples, not only cards.

Success criteria

• I can find and record at least one example for each bin.
• I can give a reason for each sort.

You need

• clipboards or hardbacks, pencils, and the hunt log worksheet (next sheet),
• an agreed outdoor boundary (or a set of playground photos if weather or access is hard),
• three class sorting mats labelled living, non-living, once-living,
• exit tickets (third sheet), cut out for the door.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the hunt (keep logs). Start Session B with the class sort, then exit tickets. Wet day: use photo cards of the playground and call it a classroom hunt.

Watch for these ideas

• “Soil is living.” Soil is a mix: non-living bits plus living organisms. For Year 3, say soil holds living things; the dirt itself is mostly non-living material.
• “A dead insect is non-living.” Once-living is better: it was alive. Use gentle language and respect.
• Children only listing animals as living: prompt for plants and weeds in the boundary.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: hunt for three finds total (one per bin) as a guided walk.
• Bigger: tally class finds in a simple table and name the most common bin.

Answers and look-fors

• Logs will vary. Look for a reason next to each bin tick, not only a name.
• Typical living: grass, tree, insect. Non-living: rock, metal pole, plastic. Once-living: wood chip, paper litter, dry leaf, bark piece.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “The bark is once-living from the tree; the pole never lived.”

Field hunt log

Find things around you. Draw or write each find. Tick one bin. Give a short reason.

Door tickets

Cut out the tickets. Hand one to each child as they leave. Collect answers for a quick read-through.

Teacher note: mix ticket letters so neighbouring children get different prompts. Ticket E checks the four jobs; Ticket F checks once-living for wood.

Once-living materials

Children slow down on the once-living bin. Wood, paper, bone and shell are not alive now, but each can be traced back to a living thing. Tracing the source is the skill; it deepens the three-way sort from Lessons 2 and 6.

We are learning to

• name materials that came from living things,
• match each material to its living source,
• explain why once-living is different from never-alive non-living.

Success criteria

• I can match a material to the living thing it came from.
• I can explain why wood is once-living, not living.

You need

• samples or photos: wooden peg or block, scrap paper, clean dry seashell (or photo), cotton scrap,
• source cards (third sheet), one set per table,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• optional: a rock and a plastic item as never-alive contrasts.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Card match. Start Session B by re-matching two cards, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “Paper is non-living only.” True that it is not alive, but once-living is the finer sort because of the plant source.
• “Plastic is once-living.” Most classroom plastic is from non-living fossil materials processed industrially; keep plastic in non-living for this unit unless you are ready for a longer energy story later years.
• Uncomfortable talk about animals: stay factual and brief; allow pass if a child is distressed.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: match only wood-tree, paper-plant, shell-sea animal as a class.
• Bigger: invent a classroom scavenger list of five once-living materials with sources.

Answers and look-fors

• Worksheet matches: wooden peg to wood from a tree; notebook page to paper from plant fibres; seashell to shell from a sea animal; cotton sock to plant fibre from a cotton plant.
• Sentence: once-living means it is not alive now but it came from a living thing.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “Paper is once-living because it came from plants.”

Trace it back

Draw a line from each material to where it came from. Then draw one material and its living source.

Materials and sources

Cut out the cards. Read each material and its source. Sort the set into plant sources and animal sources.

Teacher note: plant sources include wood, paper, cotton, cork, charcoal. Animal sources include seashell, bone, leather. Use photos for leather and bone if samples are not suitable.

Life-cycle models with cards

Children build a physical model of either a plant cycle or a butterfly cycle using stage cards and arrows. They practise explaining the loop out loud. Models can stay on display for the Lesson 10 showcase.

We are learning to

• build a life-cycle model with stages in order,
• mark the loop that returns to the start,
• explain our model using science words from the word wall.

Success criteria

• I can build a cycle with stages in the right order.
• I can explain why my model is a loop.

You need

• plant stage cards (Lesson 3) and butterfly stage cards (Lesson 4), enough for pairs to choose one cycle,
• arrow cards (third sheet) or string and sticky tack,
• the model-plan worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• table or floor space cleared for models.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Build (leave models up if you can). Start Session B with a gallery walk, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• Straight-line models with no return: ask where the new seeds or eggs go.
• Stages out of order: have the pair walk the on-screen cycle again and fix one card.
• Silent builds: require the 20-second talk before the gallery.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: provide a ring template drawn on paper; children only place cards on the marks.
• Bigger: build both cycles on one desk and add one compare sentence under the pair.

Answers and look-fors

• Plant order: Seed, Sprout, Plant, Flower, New seed, loop. Butterfly order: Egg, Caterpillar, Chrysalis, Butterfly, Lays eggs, loop.
• Explanation names the return: new seeds or new eggs start the cycle again.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “The last arrow goes back because new eggs begin the cycle.”

My life-cycle model

Plan your model. Circle plant or butterfly. List the stages in order. Draw the loop.

Arrows for your model

Cut out the cards. Use them between stages. Put the LOOP card on the arrow that returns to the start. Keep stage cards from Lessons 3 and 4 with this set.

Teacher note: if string is easier, skip printing arrows and use one LOOP sticky note per pair. Photograph models for the Lesson 10 showcase if cards must be reused.

People who work with living things

Children have sorted living things and walked life cycles with their own hands. Today they look up and find grown-ups whose work depends on knowing living things: gardeners, vets, farmers, rangers and more. This is the Human Endeavour thread: people use science ideas to care for living things and meet needs.

We are learning to

• name people whose work is with living things,
• match each job to what living things they work with,
• say how knowing life cycles or living needs helps that job.

Success criteria

• I can match a job to the living things it cares for.
• I can say one science idea that helps that worker.

You need

• job cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead,
• word wall cards from the front of the pack, on display,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• optional photos of a gardener, vet, farmer or ranger.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Mime theatre and collect the job cards. Start Session B by miming one job yourself, then the worksheet.

Watch for these ideas

• “Only scientists work with living things.” Gardeners, farmers, vets and carers use science ideas every day without a lab coat.
• “Jobs only care about animals.” Half the cards are plant-facing; keep both strands visible.
• Stereotypes about who can do which job: keep language open; any child can name any job.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: match only the four worksheet jobs as a class before tables try six cards.
• Bigger: children invent a seventh job card for someone they know and the class guesses the living things involved.

Answers and look-fors

• Worksheet matches: gardener to cares for plants through their stages; vet to looks after animal health; farmer to raises plants or animals and knows cycles; park ranger to protects living things in parks.
• Drawing shows a person and a living thing; sentence names both: “They care for the plants.”
• Meeting the idea sounds like “The gardener needs to know the plant life cycle.”

Who works with living things?

People use science ideas at work. Draw a line from each person to the work they do.

People at work

Cut out the cards, one set for each table. Read each card together. Name a living thing the worker helps. Keep the set for the mime game.

Teacher note: the florist and the wildlife carer are stretch cards; they are not on the four-line worksheet. Both still work with living things and fit the Human Endeavour idea.

Show what we know

The summative lesson, run as a celebration. Children finish or rebuild a showcase piece (life-cycle model or three-bin poster), visit each other’s work in a gallery walk, then sit the final check sheet quietly and alone. The term closes with the on-screen quiz played as a class game. Every piece on the table tells the term’s story: living things do the jobs of life, some materials are once-living, and plant and animal cycles both loop.

We are learning to

• show what we know about living and non-living things and life cycles,
• explain a model or sort using the term’s science words,
• show what we know on our own on the final check.

Success criteria

• I can explain my showcase using living, non-living, once-living or life cycle.
• I can show what I know on the final check by myself.

You need

• stage cards, sorting mats or photos of Lesson 8 models; scrap paper for quick rebuilds,
• the showcase-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 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Showcase build and keep work safe. Start Session B with the gallery walk, then the final check and the class quiz.

Watch for these ideas

• “Wooden chair is living” under check-sheet pressure. Quietly say: picture Lesson 7. Is it alive now, or did it come from a tree? Then step back.
• Showcase with no science words: point at the word wall and ask for two words before the gallery.
• Some children freeze when the task is open. Offer a start: rebuild the butterfly five stages in a ring, or sort three classroom objects into bins.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: provide a ready ring template or a three-bin sheet already drawn; the child still labels and explains.
• Bigger: showcase both a cycle and a three-way sort, and compare plant vs animal in one sentence.

Answers and look-fors

• Final check marking guide: 1 circle grows, moves on its own, needs food and water, makes young (not shines or melts). 2 once-living. 3 non-living. 4 plant order seed-sprout-plant-flower-new seed (or clear equivalent). 5 chrysalis. 6 both loop / both make young or seeds. 7 different stage names or butterfly changes shape more. 8 any clear Year 3 sentence using living jobs or cycles.
• A score of 6 or more out of 8, together with a showcase the child can explain, meets the descriptor. The rubric sheet near the front of the pack turns this into a three-level judgement.
• Meeting the idea at the gallery sounds like “This is once-living wood from a tree” or “New seeds send the plant cycle back to the start.”

My showcase plan

Today you show what you know. Choose a life-cycle model or a three-bin sort poster. Be ready to explain it with science words.

Show what we know

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

Teacher note: read the items aloud one at a time. The marking guide is on this lesson’s plan page; the rubric sheet near the front of the pack turns the score into a level.