Adaptation and Behavior - Center for Learning in Action



River

Lesson #3: Classification of Living and Non-living Things

Time Frame: 45 minutes

Learning Standards:

Science

Life Science: Characteristics of Living Things

1) Differentiate between living and nonliving things. Group both living and nonliving things according to the characteristics that they share.

Skills of Inquiry

1) Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events in the environment.

Student will be able to:

1) Group living and non-living things and explain the differences between each group.

2) Group candies according to the characteristics that they share.

Focus Activity: Ask the students to help make a list of all the different things they observed at the river and through the scavenger hunt. The list should include living and non-living things.

Introduction: Introduce the idea of classification. Explain that it is useful for scientists to classify things because members of a certain group always share certain characteristics. For example, if something is a bird then you know that it has feathers, wings, and a beak. Explain that classification can help the students learn about the different aspects of the river and their importance. If time permits, discuss how the list of river things could be grouped together.

Activities:

1) Break the students up into small groups (approximately 3 students per group). Give each group a box and ask them to separate the contents of the box into two piles, things that are living in one pile and things that are not living in the other pile. When they are done separating the box ask students to discuss the differences between living and non-living things.

2) Review the contents of the box with the class and discuss the classifications that each group made. Then, write responses from the students on the board exploring the differences between living and non-living things. For example, living things grow, reproduce, respond to their environment, need energy (food), and most need water and oxygen (air). Non-living things may do some of these things (especially computers or robots) but not all.

3) Then, give each group a bag of candy to classify. Ask the students to work as a group to separate the candy into different piles and remind the students that they should be able to explain their classification system.

4) When the groups are done working, give each a chance to explain how they separated their candy and compare and contrast the different methods used by the different groups.

Closure: Ask the students how they might use their new skills of classification to better understand the river. Discuss how classification of the living and non-living things that are part of the river environment might give information about the river. Explain that during the next trip to the river students will classify and separate tiny animals found in the water.

Assessment: Classification activities, class participation

Resources and Materials: Boxes with living and non-living things, different types of candy mixed in bags

Vertebrate Classification Web Activity



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