Wetlands Sort

Overview

In this lesson, students classify items linked to wetlands as living or non-living, using observable features. This builds the unit “From Wetlands to Wheelie Bins” by connecting what lives in wetlands to how materials and waste move through the environment.

Learning intentions

• Students will identify living and non-living things in a set of wetland items.
• Students will describe what makes something living (it has basic needs and shows life processes).
• Students will record classifications clearly using scientific vocabulary.
• Students will justify their sorting decisions using evidence from observations.

Success criteria

• I can sort items into living and non-living using clear reasons.
• I can use scientific words such as living, non-living, and observable features.
• I can explain my choice for at least one item using evidence (what I can see/observe).
• I can check and improve my classification during peer review.

Curriculum links

• Science — AC9S4U04: examining properties of natural and made materials and considering how properties influence their use (students treat items as materials and observe what they are made of, where relevant).
• Science — AC9S4I06: write and create texts to communicate findings and ideas using scientific vocabulary (students complete a table and short explanations).
• Science — AC9S4U01 (light connection): recognising the roles of living things in habitats by understanding that living things include producers, consumers and decomposers (used as background language during justification).
• HASS — AC9HS4S07: present descriptions and explanations using relevant subject terms (students share and explain their classifications).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Hook (Think–Pair–Share). Teacher displays 6–8 mixed wetland image cards (e.g., frog, leaf, stone, shell, plastic bottle, algae). Students think-pair-share: “Which are living and which are non-living? Why?”

2. 5–12 min · Direct teach (What counts as living?). Teacher leads a short discussion: living things grow, need resources (air/water/food), respond to changes, and can reproduce; non-living things do not have these life processes. Teacher anchors with simple, observable examples from the displayed cards. Students contribute examples and reasons.

3. 12–22 min · Group sorting investigation. Teacher gives each group a tray with real objects and/or printed card sets related to a wetland theme (e.g., dried leaf, water plant, stone/rock, sand, shell, worm/centipede model if available, toy duck, cotton/fibre sample, metal spoon, plastic fragment, glass marble, paper leaf). Students sort into two large areas labelled Living and Non-living, then choose 2 items and write a one-sentence justification using evidence (“I put this in living because… / I put this in non-living because…”).

4. 22–30 min · Properties quick check (Why might materials behave differently?). Teacher prompts: “Even if something is non-living, what do you notice about the material’s properties?” Teacher models one observation (e.g., “This is a stone: hard and solid; this plastic: smooth and lightweight”). Students add a short note for 2 non-living items: one observable property (hard/soft, rough/smooth, lightweight/heavy, transparent/opaque, bends/not bending).

5. 30–38 min · Gallery walk and peer verification. Groups rotate to another group’s sorting area. Students use a checklist to ask: “Do you agree with your classification? What is your evidence?” If they disagree, they must suggest a better classification and explain why using observable features and living/non-living criteria.

6. 38–45 min · Exit ticket (Communicate findings). Students complete a quick table in books:

• Item: ______ → Living / Non-living
• Reason (one sentence): ______ Teacher collects and quickly scans for misconceptions (e.g., “plants are non-living” or “worms are non-living if they are not moving”).

Resources

• Mixed wetland image cards and/or real object trays
• Sorting mats labelled Living and Non-living
• Paper, pencils, whiteboard markers
• Group checklist for peer verification
• Optional: property samples (e.g., plastic, glass, metal, natural fibres, paper, sand) to support observations
• Student science journals or worksheets with a simple classification table

Assessment

• Teacher observation during group sorting: students’ correct classification and ability to justify with evidence.
• Peer verification checklist: whether students use criteria and respectful questioning.
• Exit ticket table: accuracy of living vs non-living and quality of reasoning sentences using scientific vocabulary.

Differentiation

• Support:
• Provide sentence starters: “I think it is living because…”, “I noticed…”, “It is non-living because…”
• Use fewer items for some groups (e.g., 6 instead of 10) and add challenge options for early finishers.
• Offer a word bank: living, non-living, grow, need, respond, hard, soft, rough, smooth, lightweight, heavy.
• Extension:
• Ask students to classify “borderline” items (e.g., a seed, a leaf, or a dried plant) and explain why it is living when it can grow or non-living when dried and not living processes are occurring.
• EAL/SEN:
• Visual cue cards (living/non-living icons) and clear modelling of expectations before sorting.
• Allow oral justification to be recorded by a student buddy or teacher scribe if needed.