Living, Dead, Never Alive

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Overview

A 60-minute mixed-age Science lesson (Year 1 & Year 2 with EYFS integration) exploring the concepts of living, dead, and never alive in the context of habitats. This lesson connects directly to the National Curriculum for England: “Identify that most living things live in habitats to which they are suited and describe how different habitats provide for the basic needs of different kinds of animals and plants, and how they depend on each other” and “Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive.”

The lesson will use hands-on exploration, scaffolded group activities, and a microhabitat-building practical. It reflects Rosenshine’s principles by reviewing prior learning, prompting active participation, checking for understanding, and providing scaffolded support.

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National Curriculum Links

• Science Programmes of Study (KS1):

  • Living things and their habitats: Identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats.
  • Explore and compare the differences between things that are living, dead, and things that have never been alive.
  • Begin to use simple scientific vocabulary.
  • Working scientifically - gathering, recording, and communicating data.

• Early Learning Goals (Understanding the World – The Natural World):

  • Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.
  • Know some similarities and differences between animals and the environment.

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Learning Intentions ("I can" statements)

• I can explain what a habitat is and how it helps provide animals with their basic needs.
• I can describe the difference between living, dead, and never alive things.
• I can make observations and classify objects into living, dead, or never alive.
• I can create a microhabitat using natural resources.

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Success Criteria

• I can name the four basic needs of animals: food, water, air, and shelter.
• I can sort objects correctly into living, dead, or never alive.
• I can describe how a habitat helps animals survive.
• I can work with others to build a microhabitat using natural materials.
• I can explain my thinking during group discussions using simple sentences or drawings.

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Resources

• Model/toy animals representing local wildlife (fox, bird, frog, etc.)
• Spray bottles with water
• Printed and real leaves, stones, sticks, pinecones, tubes, soil
• Plant pots (one per child)
• Bug hotel frame (adult-set up)
• Laminated sorting cards/images labeled: “Living,” “Dead,” “Never Alive”
• Whiteboard and markers
• Large Venn diagram or sorting mats for group activity
• Think-pair-share prompt cards
• “Living, Dead, Never Alive” anchor chart with key features and vocabulary
• Clipboards, paper, pencils

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Differentiation

Learner Type	Strategy
EYFS learners & SEN	Concrete, tactile sorting activities; adult scaffolding; picture prompts; sentence starters; paired or small group discussion.
KS1 mixed ability	Encourage independent recording; challenge with deeper questioning; use sentence frames for explanations.
Advanced learners	Extension task: research an unusual microhabitat animal and present its needs; begin to write simple food chains involving their microhabitat.

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Lesson Structure

1. Starter: Recap on Habitats & Basic Needs (10 mins)

Objective: Re-engage prior learning that habitats meet animals’ basic needs (food, water, air, shelter).

• Activity:
  • Take class outside briefly (weather permitting) for a “Think-Pair-Share” about animals they see or know in the local rural environment of Selside, Kendal.
  • Teacher prompts: “What do animals here need to live?”
  • Use spray bottles lightly on children’s hands to represent “water” need, linking to why clean water matters.
  • Show toy animals and briefly explain their habitats and how these meet needs.
  • Recite a simple song or chant highlighting the four basic needs to anchor learning.

Key Question: How do habitats help animals stay alive?

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2. Main Input & Thinking Routine: Living, Dead, or Never Alive? (15 mins)

Objective: Clarify and deepen understanding of living, dead, and never alive concepts using visible thinking routines.

• Introduce the terms and definitions clearly with examples:

  • Living: Things that grow, breathe, move, reproduce (e.g., a worm, a dog).
  • Dead: Things that were once living but are now not alive (e.g., a fallen leaf, a dead tree).
  • Never Alive: Things that have never been alive (e.g., stones, water).

• Thinking Routine – “See, Think, Wonder” (adapted from Project Zero’s Toolbox):

  • Show a mixed tray of objects: leaves, stones, toy animals, pinecones, water in a cup.
  • Ask:
    • What do you see?
    • What do you think each thing is (living, dead, never alive)?
    • What do you wonder about these things?
  • Discuss as a class, making thinking visible on the whiteboard. Use children’s language and encourage reasoning.

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3. Group Sorting and Classification Activity (20 mins)

Objective: Promote hands-on collaborative classification applying learning.

• Split class into 3 groups mixing EYFS and KS1 children.
• Provide each group with a set of real and replica items (leaves, stones, feathers, twigs, toy animals).
• Groups create three labelled areas on the floor or use sorting mats: Living, Dead, Never Alive.
• Children sort items into the correct category and discuss justification with peers.
• Adults support EYFS & SEN children to verbalise reasons; KS1 children record with drawings and simple sentences on clipboards.
• Encourage children to refer back to the criteria discussed in the thinking routine.

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4. Plenary Discussion & Reflection (10 mins)

Objective: Consolidate and assess understanding; encourage reflection on the learning process.

• Groups share one interesting thing they learned or wondered about.
• Teacher re-visits key vocabulary on the anchor chart, eliciting examples from children.
• Use exit questions such as:
  • “Name one thing that is living in our classroom.”
  • “Can stones ever be living?”
  • “Why is it important to know about dead things and never alive things too?”
• Link back to how habitats meet the needs of living things, preparing for the microhabitat creating.

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5. Microhabitat Building Practical (5 mins introduction + ongoing outdoor work)

Objective: Begin creating planned microhabitats using natural materials, applying today’s learning.

• Show each child a plant pot and the range of materials available (stones, leaves, tubes for bees, pinecones, sticks).
• Children select and place materials carefully inside pots to build a microhabitat, thinking about what animals/minibeasts might use them for shelter, food, or water.
• Adult arranges pots into the bug hotel frame outside for later observation and learning continuity.
• Children encouraged to explain their choices verbally or through guided questioning.

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Extension Activities for Advanced Learners

• Research and present an unusual habitat animal (e.g., stag beetle, solitary bee) and what it needs to survive in its microhabitat.
• Create a simple food chain drawing for their microhabitat using sentence frames: “The ___ eats the ___.”
• Write a short story from the perspective of a microhabitat animal explaining how it uses the shelter and food in its habitat.

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Assessment Opportunities

• Formative Assessment: Observation during Think-Pair-Share, sorting activity discussion, and plenary questioning to gauge understanding.
• Summative Assessment: Simple drawings or sentences on clipboards classifying objects; explanations during microhabitat building.
• Use of Thinking Routines: Making thinking visible allows natural assessment of children’s conceptual grasp.

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Reflection and Feedback for Teacher

• Adapt language and scaffolding depending on SEN or younger children’s responses during sorting.
• Promote use of outdoor space as integral context (supports rural setting).
• Use visual anchor charts and repetitive chants to reinforce key concepts, particularly for EYFS.
• Consider video/audio recording of group sharing for self-review or moderation.

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End of Plan