Living Things Introduction

Grade Level

1st Grade

Duration

60 minutes

Class Size

8 students

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Unit

Exploring Our Natural World (Lesson 1 of 12)

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Lesson Overview

Students will be introduced to the concept of living things, identifying and categorizing examples of plants, animals, and humans. The lesson includes hands-on, interactive sorting activities and group discussions designed to engage a behaviorally diverse K-2 classroom with scaffolding and multiple learning modalities.

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Common Core State Standards & NGSS Alignment

• Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS):

  • 1-LS1-1: Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
  • K-LS1-1 (Kindergarten standard, scaffolded for 1st grade understanding): Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

• Common Core ELA Standards (aligned to support literacy with science):

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts.

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Learning Objectives ("I can" statements)

• I can identify living things around me.
• I can sort living things into groups: plants, animals, and humans.
• I can explain one way plants and animals are different.
• I can work together with my classmates during discussions and activities.

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Success Criteria

Students will demonstrate understanding by:

• Correctly sorting pictures or objects of living things into “plant,” “animal,” or “human” boxes.
• Verbally sharing at least one fact about a plant or animal.
• Participating respectfully in group talks and hands-on activities.

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Materials Needed

• Picture cards of living things (plants, animals, humans) – dyslexia-friendly with large fonts and clear images
• Sorting mats labeled “Plant”, “Animal”, “Human” with images to aid comprehension
• Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
• Hands-on sensory items related to living things (e.g., leaves, faux fur, flower petals)
• Visual schedule and calm area for movement breaks as needed

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Lesson Procedure

1. Warm-Up & Engagement (10 minutes)

• Begin with a friendly “I see, I wonder” circle time: Show pictures of a tree, a dog, and a child.
• Ask: "Which of these are alive? How do you know?" (Scaffold with prompts: “Does it grow?”, “Can it eat or drink?”, “Does it move?”)
• Use a large visual chart with pictures and words to anchor understanding.

2. Direct Instruction & Modeling (10 minutes)

• Introduce the terms “plants,” “animals,” and “humans.”
• Show real examples (sensory items) of each. Pass around leaves for plants; a plush toy for animals; a mirror for humans.
• Model sorting a few picture cards onto the mats, verbalizing your thinking process aloud.

3. Guided Practice (15 minutes)

• Students work in pairs or small groups moving around 3 centers:

  1. Sorting Center: Sort picture cards into plants, animals, humans mats with teacher support.
  2. Sensory Center: Feel, touch, and describe plant and animal parts (e.g., leaf veins, animal fur).
  3. Drawing Center: Draw one living thing and label it with teacher help: “plant”, “animal” or “human”. Include dyslexia-friendly word cards for labeling.

• Teacher circulates to scaffold language and comprehension, praise engagement.

4. Group Discussion & Sharing (15 minutes)

• Gather students to share their favorite living thing and explain why it is a plant, animal, or human.
• Use “turn and talk” pairs before sharing to increase participation.
• Create a collective chart with student contributions, focusing on commonalities and differences.

5. Closure & Review (5 minutes)

• Review “I can” statements using a simple thumbs up/thumbs down check-in.
• Summarize key ideas aloud and visually.
• Preview next lesson’s focus (e.g., "Next time, we’ll learn what plants need to grow!")

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Differentiation Strategies

• For Diverse Learners/Behavioral Needs:

  • Use clear, predictable routines and visual schedules.
  • Provide movement breaks using the calm area.
  • Use simple, direct language.
  • Offer one-on-one support during centers as needed.
  • Allow alternative communication methods (pointing, visuals) for nonverbal students.

• For Dyslexic or Reading-Challenged Students:

  • Use large font, sans-serif text on all cards and labels.
  • Pair visuals with text consistently.
  • Read text aloud and encourage repeated oral practice.
  • Allow drawing and verbal descriptions instead of writing if needed.

• For Advanced Learners:

  • Challenge them to find and explain a living thing not in the picture sets.
  • Encourage use of scientific vocabulary words such as “organism,” “grow,” or “survive.”
  • Invite them to teach peers during activities.

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Extension Activities

• Create a “Living Things” class book: Each student contributes a page with a drawing and one sentence about a living thing they like.
• Nature walk around the school yard to identify living things in real life. Take photos for class sorting later.
• Simple observation journal: Draw or dictate what they notice about plants or animals at home or outside.

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Assessment

• Informal observation checklist during sorting and discussion for student understanding and participation.
• Completed sorting mats and drawings reviewed for accuracy.
• Oral responses during group share time.
• Use thumbs up/down to gauge self-assessed confidence with objectives.

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This lesson plan embraces hands-on, sensory-rich experiences and social-emotional scaffolding, matching the teacher’s K-2 behavioral class style. It thoughtfully incorporates Common Core and NGSS standards to develop foundational science skills supported by literacy competencies, ensuring an engaging start to the unit exploring our natural world.