Patterns Scientists Notice

Overview

This is Lesson 8 of 10 in the “Living Things Explorers” unit. Students revisit classroom observations to notice a pattern: many living things grow or change, while classroom objects do not. They practice grouping, explaining, and classifying examples using a consistent carpet-and-desk routine.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Notice and describe a pattern in observations of living and nonliving things.
• Group picture cards by shared characteristics.
• Use a pattern to classify a new example.
• Listen to directions, take turns, and share an observation with the class.

Success criteria

• I can name one pattern I notice.
• I can sort a picture as living or nonliving.
• I can explain my choice using “I think it is ___ because ___.”
• I can show my thinking with words, pointing, or a gesture.

Curriculum links

• Speaking and Listening — participate in collaborative conversations, follow agreed-upon discussion routines, and describe familiar observations clearly.
• Mathematical Practice — classify objects by attributes and notice patterns.
• Reading Science and Technical Subjects — follow a short, multistep sorting procedure precisely.
• Reading Science and Technical Subjects — translate observations and picture information into a simple group or chart.

Lesson structure (30 minutes)

1. 0–4 min · Carpet routine and hook. Teacher opens the opening question and observation slides and displays a photograph of a growing plant beside a classroom chair. Say, “Scientists look closely and notice patterns,” then model sitting, looking, and raising a hand. Students silently look, use a thumbs-up or point to indicate which thing changes as it grows, and turn to a partner to share one idea.

2. 4–9 min · Revisit observations. Teacher shows familiar class-observation images on the living-things observation slides—such as a seed, child, puppy, tree, rock, pencil, and chair—and repeats the language, “Living things grow or change. Nonliving things do not grow or change on their own.” Students echo the sentence, identify examples with gestures, and help add two teacher-recorded groups on the board: “grows or changes” and “does not grow or change on its own.”

3. 9–17 min · Picture-card sort. Teacher places mixed, teacher-prepared picture cards in the center and gives directions one step at a time: “Choose one card. Look closely. Place it in a group. Tell why.” Use color-coded mats or board headings: green for “living” and blue for “nonliving.” Students work in five groups of three to sort cards, taking roles as card picker, placer, and explainer. Pause halfway to ask, “What pattern are you noticing?” and invite students to revise a placement if they hear new evidence.

4. 17–22 min · Explain and compare. Teacher returns to the sorting discussion slides and displays two possibly confusing examples, such as a flower and a toy animal. Model, “A flower is living because it grows and changes. A toy animal is nonliving because it does not grow on its own.” Students share one sorted card using the frame “It is ___ because ___,” or respond by pointing to the matching icon, holding up a color card, or using a gesture.

5. 22–27 min · Stand-if-living review game. Teacher opens the review game slides and explains the routine: students stand when the pictured example is living and sit when it is nonliving; everyone waits for the signal before moving. Show one image at a time, including a tree, stuffed animal, bird, rock, baby, and bicycle. After selected rounds, ask students to explain the pattern rather than simply name the answer. Reinforce safe movement, quiet listening, and sitting with hands in laps.

6. 27–30 min · Independent check and close. Teacher distributes the living and nonliving pattern check and displays the final reflection slide. Students circle, color, or point to whether a new example is living or nonliving, then complete or dictate: “One pattern I notice is ___.” Invite two students to share before collecting the sheets and previewing that the next lesson will use patterns to ask new science questions.

Resources

• the complete Patterns Scientists Notice slide deck
• the living and nonliving pattern check
• Teacher-prepared picture cards showing familiar living and nonliving examples
• Two color-coded sorting mats or board headings
• Green and blue response cards or classroom icons
• Chart paper or whiteboard and markers
• Pencils, crayons, or thick markers
• Carpet spots, desk name tags, or visual sitting cues

Assessment

• During the sort, listen for accurate classifications and explanations connected to growing or changing. Prompt students who name only an object: “What does it do?”
• During the movement game, note whether students classify consistently and follow the wait-and-move routine.
• Use the worksheet as an exit check: students meet the goal if they identify the new example and communicate one accurate pattern orally, in writing, by drawing, or by pointing.

Differentiation

• Support access with icons, green/blue color coding, repeated sentence frames, gestures, and the same three-step routine: look, sort, explain.
• Provide a reduced card set, partner support, extra processing time, and adult read-aloud or scribing. Permit students to respond nonverbally by pointing, holding up a color card, standing, or sitting.
• For multilingual learners, preteach and gesture “living,” “nonliving,” “grow,” and “change”; accept home-language discussion before an English response.
• For students ready for enrichment, ask them to create and draw a new example for a classmate, predict its group, and explain which pattern supports their decision.