Look at the tray at the front of the room. On it you will see a plant, a photo card of a snail, a leaf, a feather, a stone and a plastic toy.
Which ones are alive right now? Which ones used to be alive? Which ones were never alive?
Turn to the person beside you and whisper your guess. We will sort them with careful noticing.
We will sort into three groups. Let's meet them one at a time, with one thing from our tray for each group.
Alive right now, like our plant.
Used to be part of something alive, like a dry fallen leaf.
Was never alive and never came from a living thing, like a stone.
What can we notice to help us decide? Call out one idea to the class.
At your table group, sort every item into one of the three hoops: living, once-living or never-living.
For each item, say what you notice that makes you sure. If you disagree, look again together before you place it.
Our leaf and our feather are once-living. Both were part of something alive. Let's find the clues!
- The leaf: find the thin lines, called veins, and the stalk. The stalk is where the leaf grew on its tree.
- The feather: find the stiff middle and the soft sides. The feather grew on a bird.
- The stone and the plastic toy: look just as closely. Can you find clues like that?
Tell your group one clue you found.
Your trays are sorted. Now some that are harder than they look!
For each card, use the two questions in the key: Is it alive right now? If not, did it come from a plant or an animal?
One of you drags the card into its group. Everyone else says if they agree, and why. When all eight are sorted, we press Check.
Living, once-living or never-living? The hard ones
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