Elementary Level: Classifying Living and Non-Living Things
Mid Level: Plant Structure and Function
High Level: Cell Functions and Processes

Elementary Level (Kinder to Grade 2)

Subject: Classifying Living and Non-Living Things

Alignment with Standards:

• NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards):
  • 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.
  • 1-LS3-1: Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – ELA Integration:
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to name a topic, supply facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

1. Identify and distinguish between living and non-living things.
2. Describe characteristics of living things (e.g., grow, move, need food and water).
3. Classify objects and images into living and non-living categories.

Materials Needed

✅ Large chart paper or whiteboard
✅ Markers
✅ Picture cards or real objects (e.g., toy car, leaf, stuffed animal, rock, flower, book)
✅ “Living and Non-Living Things” worksheet (for sorting activity)
✅ Scissors and glue (for cut-and-paste sorting activity)
✅ Magnifying glass (for exploring real objects)
✅ Storybook: “Living or Nonliving?” by Abbie Dunne (Optional read-aloud)

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes) – “What is Living?”

👩‍🏫 Discussion & Inquiry-Based Learning

• Start with a question: “What do you think makes something alive?”
• Show two objects (e.g., a plant and a rock). Ask: “Which one is alive? Why?”
• Introduce characteristics of living things:
  • They grow.
  • They need food and water.
  • They move or respond to their environment.
  • They reproduce (make more of their kind).
• Write these characteristics on the board or chart paper.

💡 Mini Activity: “Act Like a Living Thing”

• Ask children to pretend to be different living things (e.g., flap like a bird, grow like a tree, hop like a frog).

2. Main Activity (20 minutes) – “Sorting Living vs. Non-Living”

🔎 Hands-on Sorting Activity

• Provide children with picture cards or real objects (e.g., leaf, flower, rock, pencil, butterfly, toy car).
• Have children classify them into two categories: Living and Non-Living.
• Use a sorting mat or a T-chart on paper for visual organization.

📌 Extension:

• Discuss why some objects may be confusing (e.g., a stuffed animal looks like a living thing but is not).
• Introduce the idea that once-living things (e.g., wooden chair, paper) were once part of a living organism.

3. Independent Practice (10 minutes) – “Cut, Paste & Write”

📄 Worksheet Activity

• Provide a worksheet with a mix of living and non-living pictures.
• Have children cut them out and paste them in the correct category.
• Ask children to write or dictate one sentence explaining how they know something is living or non-living.

4. Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes) – “Think-Pair-Share”

🔄 Exit Ticket Question:

• Ask children: “What did you learn today about living and non-living things?”
• Have them share their answer with a family member or in a homeschool group setting.

Assessment & Evaluation

✅ Observation: Monitor sorting activity for accuracy.
✅ Discussion Participation: Check if children can explain why an object is living or non-living.
✅ Worksheet Completion: Review cut-and-paste work for correct classification.

Extension & Enrichment Activities

🎨 Art Connection: Have children draw their own examples of living and non-living things.
🌿 Nature Walk: Go outside and find real-life examples of living and non-living things.
📚 Read-Alouds:

• “Is It Living or Nonliving?” by Rebecca Rissman
• “Living Things and Nonliving Things: A Compare and Contrast Book” by Kevin Kurtz

Mid Level (Grade 3 to 5)

Subject: Plant Structure and Function

Alignment with Standards:

• NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards):
  • 4-LS1-1: Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – ELA Integration:
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.1: Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions on grade 4 topics and texts.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, children will be able to:

1. Identify and describe the four main parts of a plant: roots, stems, leaves, and flowers.
2. Explain the function of each plant part.
3. Conduct a hands-on plant dissection and label plant parts.
4. Record observations and describe plant structures in writing.

Materials Needed

✅ Fresh plants with visible roots (e.g., small flowering plant, grass with roots)
✅ Scissors and magnifying glass
✅ Hand lens (optional for closer observation)
✅ Paper towels or trays (to keep the workspace clean)
✅ “Parts of a Plant” worksheet (for labeling activity)
✅ Colored pencils or markers
✅ Science journal or notebook

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (10 minutes) – “Why Are Plants Important?”

👩‍🏫 Discussion & Inquiry-Based Learning

• Begin with a question: “Why do we need plants?”
• Show a real plant and ask: “What do you think are the most important parts of a plant?”
• Introduce the four main plant parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers) and their functions:
  • Roots: Absorb water and nutrients, anchor the plant.
  • Stems: Support the plant, transport water and nutrients.
  • Leaves: Make food through photosynthesis.
  • Flowers: Help plants reproduce by producing seeds.

💡 Mini Activity: Think-Pair-Share

• Ask: “What do you think would happen if a plant didn’t have roots or leaves?”
• Discuss ideas together.

2. Main Activity (30 minutes) – “Plant Dissection & Labeling”

🔎 Hands-on Dissection Activity

1. Provide your child with a fresh plant.
2. Carefully remove soil to expose the roots (if using potted plants, shake off excess dirt).
3. Instruct your child to examine and gently separate each plant part.
4. Use scissors (if necessary) to trim stems and leaves for better observation.
5. Have your child use a magnifying glass to look at the different textures of roots, stems, and leaves.

📄 Labeling Activity

• Distribute the “Parts of a Plant” worksheet.
• Have children draw and label their plant dissection.
• Ask children to write a short description of each part’s function in their science journal.

3. Independent Practice (15 minutes) – “Plant Functions in Action”

📚 Writing & Creative Thinking

• Ask children to imagine what would happen if plants had no stems or if roots couldn’t absorb water.
• Have them write a short story (3-5 sentences) about a “Plant with No Roots” or “A Day in the Life of a Leaf.”

4. Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes) – “Quick Plant Quiz”

🔄 Exit Ticket:

• Ask children:
  1. What part of a plant is responsible for making food? (Answer: Leaves)
  2. Which part helps a plant stay upright? (Answer: Stem)
  3. Why do plants need roots? (Answer: To absorb water and nutrients)

Assessment & Evaluation

✅ Observation: Check your child’s engagement in plant dissection.
✅ Worksheet Review: Ensure correct labeling of plant parts.
✅ Short Writing Piece: Evaluate creativity and understanding of plant functions.

Extension & Enrichment Activities

🌿 Grow a Plant Experiment: Plant a seed and observe how roots, stems, and leaves grow over time.
🎨 Leaf Art: Use leaves to make leaf rubbings with crayons.
📚 Read-Aloud Books:

• “From Seed to Plant” by Gail Gibbons
• “The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds” by Joanna Cole

High Level (Grade 6 to 8)

Subject: Cell Functions and Processes

Alignment with Standards:

• NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards):
  • MS-LS1-2: Develop and use a model to describe the function of a cell as a whole and ways parts of cells contribute to the function.
  • MS-LS1-3: Use argument supported by evidence for how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells.
• Common Core State Standards (CCSS) – ELA Integration:
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.3: Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.7.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas clearly.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of this lesson, children will be able to:

1. Explain the processes of photosynthesis, respiration, and cell division (mitosis).
2. Observe plant leaf cells under a microscope and identify structures involved in these processes.
3. Conduct an experiment to understand how leaves carry out photosynthesis.

Materials Needed

✅ Microscope & prepared slides of leaf cells
✅ Fresh plant leaves (e.g., spinach or elodea)
✅ Glass beaker or clear cup
✅ Baking soda (source of carbon dioxide)
✅ Water
✅ Light source (lamp or sunlight)
✅ “Cell Processes” worksheet for note-taking and labeling
✅ Colored pencils or markers

Lesson Structure

1. Introduction (15 minutes) – “What Do Cells Do?”

👩‍🏫 Discussion & Inquiry-Based Learning

• Ask: “Why are cells important?”
• Introduce three key processes in cells:
  1. Photosynthesis – Plants use sunlight, carbon dioxide, and water to make food (glucose).
  2. Cellular Respiration – Cells break down glucose to release energy.
  3. Cell Division (Mitosis) – Cells make copies of themselves for growth and repair.
• Show a simple diagram of a plant cell, highlighting the chloroplasts (photosynthesis), mitochondria (respiration), and nucleus (cell division).

💡 Quick Question:

• “Why do plants need both photosynthesis and respiration?”
  (Answer: Photosynthesis makes glucose; respiration releases energy from glucose.)

2. Hands-On Activity (30 minutes) – “Observing Leaf Cells Under a Microscope”

🔬 Microscopy Lab

1. Provide a microscope and prepared slides of leaf cells (or have children make their own slides with thin leaf sections).
2. Guide chidren to identify the chloroplasts (green dots in the cells).
3. Have children draw what they see and label the parts.
4. Discuss how chloroplasts are responsible for photosynthesis and energy production.

📄 Worksheet Task:

• Label chloroplasts, cell wall, and nucleus on a plant cell diagram.
• Write a one-paragraph summary of what they observed.

3. Experiment (30 minutes) – “Do Leaves Breathe?”

🌿 Photosynthesis & Oxygen Production Experiment

1. Fill a glass beaker with water and add baking soda (this provides carbon dioxide).
2. Place a fresh leaf (like spinach or elodea) in the water.
3. Expose the beaker to a lamp or sunlight for 15-20 minutes.
4. Observe oxygen bubbles forming on the leaf surface – this shows that photosynthesis is happening!

🔎 Discussion:

• Where do the bubbles come from? (Answer: Oxygen produced by photosynthesis.)
• What would happen if we did this in the dark? (Answer: No photosynthesis, so no bubbles.)

📄 Data Collection:

• children record observations before and after placing the leaf in light.
• Write a hypothesis and conclusion about photosynthesis based on results.

4. Independent Practice (10 minutes) – “Cell Processes in Action”

📚 Writing & Critical Thinking

• Have children compare photosynthesis and respiration in a short paragraph.
• Answer the question: “How does mitosis help plants grow?”

5. Wrap-Up & Reflection (5 minutes) – “Quick Science Check”

🔄 Exit Ticket:

• Ask children:
  1. Which cell part is responsible for photosynthesis? (Answer: Chloroplast)
  2. What gas do plants release during photosynthesis? (Answer: Oxygen)
  3. Why do cells divide? (Answer: For growth and repair)

Assessment & Evaluation

✅ Observation: Check microscope drawings and experiment participation.
✅ Worksheet Review: Assess labeling and explanations.
✅ Experiment Conclusion: Evaluate the written explanation of results.

Extension & Enrichment Activities

🧪 Stomata Imprint Experiment: Use clear tape to observe leaf stomata under a microscope.
🌱 Grow a Bean Plant: Track its growth and discuss mitosis over time.
📚 Read-Aloud Books:

• “Cells: An Owner’s Manual” by Carolyn DeCristofano
• “Inside the Cell” by National Geographic Kids