LIVING THINGS AND NON-LIVING THINGS AND NON-LIVING THINGSLIVING THINGS

LIVING THINGS AND NON-LIVING THINGS AND NON-LIVING THINGSLIVING THINGS

Observing AnimalsObserving Animals

Describe physical characteristics of animals

Use a simple scheme to classify animals

Comparing living things and non-living things

Your students may have trouble distinguishing between living and nonliving. Children may consider everything that moves to be alive, including cars and clouds. Often children pretend that objects are alive so that they can talk to them. Living and nonliving are scientific terms. Children are more used to hearing living or dead. By exploring various objects and organisms, your students can begin to distinguish between things that are living, and things that are nonliving.

• What is a living thing?• What is a non-living thing?• How do we know whether something is living or non-living?

An organism's habitat is the specific place that an organism lives. All habitats contain living and nonliving elements. Animals and plants are common living elements. Rocks and soil are common nonliving elements. Soil is comprised of many living bacteria and organisms. For the purpose of this lesson, it will be considered nonliving.

Other nonliving parts of a habitat include temperature, humidity, amount of sunlight and shade, shelter from or exposure to wind, and air quality. All of these features influence how an organism lives. Living elements change to nonliving elements through natural and unnatural processes. An example of this would be a tree. It is living if it continues to grow, however, if it dies or is harvested and turned into paper, it is nonliving. A sheep is living and wool yarn is nonliving.

Background For TeachersBackground For Teachers

ScienceScience - Take the class outside for a walk around the neighborhood. Challenge students to find living and nonliving. Have students make lists and drawings of things they find to add to their journals.

Art Art - Have students make a collage of living and nonliving things by folding a paper in half and writing "Living Things" at the top of one half and "Nonliving Things" at the top of the other half. Students will cut pictures from old magazines of living and nonliving things to glue onto the paper. Remind students that in a collage, pictures are overlapped and displayed in a creative way.

Language Arts-Language Arts-Have students create an imaginary animal including the characteristics of movement, growth and reproduction. Then have them write and illustrate a story about their imaginary animal.

1. Make a variety of animal noises and invite your students to guess the animal. Then switch places and your student can make the noises while you guess.

2. Next, try making up some animal riddles. For instance: "I have four legs. Sometimes I'm brown, sometimes I'm black and white. I usually live on a farm. People milk me. What am I?“A ……..!  You might even challenge your students to come up with riddles on his own.

3. Play 20 questions with animals. Ask your students to think of an animal. You have up to 20 questions to ask to guess what animal he has in mind.

4. Finally, you could have your students infer what animal you are drawing as you draw it. First draw the body. Can he guess? Then add legs. Next add a tail. Finally add the head. Can he guess before you finish the animal? And remember, you don't have to limit yourself to farm animals!

Play a guessing game with your Play a guessing game with your students. students.

Activity: Animal Habitats SortingActivity: Animal Habitats Sorting

Use simple images of animals to discuss habitat and categorization.

GoalGoal: Introduction or enhancement of awareness of the natural world and living things.

Let's Get StartedLet's Get Started:

1. Allow the children to sort the animal cards according to the habitat (or home) in which that animal generally lives. Keep in mind that some children may choose the “zoo” habitat since that may be the only habitat they associate with the animal.

2. According to the developmental level of the child, encourage her to sort the animals according to farm, forest, jungle, ocean, etc.

3. After the cards/pictures are sorted, discuss the characteristics of each habitat and why it is appropriate for the animals’ home.

Where do I live!Where do I live!

Animal movements are usually based on where they live Animal movements are usually based on where they live (land, water, or both), how they obtain food, reproduce, (land, water, or both), how they obtain food, reproduce, and how they protect themselves. Some animals travel and how they protect themselves. Some animals travel very long distances to find warmth and food, or to give very long distances to find warmth and food, or to give birth to their young. Some of the fastest moving birth to their young. Some of the fastest moving mammals in the world live in the grasslands, where mammals in the world live in the grasslands, where there are large open spaces for running. The cheetah there are large open spaces for running. The cheetah chases its prey at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour. chases its prey at speeds of up to 70 miles an hour. Zebras, antelopes, and ostriches can run fast to escape Zebras, antelopes, and ostriches can run fast to escape from their predators. from their predators.

Students will enjoy opportunities to watch animals in Students will enjoy opportunities to watch animals in motion through videos, films, or laser disk technology. motion through videos, films, or laser disk technology. Kinesthetic learners will remember animal Kinesthetic learners will remember animal characteristics by linking new information with the characteristics by linking new information with the opportunity to move like the animals. Encourage free opportunity to move like the animals. Encourage free play and imagination as students imitate animal play and imagination as students imitate animal movements. movements.

ANIMAL MOVEMENTSANIMAL MOVEMENTSBackground For Teachers

Step 1Step 1. Show photographs of a variety of animals. Explain that each animal moves in its own unique way.

Step 2Step 2. Tell students to look at the pictures of animals and think of other animals in their own minds. Ask: Which animals move slowly? Which animals swim? Which animals crawl? Which animals fly? Which animals climb? Which animals run fast? Which animals hop? Write a list for each category of student responses.

Step 3Step 3. Ask "Which animals move in more than one way?"

ACTIVITYACTIVITY

Categorize animal pictures by their Categorize animal pictures by their coverings coverings

ScalesScales cover the bodies of most snakes, lizards, and bony fish and generally vary in size, shape, and arrangement. The age of a fish can be determined by counting the rings on the scales. The scales typically overlap and protect the skin underneath. Other animals, like the pangolin (a mammal of the anteater variety) are also covered with scales. The scaly tails of beavers, muskrats, and many rats and mice have hairs between the scales. FeathersFeathers keep birds warm, help them to fly, and even act as a raincoat. Birds have three kinds of feathers. Down feathers are the smallest and the first to grow. They have a central shaft with thinner, fluffy strands called barbs on either side. Many birds have down over much of their bodies to keep them warm. Flight feathers are made up of a long, hollow shaft. The barbs on either side are held together by hundreds of tiny hooks. Semiplumes, or body feathers, are smaller and fluffier than flight feathers. Semiplumes are usually found under flight feathers.

Background For Teachers

Fur, hair, or bristles cover most mammals. Some mammals, such as elephants, have very little hair. Our ancestors had thick hair all over their bodies. Today, human beings have thick hair on parts of their bodies.

ShellsShells are found on land and ocean animals. Mollusks are one type of invertebrate we commonly associate with shells, such as snails, clams, and oysters. Turtles and tortoises are the only reptiles with shells.

Use live animals whenever possible so students can observe behaviors as well as physical characteristics

Categorize animal pictures by their Categorize animal pictures by their coverings coverings