Living and Non-Living Things — Sorting Pack

Learning Objectives

• Describe the basic needs and behaviours of living things: they grow, need food/water/air, move on their own, and can reproduce.
• Sort familiar objects into living and non-living groups.
• Explain, in simple terms, why an object is living or non-living.

How to Use This Resource

• Presentation (8 min): Introduce the four simple signs of living things: they grow, they need food/water/air, they can move by themselves, and they can make more of their own kind. Non-living things do none of these on their own.
• Guided Sorting (10 min): As a class, sort 6-8 picture cards into "Living" and "Non-Living" columns on the board, explaining the reason for each.
• Group Activity (8 min): In small groups, students sort a new set of cards on their own and prepare one reason for a tricky one (e.g. a cloud, a candle flame).
• Independent Practice (9 min): Students complete the worksheet's sorting table and short-answer question.
• Wrap-up (5 min): Discuss any tricky examples as a class (e.g. fire looks like it "moves" and "grows" but is non-living because it doesn't need food/water and can't reproduce

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Hold up a real plant and a rock. Ask: "Which one is alive? How do you know?" Let students share ideas before introducing vocabulary.

Differentiation

Struggling students: use only clearly living (animal/plant) vs. clearly non-living (rock/toy) examples. Advanced students: challenge them with borderline examples like a cut flower or a battery-powered toy, and ask them to justify their answer using the four signs of life.

Assessment

Check accuracy and reasoning during group sorting; review the worksheet's sorting table and written explanation for correct use of the four signs of living things.

Teacher Tips

Avoid over-using "moves" alone as the test for living — it's the single most common misconception (e.g. clouds, cars, and rivers all move but are non-living). Always circle back to needing food/water/air and being able to grow and reproduce.

What's Included

• Complete Lesson Pack PDF (lesson plan + student worksheet + answer key)
• Standalone printable Answer Key PDF
• Thumbnail and preview images

Additional Files

• Answer Key (PDF)

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