The lesson plan focuses on teaching students the difference between living and non-living things. It includes using a PowerPoint presentation, videos, and hands-on activities like examining a plant and playing with play dough to act out living and non-living objects. Formative assessment is conducted through student journaling and discussion. The goal is for students to understand key vocabulary, be able to identify living versus non-living things, and explain their reasoning. Differentiation strategies support ELL students through visuals, gestures, and allowing alternative forms of participation and communication.
The lesson plan focuses on teaching students the difference between living and non-living things. It includes using a PowerPoint presentation, videos, and hands-on activities like examining a plant and playing with play dough to act out living and non-living objects. Formative assessment is conducted through student journaling and discussion. The goal is for students to understand key vocabulary, be able to identify living versus non-living things, and explain their reasoning. Differentiation strategies support ELL students through visuals, gestures, and allowing alternative forms of participation and communication.
The lesson plan focuses on teaching students the difference between living and non-living things. It includes using a PowerPoint presentation, videos, and hands-on activities like examining a plant and playing with play dough to act out living and non-living objects. Formative assessment is conducted through student journaling and discussion. The goal is for students to understand key vocabulary, be able to identify living versus non-living things, and explain their reasoning. Differentiation strategies support ELL students through visuals, gestures, and allowing alternative forms of participation and communication.
The lesson plan focuses on teaching students the difference between living and non-living things. It includes using a PowerPoint presentation, videos, and hands-on activities like examining a plant and playing with play dough to act out living and non-living objects. Formative assessment is conducted through student journaling and discussion. The goal is for students to understand key vocabulary, be able to identify living versus non-living things, and explain their reasoning. Differentiation strategies support ELL students through visuals, gestures, and allowing alternative forms of participation and communication.
1) Before the students come into the classroom have “Living vs. Nonliving” PowerPoint up on the smartboard or projector. The first slide of the PowerPoint is a planet earth video that will be played once the first student walks into the classroom that way the students walk in engaged.
2) Have the mustard seed plant out on the desk.
MOTIVATION: The motivation for this lesson will be the planet earth video that the students will walk into when they enter the classroom. This will immediately engage the students right when they walk into the classroom. Another motivating factor to this lesson is that the students will get to play with the mustard seed plant and Play Dough.
CREATE Conference Chicago, Oct 2007
Warm Up/Building Background (10 minutes)
Once the students have all entered the classroom the Planet Earth video will still be playing from when they walked into the classroom. Before turning off the video use this time to point out some living and nonliving things in the video. Once the teacher does a few example than allow the class to pick out a few item. Once the student picks an item in the video allow the student to explain why the item is either living or nonliving. Allow this to last for five minutes. After the five minutes is up close the video and go to the next slide of the “living vs nonliving” PowerPoints. The teacher will review the three terms that have already been discussed in prior classes (Living, Nonliving, Breathing)
While introducing the terms make sure to use the prober gesture to match the word:
Living: Shake you hand
Nonliving: Slump over
Breathing: Big breath in with your hand rising above your head.
After going over these three terms introduce the 4th term which is growing. Thew motion for growing in going from squatting to standing. After doing the motion a few time introduce how plant grown like my mustard plant the desk. “Even though the plant is small now it will grow and grow to almost a foot long.” After this pass the plant around to the students so they can hold it. After this the teacher will say “even though the plant cannot breathe like us it is alive because it can grow big and strong just like you and me.”
Activity (5-7 minutes)
1) The students will than take out their journal.
2) the teacher will assign them the prompt of drawing a living thing and a non-living thing and then explain why it is alive or not alive. This prompt will be written on the board with two pictures, one picture showing an example of something alive and the other showing an example of something not alive.
3) The students will than have 5 to 7 minutes to draw their picture and write a sentence or two explain why each item is alive or not alive.
Language Differentiation: For ELL students or language impaired students the main objective is for them to be able to identify living and nonliving items so for the activity they are to draw the picture and then under the picture write the word living or non-living which will be on the board for the students to copy. If the student is not there yet a check mark and an X mark will be sufficient.
PRESENTATION: (3-5 minutes)
After the activity the students will put away their journal and have their attention toward the teacher. The teacher will than go through back to the PowerPoint and show a time lapsed video of and plant growing. After showing a video of the plant growing the teacher will than show a time lapsed video of a person growing. (The goal of this is to provide more evidence that plants are alive just like people). After showing the two video the teacher will reintroduce the mustard seed plant and state that the plant will stay by the windowsill for a few days so you can see it grow yourself.
Activity 5-7 (10-15 minutes)
1) Introduce the game as Alive vs Not alive (Play wheel of fortune introduction music while announcing game.
2) State the rules of the game:
- The teacher will show a picture of a living or non-living thing.
- After showing the picture the students will either put their thumbs up or thumbs down.
- Thumbs up means alive and thumbs up means not alive.
- After revealing the answer, the teacher will call on a student to explaining why it is alive or not alive.
3) This game will last 10 rounds and students can only be called once during the game.
Language Differentiation:
- The students will only have to put their thumbs up or down and it is there choice if they participate in the explanation. Also, the answer slide will have a thumbs up and a thumbs down icon on it.
Activity (5-7 minutes)
1) The students will get into pairs.
2) One student will be handed green playdough and the other student will be handed grey playdough. 3) After handing out the playdough the teacher will tell the student with the green playdough to make a living thing and then tell the student with the grey playdough to make a nonliving thing.
4) After giving the students 3 minutes to make there figure the teacher will allow the pairs 30 seconds to show what they have created and explain why it is alive or not alive. After this the teacher will ask the groups split up and find a new partner. After finding a new partner the pair will show and tell for another 30 seconds.
5) After the two rotations of pairs the students will go back to their desk, put the playdough back into the container and hand it to the teacher.
Language Differentiation:
- The ELL students or the students that struggle with language will have to try their best to use hand motions and phrases to communicate with the other students. Allow the student time to struggle before helping in.
REVIEW/ASSESSMENT: (10-15 minutes)
After the activity is finished the teacher will call the students back to their desk and ask the question “what did we learn today?” The teacher will than take five to six hands raised about what they learned today or what they went over today. While the students are talking the teacher will write down the key points on the board that the students said. Once the five or six students have participated the teacher will than review what the students had said. After this the teacher will tell the students to take out their journal and draw two living things in their house and two nonliving things in their house. For each item give a reason for why it is living or nonliving. Once the student is done the student can turn in his or her journal to the teacher.
