• Use their senses to observe and identify living and non-living things.
• Discover and describe the characteristics of living and non-living things.

Activity

• Take the children outside to the schoolyard. Have them identify some examples of living and non-living things.

• Later, back in the classroom, make a chart of the students' findings.

• Discuss why each object belongs in a particular category.

Assessment Tips from Old Tom the Turtle

• Note growth in observation skills. Can students explain why they have identified a particular thing as living or non-living?

• Take advantage of 1 to 1 situations to question children, e.g., Where would your new kitten go on our class chart? Living or non-living?