Lesson 122: Nonliving things around us

🔬 SCIENCE (40 Lessons) • 🟢 A. Living and Nonliving

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Objective

I can spot nonliving things around me and tell how they are different from living things. I can say that nonliving things do not grow, do not breathe, and cannot move by themselves.

Materials

Mini-lesson — What are nonliving things?

In science we talk about living things and nonliving things.

Living things (like people, pets, and plants):

  • Grow and change.
  • Breathe and need air.
  • Need food and water.
  • Can have babies or new young.
  • Can move by themselves (animals) or grow toward light (plants).

Nonliving things:

  • Do not grow or have babies.
  • Do not breathe or eat.
  • Cannot move by themselves — they only move if they are pushed, pulled, or carried.
  • Can still change (break, melt, get hot or cold), but they never become living.

Examples of nonliving things

  • A toy car, a ball, a chair, a rock, a book, or a cup.
  • They are useful, fun, and important, but they are still nonliving.

To decide if something is nonliving, ask: "Does it grow? Does it breathe? Can it move by itself?" If the answer is no to all three, it is nonliving.

Picture strip: Living vs nonliving on the same street

Who is living? What is nonliving?

Sorting objects

Guided Practice — Find nonliving things around you

You will look around your room, home, or classroom and find nonliving things. Use the questions to help you decide.

  1. Look carefully: Slowly look around the space. Point at different things you see (for example: a chair, a window, a bag, a toy).
  2. Ask the three questions: For each object, ask: "Does it grow? Does it breathe? Can it move by itself?"
  3. Decide: If the answer is no to all three, it is nonliving.
  4. Make a short list: Choose 5 nonliving things you can see and write them in your notebook (for example: chair, door, pencil, book, toy car).
  5. Add a reason: Next to each object, write or say one reason it is nonliving (for example: "The chair does not grow" or "The toy car cannot move by itself").
  6. Compare with living things: Choose one living thing nearby (a person, a plant, or a pet) and say how it is different from one of the nonliving objects on your list.
  7. Use the tracing pad: Choose words like rock, chair, toy, or nonliving from the dropdown and trace them slowly while you say the word out loud.
Tracing Pad
Tracing snapshot for print
Tip: After you trace the words, write one sentence such as "A rock is nonliving" or "A toy car cannot move by itself".

Practice 1 — Sort pictures: living or nonliving?

Look at (or draw) pictures of different things: a cat, a tree, a rock, a toy car, a flower, a book. Make two groups on paper: "Living" and "Nonliving".

Practice 2 — Nonliving things in one room

Choose one room (your bedroom, kitchen, or classroom). Make a quick map or list of 10 nonliving things you can see.

  1. Write the name of each nonliving thing (for example: desk, door, lamp).
  2. Next to each word, draw a tiny picture.
  3. Circle your three most important nonliving things in that room and say why they are helpful.

Practice 3 — Can it start moving by itself?

Talk through each idea and decide if it sounds like a living thing or a nonliving thing.

Explain: which ones are nonliving (they need a push, pull, or wind) and which one is living (it moves by itself).

Quick Check — Nonliving things around us

Answer each question about nonliving things. Think about whether each thing can grow, breathe, or move by itself.

1) Which best describes a nonliving thing?

Nonliving things do not grow or breathe like living things do.

2) Which object is nonliving?

A rock does not grow, breathe, or have babies. It is nonliving.

3) A toy car rolls across the floor. Why is it still nonliving?

The toy car cannot move by itself. It needs a push, so it is nonliving.

4) Which set shows only nonliving things?

Rocks, chairs, and books are all nonliving objects.

5) Which question does NOT describe a nonliving thing?

Nonliving things do not eat food, so this question does not fit them.

6) A book, a pencil, and a cup are all…

They are objects we use, but they are all nonliving.

7) Why is a chair nonliving?

Chairs do not grow or breathe, and they do not have babies.

8) Which is nonliving but can still move?

The ball is nonliving. It rolls only after you kick it.

9) A plant is living and a rock is nonliving. What is one difference?

Plants grow and change; rocks stay the same size unless broken.

10) Which picture would show a nonliving thing being useful?

The chair is nonliving and is helpful for the child.

11) A phone lights up and plays sound. Why is it still nonliving?

Phones can change and light up, but they do not grow or have babies.

12) Which set mixes living and nonliving things?

The ball is nonliving; the dog and tree are living.

13) Which sentence is true about nonliving things?

Nonliving things can be moved by us, but they do not grow or eat.

14) Why do we learn to tell living and nonliving things apart?

It helps us care for living things and understand our environment.

15) Which best explains why a rock is nonliving?

A rock can move if something pushes it, but it does not grow, breathe, or have babies.

Assessment (parent/teacher)

Exit ticket (student)

Next time I will practise…

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