Living and Non-living Things (lesson note)

LESSON PLAN

School: Junior Secondary School
Subject: Basic Science
Class: JSS 1 (Grade 7)

Week three
Topic: Living and Non-living Things
Duration: 40 minutes
Sub-topic:

• Examples of Living Things
• Characteristics and Importance of Plants and Animals
• Differences between Plants and Animals

Instructional Materials:

• Pictures/charts of plants, animals, and non-living things
• Flash cards with words “living” and “non-living”
• A live plant and a stone/chalk for classroom demonstration

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Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. Knowledge (Lower domain – Cognitive): Identify and list at least four examples of living things correctly.
2. Comprehension/Application (Middle domain – Cognitive): Explain at least three characteristics and importance of plants and animals in daily life.
3. Analysis/Synthesis (Higher domain – Cognitive): Differentiate between plants and animals by stating at least three differences in their structure or function.
4. Affective Domain (Higher order): Show appreciation for plants and animals by mentioning one way they can care for them in their environment.

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Lesson Development (40 minutes)

Step 1: Introduction (5 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activity:
• Displays a live plant and a stone.
• Asks: “Which one is living? Which one is non-living? Why?”
• Introduces the topic: Living and Non-living Things.
• Students’ Activity:
• Respond with observations like “the plant grows but the stone does not.”
• Listen and participate.

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Step 2: Examples of Living Things (10 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activity:
• Explains that living things are organisms that can grow, move, feed, reproduce, and respond to their environment.
• Provides examples: plants (mango tree, maize, hibiscus) and animals (goat, bird, fish, man).
• Compares with non-living things (stone, chair, water, book).
• Students’ Activity:
• Mention more examples of living things around them.
• Differentiate between living and non-living things in their environment.
• Objective 1 achieved here.

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Step 3: Characteristics and Importance of Plants & Animals (10 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activity:
• Explains characteristics of living things: movement, respiration, nutrition, irritability, growth, excretion, reproduction, death.
• Explains importance of plants and animals:
• Plants: produce food (photosynthesis), provide oxygen, raw materials, medicine.
• Animals: provide food (meat, milk, eggs), labour (cattle, donkeys), clothing (wool, leather).
• Students’ Activity:
• Write down points.
• Give examples of how plants and animals are useful in their homes/community.
• Objective 2 achieved here.

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Step 4: Differences between Plants and Animals (10 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activity:
• Guides students to compare plants and animals:
• Plants make their own food (photosynthesis) while animals depend on plants/other animals.
• Plants are fixed in one place, animals can move from place to place.
• Plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, animals do the opposite.
• Draws a comparison table on the board.
• Students’ Activity:
• Contribute to differences.
• Copy the comparison table into their notes.
• Objective 3 achieved here.

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Step 5: Application/Conclusion (5 minutes)

• Teacher’s Activity:
• Encourages students to share one way they can care for plants/animals (e.g., watering plants, feeding pets, avoiding bush burning).
• Summarizes lesson:
• Living things (plants, animals) have characteristics.
• They are important to humans.
• Plants and animals have differences in structure and function.
• Students’ Activity:
• Share how they will care for living things around them.
• Copy board summary.
• Objective 4 achieved here.

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Board Summary

Living Things – plants and animals that grow, move, feed, reproduce, etc.
Non-Living Things – do not have life (stone, chair, water, etc.).

Characteristics of Living Things – movement, respiration, nutrition, irritability, growth, excretion, reproduction, death.

Importance

• Plants → food, oxygen, medicine, raw materials.
• Animals → meat, milk, eggs, labour, clothing.

Differences between Plants and Animals

• Plants make food; animals do not.
• Plants are fixed; animals move.
• Plants take in CO₂, animals take in O₂.

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Evaluation Questions

1. Give four examples of living things.
2. State three characteristics of living things.
3. Mention two importance of plants and two of animals.
4. List three differences between plants and animals.
5. Mention one way you can care for plants or animals around you.

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Assignment

Draw and label one example of a plant and one example of an animal. Write two characteristics of each.