Grade 4 Science: Characteristics of Living Things – Week 3

Two-Day Grade 4 Science Lesson Plan

Topic: Characteristics of Living Things
Grade: 4
Subject: Science
Duration: 2 Days
Objective: Deduce some characteristics of living things

Key Vocabulary: Living things, non-living things, movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, nutrition (MRS GREN).

Lesson Content

Living things are all around us! They include plants, animals, humans, and even tiny microorganisms. Living things share a few important characteristics that help them stay alive. Let’s look at some of these characteristics:

Concepts to Learn:

• Living things share specific characteristics (MRS GREN).
• Living things interact with their environment.
• Classification of living and non-living things.

Required Teaching Materials

Videos related to characteristics of living things, Picture cards showing living and non-living things, Magnifying glasses (for observation activity), Posters (MRS GREN), Chart paper for group work, Worksheets (living vs. non-living categorization), Plants or insects (optional)

Day 1: Lesson Plan

Engage

Show a short video introducing living things and non-living things. Discuss with students what they observed.

Video Link: Living and Non-Living Things

Questions:

• What do you think makes something a living thing?
• Can you name some living and non-living things?

Explore:

Have students work in pairs to observe objects around the classroom or from images on the board. They should categorize these objects into living and non-living.

Materials: Images of plants, animals, humans, rocks, cars, etc.

Discussion Points:

• What differences did you notice between living and non-living things?
• What makes something “alive”?

Explain

Define characteristics of living things—movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition (MRS GREN).

Create a MRS GREN poster as a class.

Elaborate

Have students identify living things in their environment (plants, animals, etc.) and match the characteristics of living things to those organisms.

Evaluate

Have students draw a living thing and label its characteristics based on MRS GREN.

Group discussion: Why is this organism considered alive?

Day 2: Lesson Plan

Engage

Recap the previous day’s lesson by showing a new video emphasizing characteristics of living things, with examples from various species.

Video Link: Characteristics of Living Things

Questions:

• What did you learn about living things from the video?
• What characteristics make a plant, an animal, or even bacteria alive?

Explore:

Go outside (if possible) or bring in samples of living things (e.g., plants, insects). Let students observe the samples and use MRS GREN to identify characteristics of living things.

Materials: Magnifying glasses, potted plants, small insects in a jar (optional).

Explain:

Highlight how living things interact with their environment and why they need these characteristics for survival. Discuss examples of things that seem “alive” but do not meet all the criteria (e.g., viruses).

Elaborate:

In groups, students create a simple “living vs. non-living” quiz to challenge each other. This reinforces their understanding of living things’ characteristics.

Evaluate:

Students will complete a worksheet where they need to match characteristics of living things to various examples (both real and illustrated).

Assessment: Oral questioning and written worksheet.

Differentiated Activities

Tier 1 (Struggling learners):

Provide picture cards with living and non-living objects. Ask students to categorize the cards and explain why they classified an object as living or non-living.

Teacher support and guidance throughout the task.

Tier 2 (On-level learners):

Use the video and worksheet activities. Allow students to work in pairs or groups to complete the categorization and observation tasks.

Tier 3 (Advanced learners):

Encourage students to research and present information on unusual living things, like extremophiles or organisms that exhibit characteristics different from typical examples (e.g., plants that trap insects).

This plan ensures students are engaged, challenged, and supported at all levels, while integrating hands-on learning with videos and discussions.