Jocelyn Reeves Hopewell Elementary

First Grade Mrs. Sterchele

TCNJ Lesson Plan

Living v Nonliving: Worms

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

What differentiates living from nonliving?
What are the characteristics of living/nonliving things?

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge:

Unit pre-assessment revealed that the majority of students could identify at least one example
of living and nonliving
Unit pre-assessment showed that the majority of students could not explain why their examples
were living/nonliving
Unit pre-assessment showed that none of the students could reference all the characteristics of
living/nonliving things
Standards:
LS1.A: Structure and Function
All organisms have external parts. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see,
hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek, find, and take in
food, water, and air. Plants also have different parts (roots, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them
survive and grow.

Learning Objectives Assessment

Students will differentiate between things that
are living/nonliving.
Students will compare/contrast a gummy worm
to an earthworm.
Students will record their observations on a
science journal prompt.
Teacher will assess journal page for accurate
comparisons and differences.

Materials/Resources:
 earthworms
paper clips
moistened paper towels
trays
science vocabulary word wall
pre-written definitions for living/nonliving
stapler
pre-made rules/consequences anchor chart
pre-made journal page
pre-made living/nonliving anchor chart

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

Teacher will distribute materials at beginning of experiment; Teacher will tell students to place
materials on their hot spot at experiment end for collection

Step by Step plan:

1. Teacher will tell students that we are going to add two new words to our Life Science
word wall: living and nonliving
2. Teacher will ask students what they know about the word living; Teacher will read the
definition of living and staple it to the word wall
3. Teacher will ask students what they know about the word nonliving; Teacher will read the
definition of nonliving and staple it to the word wall
4. Teacher will introduce students to the living/nonliving anchor chart
5. Teacher will tell students that we are going to conduct an experiment with a gummy
worm and an earthworm
6. Teacher will tell students that there are important rules that need to be followed during
the experiment; Teacher will direct students attention to the rules/consequences anchor
chart; Teacher will review the anchor chart
7. Teacher will review science journal page
8. Teacher will pass out supplies to students (Ms. Mullin and Mrs. Sterchele will assist)
9. Teacher will monitor class behavior and be available for assistance (Ms. Mullin and Mrs.
Sterchele will assist)
10. Teacher will say 1, 2, 3 hands on top and direct students to place their materials on their
hot spot
11. Teacher will reinforce that all living/nonliving things share the same qualities regardless
of type or size; Time permitting, teacher will ask students to share their observations
12. Teacher will dismiss students by groups to wash hands/offer use of hand sanitizer
13. Teacher will collect materials from students hot spots (Ms. Mullin and Mrs. Sterchele
will assist)

Key Questions:
How are humans and earthworms the same?
Logistics:
Timing:
Introduce vocabulary and living/nonliving anchor chart: 10 min
Rules/Consequences Anchor Chart: 5 min
Review journal page: 5 min
Activity: 15 min
Closing Discussion: 5 min
Transitions:
End of activity will be indicated by 1, 2, 3 hands on top; Students will be dismissed by
groups to wash hands after lesson
Classroom Management:
Teacher will indicate noise level 0 when others are speaking; Teacher will indicated noise
level 1 during activity; Teacher will introduce rule/consequences anchor chart for
activity; Teacher will use hands on top means stop to indicate time is up for
activity
Differentiation:
Students groups are organized according to academic/behavioral compatibility;
Rules/Consequences will be reviewed verbally and displayed in written form; Teacher
will verbally define new vocabulary words and display them in written form; Key
information on journal pages will be highlighted, according to student
need; Teacher(s) will be available for individual assistance throughout lesson;
Activity is tactile