Start Here

Living, once living or non-living?

A mat with a column for each group and cards to sort into them. Students often call anything that moves living and anything still non-living. Sorting with a once living group forces the real test: does it, or did it, grow, feed and reproduce?

  • Members
  • 6 pages
  • about 20 minutes
  • You need: one copy for each pair, or one for each student where it says so, scissors for the cut pages

Australian Curriculum:AC9S3U01

  • Teacher
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • 4Page 4
  • 5Page 5
  • 6Answers

Pages 4 to 6 open when you can download. These are pictures of the real PDF. What you see is what prints.

Why use this

Students often call anything that moves living and anything still non-living. Sorting with a once living group forces the real test: does it, or did it, grow, feed and reproduce?

Sorting makes the decision visible. A card put in the wrong column is a misconception you can see and talk about.

How to run it

  1. 1.Name each column. Sort one card together and say the reason aloud.3 min
  2. 2.Pairs sort the rest. Each card is placed with a spoken reason.8 min
  3. 3.Check with the key. Talk about any card that was hard to place.4 min

Curriculum link

AC9S3U01

Australian Curriculum v9.0 © ACARA. Licensed CC BY 4.0. The full attribution is printed in the PDF.

Play it online at antnest.au

Thea and Faye's games on antnest.au practise the same curriculum codes. Print the sheet for the lesson, then set the game for practice at school or at home. Each opens in a new tab.

Every game for a code: AC9S3U01