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Differentiate between living and nonliving things.
Standard #: SC.1.L.14.3
Standard Information
General Information
Subject Area: Science
Grade: 1
Body of Knowledge: Life Science
Idea: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning
Big Idea: Organization and Development of Living Organisms -

A. All plants and animals, including humans, are alike in some ways and different in others.

B. All plants and animals, including humans, have internal parts and external structures that function to keep them alive and help them grow and reproduce.

C. Humans can better understand the natural world through careful observation.
Date Adopted or Revised: 02/08
Content Complexity Rating: Level 3: Strategic Thinking & Complex Reasoning - More Information
Date of Last Rating: 05/08
Status: State Board Approved
Related Courses
Related Access Points
  • SC.1.L.14.In.3 # Identify characteristics of living and nonliving things, including whether they need food or water.
  • SC.1.L.14.Su.3 # Distinguish common living and nonliving things in the environment.
  • SC.1.L.14.Pa.3 # Recognize self and others as living things.
Related Resources
Lesson Plans
  • Living or Nonliving: Pascua Florida Day # Students will imagine being among Juan Ponce de León’s crew when they first landed on the coast of modern-day Florida in this science and civics integrated lesson plan. Students will use this experience to practice differentiating between living and non-living things. In the process, they will learn about the first European exploration and naming of the state of Florida as well as the annual celebration that commemorates it on Pascua Florida Day.
  • Let's be Nice # Students will practice thinking about being responsible citizens in their school community. They will discuss the appropriate ways to interact with living and nonliving things and then demonstrate their understanding by acting as responsible citizens during a guided activity in this integrated lesson plan.    
  • Friendly Aquarium # In this Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will learn that pollution is anything that makes air, land, or water dirty. They will become aware that human activities have a big impact on other living things in a number of different ecosystems. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
  • Living VS nonliving # In this lesson, students learn about the characteristics that distinguish living things from nonliving things. By examining video clips and still photographs of a variety of objects and organisms, students gather evidence and develop criteria to decide if something is living or nonliving.
Original Student Tutorials
  • Pascua Florida Day # Use your imagination to experience what it may have been like to be a member of Ponce de Leon's crew as they arrived on the shores of Florida for the first time.  Make observations and discover the origin of Florida's name in this video.
  • Is A Tree House A Living Thing? # Learn to differentiate between living and nonliving things and their characteristics in this interactive tutorial.
Resource Collection
Teaching Ideas
  • Living and Nonliving # The students will think about what is alive. They will practice how scientists observe and record. Going outside they will record in their journal the things they observe under the heading they think it belongs in-living or nonliving.
  • Sharing What We Know About Organisms # Students discuss living and nonliving organisms, including plants and animals.
Unit/Lesson Sequence
  • What do Living Things Need? # In this unit, teachers allow students to explain how they know something is living and to identify the needs of living things.
STEM Lessons - Model Eliciting Activity
  • Friendly Aquarium # In this Model-Eliciting Activity (MEA), students will learn that pollution is anything that makes air, land, or water dirty. They will become aware that human activities have a big impact on other living things in a number of different ecosystems. Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx
Original Student Tutorials Science - Grades K-8
STEM Civics Tutorials and Videos - Grades K-12
  • Pascua Florida Day # Use your imagination to experience what it may have been like to be a member of Ponce de Leon's crew as they arrived on the shores of Florida for the first time.  Make observations and discover the origin of Florida's name in this video.
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