LESSON PLAN: CHARACTERISTICS OF LIVING THINGS

Subject: Basic Science

Class: JSS 1

Term: Second Term

Week: 3

Age: 8 – 9 years

Topic: Characteristics of Living Things

Sub-topic: Characteristics of Plants and Animals

Duration: 40 Minutes

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Behavioural Objectives

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

1. Define living things and state their characteristics.
2. Identify different types of plants and animals.
3. Differentiate between plants and animals based on their characteristics.
4. Explain how plants and animals meet their basic needs.

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Keywords

• Living things
• Characteristics
• Plants
• Animals
• Movement
• Nutrition
• Reproduction

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Set Induction

The teacher brings a live plant and a small pet (e.g., a picture or video of a cat or bird) to class. The teacher asks the pupils:

• “What do you notice about these two things?”
• “Can they move?”
• “Do they eat food?”
• “Can they grow?”

The teacher listens to pupils’ responses and explains that both are living things but have different characteristics.

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Entry Behaviour

Pupils already know the difference between living and non-living things from the previous lesson.

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Learning Resources and Materials

• Charts showing different plants and animals.
• Live plants or pictures of trees, flowers, and herbs.
• Pictures or models of vertebrates and invertebrates.
• A short video showing movement in plants and animals.

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Building Background/Connection to Prior Knowledge

• The teacher reminds pupils about living and non-living things discussed in the previous lesson.
• The teacher asks: “Can a stone grow? Can a dog grow?”
• The teacher explains that living things show characteristics like movement, feeding, and reproduction.

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Embedded Core Skills

• Critical Thinking
• Observation
• Communication
• Classification

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Reference Books

• Lagos State Scheme of Work
• Basic Science Textbook for Primary Schools
• Teacher’s Guide on Living and Non-Living Things

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Instructional Materials

• Charts of different plants and animals
• Pictures or videos showing movement in plants and animals
• Real or artificial flowers, herbs, and small tree branches

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Content

1. Definition of Living Things

Living things are things that have life and can perform basic activities like moving, breathing, feeding, and reproducing.

2. Characteristics of Living Things (MR NIGER D)

1. Movement – Plants move slowly, while animals move actively.
2. Respiration – Living things take in air (oxygen) to stay alive.
3. Nutrition – Plants make their own food, while animals eat food from plants or other animals.
4. Irritability – Living things respond to changes in their environment.
5. Growth – Living things increase in size and height.
6. Excretion – They remove waste materials from their bodies.
7. Reproduction – Living things give birth or produce new ones of their kind.
8. Death – All living things eventually die.

3. Classification of Living Things

Living things are grouped into:

1. Plants – Examples: Mango tree, hibiscus flower, maize, yam.
2. Animals – Examples: Goat, dog, cow, fish, bird.

4. Types of Plants

Plants can be grouped into:

1. Trees – Mango, orange, pawpaw.
2. Flowers – Hibiscus, rose, sunflower.
3. Herbs – Carpet grass, aloe vera.

5. Types of Animals

Animals are classified into:

1. Vertebrates – Have backbones (e.g., man, dog, goat).
2. Invertebrates – Have no backbone (e.g., butterfly, cockroach).

6. Differences Between Plants and Animals

S/N	Characteristics	Plants	Animals
1	Movement	Passive	Active
2	Reproduction	Mostly asexual	Mostly sexual
3	Nutrition	Make their own food	Depend on others for food
4	Irritability	Slow response to stimuli	Quick response to stimuli
5	Excretion	No developed excretory system	Well-developed excretory system
6	Respiration	No complex respiratory organs	Have complex respiratory organs
7	Sense Organs	No sense organs	Have sense organs

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Evaluation Questions (Fill in the Blanks)

1. Living things have life, but ______ things do not.
   a) Non-living
   b) Dead
   c) Small
   d) Fast
2. The ability of living things to take in air is called ______.
   a) Irritability
   b) Respiration
   c) Growth
   d) Reproduction
3. ______ make their own food using sunlight.
   a) Animals
   b) Humans
   c) Plants
   d) Insects
4. Animals depend on ______ for food.
   a) Plants
   b) Water
   c) Air
   d) Stones
5. Plants respond to changes in their environment ______ than animals.
   a) Faster
   b) Slower
   c) Louder
   d) Quicker
6. Animals have a well-developed ______ system for excretion.
   a) Digestive
   b) Excretory
   c) Sensory
   d) Reproductive
7. Living things can produce young ones through ______.
   a) Eating
   b) Sleeping
   c) Reproduction
   d) Running
8. Which of these is a vertebrate?
   a) Cockroach
   b) Man
   c) Ant
   d) Spider
9. Plants and animals both ______ as they get older.
   a) Shrink
   b) Grow
   c) Disappear
   d) Change color
10. An example of an invertebrate is a ______.
    a) Cow
    b) Fish
    c) Butterfly
    d) Dog

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Class Activity Discussion (FAQs and Answers)

1. What are living things?
   Living things are things that have life and can move, grow, and reproduce.
2. What are the two main types of living things?
   Plants and Animals.
3. How do plants get food?
   They make their own food using sunlight (photosynthesis).
4. Do all animals move?
   Yes, animals move actively to find food and escape danger.
5. What do plants need to grow?
   Water, air, and sunlight.
6. How do animals reproduce?
   Most animals reproduce sexually by giving birth to young ones or laying eggs.
7. What is an example of a tree?
   Mango tree.
8. What is an example of an invertebrate?
   Cockroach.
9. Why do living things excrete?
   To remove waste materials from their bodies.
10. Do plants have sense organs?
    No, only animals have sense organs.

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Presentation Steps

1. Teacher revises the previous topic.
2. Teacher introduces the new topic.
3. Teacher allows pupils to contribute and corrects them where necessary.

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Assessment (Evaluation Questions)

1. Define living things.
2. Mention two characteristics of living things.
3. What are the two types of living things?
4. Give two examples of plants.
5. State one difference between plants and animals.

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Conclusion

The teacher marks pupils’ work, provides corrections, and summarizes the lesson.

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