Identifying living things (non-statutory)
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can ask and answer yes/no questions to identify and name different things.
Key learning points
- Humans ask questions to help them to understand the world, including how things work and why things happen.
- Some questions require an answer of only yes or no.
- Yes/no questions often begin with ‘Do’, ‘Are’, ‘Is’, ‘Have’ or 'Can'.
- We can use answers to yes/no questions to help us to identify and name unknown things.
Keywords
Question - A question is a type of sentence that asks something.
Name - A name is a word by which a person or thing is known.
Identify - To identify something is to be able to name it correctly.
Common misconception
Pupils may believe that all questions need a full explanation to answer.
By working through the examples on the slide deck and completing the tasks, pupils will see that some questions can be answered with a simple yes or no. This is an important skill when using and creating identification keys for classification.
Teacher tip
Listen carefully to the answers the pupils give and, if they struggle with using just yes and no, model some appropriate answers for them. Be aware of more open questions such as 'Where does it live?' which cannot be answered directly with yes or no.
Equipment
Sticky notes and sticky tape.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.We ask a when we want to find out an answer.
Q2.Match the answers to their question.
In the ocean.
Yes it does.
It is yellow.
Eight.
Q3.Which of these are living things?
Q4.Which of these things have never been alive?
Q5.How do we know if something is a living thing?
Q6.Which of these things were once alive but are now dead?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Humans ask to help them to understand the world they live in.
Q2.Why do humans ask questions about the world?
Q3.Select the questions that can only be answered with a "yes" or a "no".
Q4.Match the question starters to the rest of the question.
you like going to school?
your hair long?
you seven years old?
we fly a kite on a windy day?
you got brown eyes?
Q5.Which of these are yes/no questions that could help a scientist identify an unknown plant they have discovered?
Q6.What can answers to yes/no questions help us to do?
To help you plan your 4 science lesson on: Identifying living things (non-statutory), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 4 science lesson on: Identifying living things (non-statutory), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 2 science lessons from the Living things and the environment unit, dive into the full primary science curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.