Hold up a small potted plant and a stone (or any safe living and non-living item to hand). Pose the question and take a few guesses — do not confirm answers yet. Keep this light: it is just the curiosity beat. One of these is alive. How could we tell?

This is the question-and-predict beat. Show the tray of real objects and photo cards (plant, snail in a tub, stone, toy car, daisy, teddy). Ask pairs to predict and give a reason — I think the snail is living because it moves. Predictions are never wrong; they start the science.

Common misconception to watch for: children often think anything that moves (a car, a clock) is alive, or that a plant is not alive because it stays still. Note these now — the sort will help untangle them.

Set up: two sorting hoops per group; the tray of real safe objects and the living/non-living photo cards shared out. Children handle each item, talk through the three tests (grows? needs food and water? moves or changes?), then place it.

Watch for: the snail and daisy are the rich talking points — a snail moves, a daisy grows and drinks water. The teddy looks like a living thing but is not alive. Ask does the teddy ever grow? does it eat?

Differentiation: support pupils by giving them the easy items first (stone, plant); stretch others by asking them to explain a tricky one (the toy car moves but is it alive?).

Wash hands after handling the snail and return it gently outdoors after the lesson.

Drive the sorting-tree on the IWB. The six items are potted plant, snail, stone, toy car, daisy, teddy. The single yes/no question is Is it alive — does it grow, eat and drink?, sorting into two groups: living and non-living. Pupils call out the answer for each; fold in the watchers by asking are they right? why?

Misconception to head off: the toy car and the snail both move, but only the snail grows, eats and drinks. Use this pair to make the point that moving alone does not make something alive.

Hand out the Investigation Journal page (a living · non-living sorting grid). Pupils draw the things they sorted on the correct side and mark one reason for at least one of them. Sentence starter to say aloud: The snail is living because…

Keep it short and concrete — drawing the sort is how the children record their thinking at this age.

Display-only make-sense and wrap-up. Revoice pupil thinking: moving alone does not make something alive — a car moves but never grows or eats. Surface the toy car and teddy as the trickiest, and confirm why each is non-living.

Set the home noticing task aloud: find three living and three non-living things at home. Pack the kit away, wash hands, and return the snail gently outdoors.