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Subject: Biology
Semester: 1
Period: 1
Week: 3
School Name:
Teacher’s Name:
Subject: Biology
Grade Level: Grade 10
Date: Week 3
Lesson Duration: 45 minutes
Week & Term: Week 3, Period 1
Topic: Introduction to Biology
Sub-topic: Characteristics that Distinguish Living Things from Non-Living Things
Learning Objectives
By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
- List the 7 basic characteristics of living things
- Explain how these features help organisms survive
- Compare living and non-living things using examples
Previous Knowledge
Students already know:
• Living and non-living things from earlier grades
• The importance of biology in understanding nature
Instructional Materials
• Chart showing the 7 characteristics of life
• Objects (stone, leaf, insect) for classification
• Flashcards and student notebooks
Lesson Development – ABC Model
A – Anticipation (Warm-up / Starter)
Time: 5–10 minutes
Activity:
Display a rock, a piece of fruit, and a live insect. Ask students:
- “Which of these are alive?”
- “What signs help you know?”
Teacher’s Role: Engage observation and questioning
Learner’s Role: Respond, give reasons, make guesses
B – Building Knowledge (Main Lesson Body)
Time: 25–30 minutes
Teacher’s Role:
Teach the 7 characteristics of living things:
- Nutrition
- Respiration
- Excretion
- Movement
- Irritability (response to stimuli)
- Growth
- Reproduction
Explain each with examples:
- Plants make food (nutrition)
- Animals move (movement)
- Humans breathe (respiration)
- Dogs grow and reproduce
Learners’ Activities (Expanded):
- Complete a chart comparing a living and non-living thing
- In pairs, act out a characteristic (e.g., “grow” by showing height increase with fingers)
- Sort pictures or objects into “living” and “non-living” groups
- Discuss why a robot, even though it moves, is not a living thing
Assessment Checks:
- Short true/false quiz
- Identify if an object is living and justify their answer
- Class voting game: “Living or Not?”
Notes (Expanded & Detailed):
- All living things show these seven signs. If one is missing, it is not truly alive.
- Non-living things may show signs of one or two (e.g., movement in machines) but they don’t grow or reproduce.
- Viruses are a special case – they show some characteristics only when inside a host.
C – Consolidation (Conclusion & Assessment)
Time: 5–10 minutes
Summary:
Teacher recaps 7 characteristics and gives quick oral quiz:
- “Which one helps animals respond to danger?”
- “Which one helps you grow tall?”
Evaluation Method (Expanded):
- Students write 3 examples of living things and 3 of non-living things, with reasons
- Class vote: “What characteristic is most important to life?”
Assignment (Expanded):
- Make a table with two columns: Living and Non-living
- Write at least 5 examples in each column and include 1 sentence each to justify your classification
Follow-up Activity:
- Bring a picture of any living organism for the biology wall display
Differentiation / Inclusive Strategies
• Struggling Learners: Use pictures instead of abstract terms
• Advanced Learners: Introduce the debate over whether viruses are living
• Students with Disabilities: Sensory-based activities and physical objects
Teacher’s Reflection (After Class)
• What worked well? ______________________________________________________
• What needs improvement? _________________________________________________
• Students’ engagement level: □ High □ Medium □ Low
• Next steps: Introduce the concept of the cell as the building block of life