Virginia SOL K.6.b

ScienceKindergartenLiving Systems and Processes

The Standard

living organisms have certain characteristics that distinguish them from nonliving objects.

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students observe plants, animals, and objects, then decide which are living and which are not. They support each choice with evidence such as growth, needing food or water, and responding to surroundings.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students correctly classify familiar examples, including plants, animals, rocks, and toys. They explain their choices using observable features rather than movement alone.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think anything that moves, such as a car or robot, is alive. They may think plants are not alive because plants do not walk or talk. They may also assume every natural object, including water or rocks, is alive.
How to Assess It: Show pictures of a tree, dog, bicycle, and rock. Ask students to circle the living things and give one reason for each choice.

Lesson moves

Give pairs a potted plant, rock, toy animal, and windup toy to observe and sort, then ask them to explain their evidence.
Show a plant and a robot, then ask, "Which is alive, and what evidence proves your answer?"
Play a sorting relay where students place picture cards under living or nonliving labels and explain one choice.
Walk around the schoolyard and have students sketch two living things and two nonliving things they observe.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to K.6.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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