Energy | Standard Lesson
Students explore the idea that living things need energy to move, grow, and stay alive. Through simple discussion, movement, and sorting, they learn that plants and animals get energy in different ways.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| energy | The power living things need to move, grow, and stay alive. |
| living thing | Something that is alive, like a plant or an animal. |
| food | Something animals eat to get energy. |
| sunlight | Light from the sun that helps plants get energy. |
Show a picture of a child running and ask, 'What helps our bodies move?' Introduce the word energy in simple terms.
Share ideas, move their arms or legs, and listen to the new word.
Explain that all living things need energy. Say that animals get energy from food and plants get energy from sunlight. Show picture cards and point to each source.
Repeat key words, point to the correct picture, and answer simple yes/no questions.
Call out actions like jump, stretch, and crawl. Ask students to notice how their bodies use energy.
Move with the teacher and describe how their bodies feel after moving.
Do a picture sort on the board: animals, plants, food, sun. Help students match animals with food and plants with sunlight.
Come up one at a time to place pictures or tell where each picture belongs.
Give students a simple worksheet to color or sort pictures of living things and energy sources.
Complete the worksheet with teacher support as needed.
Review: 'Animals get energy from ___. Plants get energy from ___. All living things need ___.'
Chorally respond with food, sunlight, and energy.
End by having students say together: 'Living things need energy!' and review the two sources: food for animals and sunlight for plants.
At home, draw one living thing and circle where it gets energy: food or sunlight. Bring the drawing back to class and share it.