“DISCOVERING THE LIVING WORLD” Teaching kit “DISCOVERING THE LIVING WORLD” Educational activities for Roma children and families

Living/non-living things The different aspects of the discovery of living things can only be approached from real-life situations and observation satisfying children’s curiosity.

Activity 4 : What is a living thing? This activity can be performed with or without supervision. In either case, the mediator will begin by presenting the relevant activity sheet.

How can you tell them apart? Discovering the living world – living/non-living thing Sheet n°4 Activity 4 : What is a living thing? How can you tell them apart? On earth, there is living and non-living things.

How can you tell them apart? The mediator will present a dialogue between two people… Sheet n°4 Activity 4 : What is a living thing? How can you tell them apart? On earth, there is living and non-living things.

Discovering the living world – living/non-living thing Sheet n°4 Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it drink? Does it breathe? Can it have babies or reproduce? Can it die?

- Tell me what you can see on the sheet. Question 1 : - Tell me what you can see on the sheet. Sheet n°4 Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it drink? Does it breathe? Can it have babies or reproduce? Can it die?

Sheet n°4 If the child takes a long time to answer, the question can be rephrased. Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it drink? Does it breathe? Can it have babies or reproduce? Can it die?

- Say what you can see in these pictures… Example of a prompt: - Say what you can see in these pictures… (showing him the picture one at the time…). Découvrir le monde vivant – Vivant / non vivant Sheet n°4 Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it drink? Does it breathe? Can it have babies or reproduce? Can it die?

At nursery school, the important thing is that children should identify and name what they see.

When you are looking at something and you wonder if it is a living thing, ask yourself the following questions : Does it eat? Does it grow? Does it drink? Does it breathe? Can it have babies or reproduce? Can it die?

Questions to ask the child : Q 1 : Is an ant a living thing? Why? Q 2 : Are flowers living things? Why? Q 3 : Give me another example of a “living thing”. Q 4 : Give me an example of a non-living thing. (The mediator should help the child to answer the questions using the questions set out above…)

Discovering the living world – living/non-living thing Fiche n°4 Breathe … Drink… Eat

The mediator will ask the children to consider the following question… A living thing needs to… Breathe … Drink… Eat

Questions to ask the children : Q 1 : What do you need to live? Q 2 : What about flowers? Q 3 : What about dogs? (The mediator should help the child to answer the questions using the questions set out above…)

When you are a living being… and one day we can make babies Discovering the living world – living/non-living thing Sheet n°4 When you are a living being… we grow and one day we can make babies We are born

and one day we can make babies The mediator draw the child’s attention … Sheet n°4 When we are living, … we grow and one day we can make babies We are born

Activity not requiring supervision… This means that the activity can be started and carried out without the mediator being present. The activity can be performed by one or more children, with or without the family’s help.

Advice for performing the activity without supervision : Look around you for living things… To know whether something is living, ask yourself the questions which are illustrated on the sheet…

The main thing is to identify some of the characteristics common to animals and to become aware of the diversity of the world we live in…

Advice for performing the activity without supervision : 1. Measure your height (make a mark on a doorframe) several times during the year and compare the marks… 2. You can do the same for your brothers and sisters…

Propose an evaluation : When I come back you will name the things around you which are living and those which are not. (set a time limit, suggest a timetable…) If you like, we will fill in the second sheet together… (show the sheet with the table)

Observation and description associated with naming are the opportunity to draw attention to the major life processes: growth, nutrition, reproduction, locomotion…

Under the mediator’s supervision…

Note down your comments… Does it Living : Non-living : La voiture Le violon Le lapin La pâte à pain Le champignon L’enfant mushroom ? ? Living  Non-Living tree ? yes Breathe yes Eat ? yes Drink yes Grow yes Have babies yes Die ? Living or not

Note down your comments… Does it Living : Non-living : car violin rabbit Dough Le champignon child Le champignon ? Living  tree ? yes ? Non-Living no Breathe yes no Eat ? yes no Drink yes yes Grow yes no Have babies yes no Die ? Living or not

Note down your comments… ? ? Does it Vivant  Non-Living Living : Non-Living : car violin rabbit Dough Le champignon child mushroom tree yes no Breathe Now fill in the answers! yes non Eat ? yes non Drinkt yes yes Grow yes no Have babies yes no Die Living or not ?

The recording of observations in writing (or in the form of drawings) is an attempt at representation and helps to memorise knowledge, identify causal links etc…

At the next sessions… The mediator will engage discussion with the child on the activity sheet that they did together …) He will analyse with the child all the answers completed in the table by repeating for each image the conditions necessary for life.

In the course of these exchanges with the adult, an orderly pattern of questioning, clear concepts and, ultimately, knowledge will take shape

To go further... Passing time The mediator will show the children pictures from books, putting the emphasis on growth (to give an idea of ”passing time”).

The recording of the size of a living being creates a sense of the “now” and makes it possible to compare the “before” and “after”, identify causal links and become aware of relationships in time and space.

the child should be able to… On completion of the activity, the child should be able to… describe the necessary conditions for the development of a living being; remember the order of the stages of life; recognise the manifestations of animal life and relate them to major processes: growth, nutrition, reproduction; express and understand the oppositions between present and past and present and future by making proper use of temporal and chronological indicators.