Comparing characteristics of living things
I can compare the characteristics of living things and describe their similarities and differences.
Comparing characteristics of living things
I can compare the characteristics of living things and describe their similarities and differences.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Anything can be observed and compared to another thing, based on similarities and differences.
- Observable characteristics are properties about things that we can describe using five senses.
- Comparing and grouping living things can help us to identify them.
Common misconception
Pupils may only consider animals' characteristics to be observable if we can see them in a photo, rather than us also being able to observe their behaviour over time.
Explain that when scientists classify living things they make many observations of how that living thing moves, behaves and reproduces, as these are all characteristics we can observe to help us identify and classify things.
Keywords
Observable - Something observable is something that we can see or describe using our senses.
Characteristic - A characteristic is a feature or quality of something that we can use to help identify it.
Compare - We compare things by looking at what is the same and what is different.
Similarity - A similarity is something two or more objects have in common.
Difference - A difference between two objects or things is something that is not similar or the same about them.
Licence
This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).
Video
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Starter quiz
6 Questions
something that is not the same between things
something that things have in common
sight
hearing
smell
taste
touch
Exit quiz
6 Questions
