Plants - EngageNY

Introducing the Read-Aloud
Introduction to Plants
1A
10 minutes
Domain Introduction
Tell students that they will be learning about plants for the next few
weeks. Tell them that plants are a type of living thing that they see
all around them.
Show image 1A-1: Living things
Explain to students that all living things need food, water, and air.
People and animals are living things because they all need food,
water, and air. Living things also reproduce or make babies that look
like themselves. Since plants are living things, they also reproduce
to make other plants that look like themselves. Help students name
the living things in the image.
Be sure to reinforce the fact that nonliving things, such as rocks or
buildings, do not reproduce or have babies, and they do not need
food, water, or air because they are not alive.
Explain to students that you are going to read a list of things—
some that are living and some that are nonliving. If what you name
is alive, students should say, “ is living.” If what you name
is not alive, students should say, “ is nonliving.” If students
answer incorrectly, provide feedback and correct their responses
by helping them use and apply the criteria for living things
described above.
• dog (A dog is living.)
• tree (A tree is living.)
• rock (A rock is nonliving.)
• cat (A cat is living.)
• chalkboard (A chalkboard is nonliving.)
• crayon (A crayon is nonliving.)
Plants 1A | Introduction to Plants 11
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