Alive, Dead or Never Alive

Contents

Key Stage 1

It is important to understand whether something is alive, dead or was never alive.

Examples

A dog is alive.	A rock was never alive	A tree might not seem to move, but it can and is alive.
A fly is alive.	Even though a mushroom doesn't appear to move it is still alive.	A skeleton is part of a dead animal. It is not alive anymore.

Key Stage 2

It is important to understand whether something is alive, dead or was never alive.

A robot may seem lifelike but it was never alive.	A nut is the seed of a tree and can grow into a new tree. Even though it is dormant it is still alive.	An apple has been picked from a tree, but it is still alive until you cook it or eat it. You can tell a dead apple because it has rotted.
Fire was never alive. It cannot sense its surroundings or move, it can only spread or go out.	The wood inside a tree is dead. Only the bark is alive and once you cut a tree down the bark dies too.	Even before cooking the meat from an animal has been dead since the animal was killed.

Be Careful!

Fire is not a living thing. You can start a fire without another fire but living things always need other living things to make them. Also fires can spread and they can go out, but they do not grow.

Plants can move. For example their flowers and leaves can turn to face The Sun.

Note to Teachers

For some reason many students falsely identify fire as being alive. In a survey of around 200 students between 11 and 16 years old, roughly 50% identified fire as alive. This unusual misconception is important to challenge early on to prevent further misunderstandings.

Key Stage 3

It is important to understand whether something is alive, dead or was never alive.

A cell is the basic unit of all living things. A cell is the smallest living part of an organism.	Beans are the seeds of a legume and alive because when they are planted they will grow into a new plant.	Before it is born a foetus is alive in the womb.
The Earth is not alive but all known living things live on the Earth.	The teeth in the mouth are alive. If a tooth dies, it turns black.	The bark of a tree is alive but the wood inside is dead.