Alive, dead or never alive ks1 science

[Sofasurfer23]

KS1 science question. Something alive must meet 7 criteria (uses oxygen, reproduce etc)

Trees are alive while a garden fork has never been alive.

Where do wooden objects stand, having a domestic with DH. I said he’s over thinking it, a wooden table isn’t classed as dead as the tree has been smushed together, varnish added etc while he’s saying all wooden objects are classed as dead.

help???

I just want to learn whether leather shoes are dead or never alive and understand why.

What about fur coats?

If the latter is in a different category to the former, why?

Or fur coat vs those fox stoles ...urgh, never could understand elderly ladies wearing them 'for best'.
Or a fox stole vs a stuffed fox.

As a scientist I will probably get the answers wrong.

I think the people setting the question haven't really thought it through.

So there should be nothing made with more than one material.

I would avoid putting plastics on the list. To make this simpler.

And I wouldn't have anything that has been over processed.

What about hair or feathers?

But the wood was alive, when it was a tree. Turning the wood into a table doesn’t stop it from being wood. Or are you saying that it’s changed status from “wood” to “table” which means it was never alive?

Never alive? Hair is not alive when it’s on your head.

I’m a bit upset that children are being taught that all living things use oxygen for respiration. That’s just not true. Will nobody think of the anaerobes?

Me too.

@IrresponsiblyCertainAboutSexualDimorphism

Meant More of the changing status as you put it. The wood on the table is dead

Growth
Reproduction
Irritability
Movement
Respiration
Excretion
Feeding

GRIMREF

That has stayed in my head for 35 years. Thanks, brain, I could really do with more room for passwords.

Hm, it's quite hard to come up with a KS1-friendly general explanation of respiration!

Living things turn food into energy. Most living things need oxygen to be able to do this.

That’s not wildly complicated is it?

Grimref is the ideal password!

If there a list of words to sort.

They need to keep them really simple.

E.g.
Rose
Chopped wood
Pen

Wooden objects once lived. We used to sort by living/once lived/never lived.
Ask him to classify diamond (answer- once lived , was coal, originated from trees).

Tell me you've never worked with ks1 children without telling me you’ve never worked with ks1 children. Clueless 😁

@ErrolTheDragon I am very happy now.

Will you tell Sunak about our new silicone based overlords, or shall I?

Your time has come!!!

If the subject matter is too difficult for KS1 then maybe it shouldn’t be taught at KS1. I’m struggling to see the justification for giving them incorrect information.

How about “nearly all living things use oxygen to turn food into energy”? That’s using the same phrasing as on the sunflower poster with the added advantage of being true.

If the subject matter is too difficult for KS1 then maybe it shouldn’t be taught at KS1. I’m struggling to see the justification for giving them incorrect information.

The earlier critical thinking is taught the better. You don't need to be right as much as you need to accept you might be wrong.

I always asked when did the earth on which everything was non living suddenly have life?
The answer is chemical science not religion, just putting it out there

Fascinating debate. Can we resolve it by whether it has functional cells that are carrying out most of the acronym functions (alive), formed of identifiable but no longer functioning cells (dead) and no cellular structure (never alive)? So a table would count as dead as if you looked under a microscope you would see the cells, whereas in plastic while entirely made of material that was once alive, the cellular structures have been destroyed.

So bread would be dead- wheat, grains, sugar- from cane? Palm oil? Etc

Mouldy bread would be alive? The mould is alive?

Mouldy bread would be alive? The mould is alive?

The mould is alive, the bread is just what it's living on.

I reckon @UnaOfStormhold has is about right.

Irritability?! Is this really a core feature of all life?

I already feel much better about being so grumpy yesterday.

So my jar of dried yeast isn't alive?
It isn't moving. But it's not dead...........