Classifying Organisms · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

The Big Groups of Living Things

Science · Ecosystems & Habitats · ages 10-11
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which of these does NOT belong to any of the three big groups of living things?

    • A rock
    • A fern
    • A snail

  2. Scientists sort every living thing into three big groups. Which list shows them?

    • Rocks, water, and air
    • Plants, animals, and micro-organisms
    • Mammals, reptiles, and birds

  3. Bacteria are living things.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. Which of these is true about most plants?

    • They are too small to see
    • They move around to find food
    • They make their own food using sunlight

  5. Put these living things in order from biggest to smallest: an oak tree, a rabbit, and bacteria.

    • Oak tree, rabbit, bacteria
    • Bacteria, rabbit, oak tree
    • Rabbit, bacteria, oak tree

  6. Zara wants to sort a living thing into one of the three big groups. Which question helps her the most?

    • How does it get its food?
    • Is it fun to watch?
    • What colour is it?

  7. A rabbit hops through a field and eats grass all day. Which group does it belong to?

    • Animal
    • Micro-organism
    • Plant

  8. Which group do mushrooms and mold belong to?

    • Micro-organisms
    • Plants
    • Fungi

  9. Zara says that every living thing that moves must be an animal. Why is her rule too simple?

    • Some micro-organisms move too, so moving alone does not prove something is an animal
    • Plants move more than animals do
    • Animals never really move at all

  10. Ben finds mold growing on an old slice of bread. The mold stays in one place and feeds by breaking down the bread. Which group fits it best?

    • Plant, because it stays in one place
    • Animal, because it feeds on something
    • Fungus, because it breaks down dead matter for food
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

The Big Groups of Living Things W1-mt_IY3KwGLZgk-s1

  1. A rock · A fern is a plant and a snail is an animal. A rock is not alive at all, so no group of living things can hold it.
  2. Plants, animals, and micro-organisms · The three big groups are plants, animals, and micro-organisms. Rocks, water, and air are not alive, and mammals, reptiles, and birds are smaller groups inside the animal group.
  3. True · Bacteria are micro-organisms, and micro-organisms are one of the three big groups of living things. Being tiny does not stop something from being alive.
  4. They make their own food using sunlight · Plants use sunlight to make their own food, so they do not need to move around to find a meal.
  5. Oak tree, rabbit, bacteria · An oak tree is much bigger than a rabbit, and bacteria are too small to see without a microscope. So the order is oak tree, rabbit, bacteria.
  6. How does it get its food? · How a living thing gets its food is one of the main clues scientists use, along with movement and size. Colour and fun do not tell you its group.
  7. Animal · A rabbit is a classic example of an animal, moving around and eating other living things.
  8. Fungi · Mushrooms and mold are fungi. They cannot make their own food like plants. They feed by breaking down dead plants and animals.
  9. Some micro-organisms move too, so moving alone does not prove something is an animal · Movement is only one clue. Some tiny pond creatures move around, but they are micro-organisms because of their size, not animals.
  10. Fungus, because it breaks down dead matter for food · Mold is a fungus. Like a mushroom, it stays still but cannot make its own food, and instead feeds by breaking down dead plants and animals.
Worksheet · LightMySky