Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them
A 50-minute Grade 1 lesson on observing that young plants and animals are like their parents but not identical to them.
Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them is a free 50-minute Grade 1 science lesson plan for Common Core standard 1-LS3-1 — show that young plants and animals resemble their parents without matching them. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 1
- Length:
- 50 minutes
- Standard:
- 1-LS3-1
Grade 1 · Life Science
1-LS3-1
Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.
Objective
Students will be able to name one way a young living thing is like its parent and one way it is not.
Students are successful when they can
- Names a feature that is the same.
- Names a feature that is different.
- Uses observation rather than memory.
What you need
- Photographs of four animal families and two plant families
- A two-column recording sheet: same / different
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — whose puppy?
5 min- Show three adult dogs and one puppy and ask which is the parent.
- Ask what they used to decide.
Teach — both columns, every time
13 min- Fill both columns for the puppy: same shape and ears, but one white paw the mother has not.
- Do the foal: long legs like the mother, and a white blaze she has not.
- Do the duckling: same beak shape, but yellow fluff instead of brown feathers.
- Ask what is true of all three. Alike in some ways, different in others.
- Do an oak seedling: oak-shaped leaves, and much shorter than the tree.
- Say the rule: young are like their parents and never exactly like them.
“One thing the same. Now one thing different.”
Investigate — six families
17 min- Groups take photograph sets and fill both columns for each family.
- They must find at least one difference for every family.
- They compare with another group and settle any disagreement by looking again.
- They pick the family that was hardest to find a difference in.
Independent practice
12 min- Students complete the 'Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them' page.
- Check that both columns are used.
Close
3 min- Ask what a lamb would look like, and what might be different.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Says the young is a small copy of the parent.
Why: Size is the obvious difference.
Fix: Find a second difference that is not size. There always is one.
Says they are completely different.
Why: A yellow duckling and a brown duck look unalike.
Fix: Look at the beak. The shape is the same.
Thinks plants do not follow the rule.
Why: Plants seem not to have families.
Fix: An oak seedling has oak leaves and is not an oak tree yet. Same rule.
If they are not there yet
- Two families with one feature circled in each.
- Word cards for ears, legs, colour and size.
If they finish early
- Find a difference that is not colour or size.
- Say which differences might change as the young grows.
- Explain why two puppies in one litter are not identical.
Exit ticket
Name one way a foal is like its mother and one way it is not.
What to look for: Long legs the same, and a marking such as a blaze that differs. Only a similarity means the second column needs another run.
Printable practice for 1-LS3-1
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Like Them, Not Exactly Like ThemSort each one into like or not the same.
Questions about Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them
How long does the Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them lesson take?
50 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 13 min, investigate 17 min, independent practice 12 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them teach?
1-LS3-1 — 1-LS3-1, Life Science for Grade 1: “Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that young plants and animals are like, but not exactly like, their parents.” In plain terms, show that young plants and animals resemble their parents without matching them.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
Photographs of four animal families and two plant families, a two-column recording sheet: same / different and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: says the young is a small copy of the parent; says they are completely different and thinks plants do not follow the rule. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Name one way a foal is like its mother and one way it is not.” Long legs the same, and a marking such as a blaze that differs. Only a similarity means the second column needs another run. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them?
Yes — 1 printable 1-LS3-1 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Like Them, Not Exactly Like Them free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 8 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-08. Aligned to 1-LS3-1 of the Next Generation Science Standards.