Year 6 Science: Sorting living things into groups
Part of the Year 6 Science classifying living things chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Sorting living things into groups
Scientists classify living things by sorting them into groups. They use observable characteristics, which are features that can be seen, measured or tested. The three broad groups are:
- plants, which make their own food using light;
- animals, which cannot make their own food and must eat;
- micro-organisms, which are living things too small to see clearly without a microscope.
A group is a set of living things with characteristics in common.
Key ideas
- Living things are sorted into groups using observable characteristics.
- The broad groups are plants, animals and micro-organisms.
- Plants make their own food using light. Animals cannot make their own food.
- Micro-organisms are living things too small to see clearly without a microscope.
Method. Think about how the oak makes its food.
- Look at the feature. An oak tree makes its own food using light.makes its own food
- Choose the group. Living things that make their own food using light are plants.plants
- Write the answer. plants
Check. An oak is a large plant, so it belongs with the daisy. ✓
Method. Think about whether it makes its own food.
- Look at the feature. The snail cannot make its own food, so it must eat.must eat
- Choose the group. Living things that cannot make their own food and must eat are animals.animals
- Write the answer. animals
Check. A snail is an animal, even though it eats plants. ✓
Watch out. An animal eats plants, but a plant does not eat animals.
Method. Think about its size.
- Look at the size. It is too small to see clearly without a microscope.too small
- Choose the group. Living things too small to see clearly are micro-organisms.micro-organisms
- Write the answer. micro-organisms
Check. Bacteria are micro-organisms. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: a living thing is not sorted by how big it is, or by its name. It is sorted by what it does and what it is made of, such as how it gets food.
Exam tip
Exam tip. Name the observable characteristic you used to sort a living thing, such as whether it makes its own food.
Try it (with your teacher, or a grown-up at home). Look at a bunch of living things at home or school: a houseplant, a pet, and a bowl of soil with small creatures you can see. Sort them into plants and animals. Ask: “Does it make its own food?” Do not touch wild creatures; watch them and wash your hands afterwards.
Exercise 2A Sorting living things into groups
Method. Think about how the oak gets its food.
- Look at the feature. The oak makes its own food using sunlight.own food
- Choose the group. So the oak is a plant.plants
- Write the answer. plants
Check. Plants make their own food. ✓
Method. Think about how the snail gets its food.
- Look at the feature. A snail cannot make its own food.cannot make food
- Choose the group. It must eat, so it is an animal.animals
- Write the answer. animals
Check. Snails move and eat, which animals do. ✓
Method. Think about the size of bacteria.
- Look at the size. Bacteria are too small to see clearly without a microscope.too small
- Choose the group. So bacteria are micro-organisms.micro-organisms
- Write the answer. micro-organisms
Check. Micro-organisms are living things too small to see clearly. ✓
Method. Read the sentence carefully.
- Read the sentence. Plants make their own food, using light.their own food
- Write the answer. food
Check. The plant makes food, so it does not need to eat animals. ✓
Method. Check the characteristic of animals.
- Think about animals. Animals must eat, because they cannot make their own food.must eat
- Write the answer. yes
Check. This is why animals and plants are sorted into different groups. ✓
Method. Read the definition.
- Read the definition. Observable characteristics are features that can be seen, measured or tested.observable
- Write the answer. observable
Check. Observable features are the basis of classification. ✓
Method. Think about the dog.
- Think about the dog. A dog eats food and cannot make its own food, so it is an animal.animal
- Decide. So a dog is not in the plant group.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. A dog and a daisy are in different broad groups. ✓
Method. Subtract the number of plants from the number of animals.
- Read the numbers. There are 12 animals and 7 plants.12 and 7
- Subtract. The difference is 12 minus 7.12 - 7 = 5
- Write the answer. 5
Check. 7 + 5 = 12. ✓
Method. Check the characteristic.
- Look at the sunflower. A sunflower makes its own food using light.own food
- Decide. Plants make their own food, so a sunflower belongs with the plants, not the animals.plants
- Write the answer. no
Check. The sunflower is a plant. ✓
Method. Think about the characteristics that sort living things.
- Think about growing. Growing is not the same as eating and moving, which animals do.growing
- Think about food. A tree makes its own food using light, so it is a plant.plant
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says a tree is a plant, because it makes its own food using light, and growing is not the same as being an animal.
Check. Sort by the characteristics, not by one feature such as growth. ✓
Method. Think about the three broad groups.
- Count the groups. There are three broad groups, not two.three groups
- Decide. Micro-organisms are a third group, so Sam is not right.no
- Write the answer. Accept any answer that says no, because micro-organisms are living things too, and they are not plants or animals.
Check. Micro-organisms are living things too small to see clearly. ✓
Method. Think about why a classification must be checked.
- Think about checking. Other people must be able to check the sorting.check
- Think about features. Features that can be seen, measured or tested can be checked by anyone.anyone
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says observable characteristics can be checked by anyone, so other scientists can repeat the sorting.
Check. Checking makes the sorting more reliable. ✓
Method. Use the size of bacteria as the characteristic.
- Find the characteristic. Bacteria are too small to see clearly without a microscope.too small
- Write the group. Living things that are too small to see clearly are micro-organisms.micro-organisms
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says bacteria are too small to see clearly, so they are sorted as micro-organisms.
Check. Size is an observable characteristic, but it is not the only one used. ✓