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Worksheet3rd GradeLevel 2 · Standard

Free 3rd Grade Living, Once-Living and Non-Living Things Worksheet

Students use the characteristics of living things — moving, breathing, sensing, growing, reproducing, getting rid of waste and needing nutrition — to sort things into living, once-living and never-living groups, and explain tricky cases like seeds, fire and wooden furniture.

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Grade
3rd Grade
Subject
Science
Topic
Living Things & Life Cycles
Difficulty
Level 2 · Standard
Estimated time
30 minutes
Curriculum
Texas grade levels (TEKS)
Questions
14
Answers
Included, with working
Format
PDF (A4), print or complete online

Students will practice

  • listing the characteristics of living things
  • classifying things as living, once-living or non-living
  • justifying a classification with evidence
  • recognizing common misconceptions

Curriculum: Texas grade levels (TEKS). We show specific outcome codes only where they have been verified against the official curriculum document.

What's next?

Completed: Living, Once-Living and Non-Living Things

  1. 1Grouping Plants: Flowering and Non-Flowering
  2. 2Bones and Muscles: How Our Body Moves

How to use this worksheet

  1. Print the PDF or complete it on screen. Write the student's name and date at the top.
  2. Read the instructions for each part together before starting. Encourage working to be shown.
  3. Mark with the answer sheet. Use the model answers and success criteria as a guide rather than a single right answer.
  4. Record the score, celebrate what went well, then follow the "What's next" suggestion.

Common questions

Who is this worksheet for?

3rd Grade students (typically ages 8–9) working on living things & life cycles. It is pitched at level 2 · standard.

Are the answers included?

Yes. The PDF includes a full answer sheet with model answers and success criteria where there is more than one good answer. You can also view the answers online.

How long does it take?

About 30 minutes for 14 questions. Short, regular sessions work best: two or three a week beats one long one.

Do I need to sign up to download?

No. Click Download Free PDF and it opens immediately. It is free for personal, classroom and homeschool use.

What should we do next?

Try Grouping Plants: Flowering and Non-Flowering.

Preview

Success TutoringWorksheets3rd Grade · Science · Living Things & Life Cycles

Living, Once-Living and Non-Living Things

Name

Date

Score /

Check each thing against all seven signs of life in MRS GREN.

Part A: The signs of life

Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.

Scientists say something is living if it does all of these things: Moves, Respires (breathes or uses air), Senses, Grows, Reproduces (makes young or seeds), gets rid of Excretion (waste) and needs Nutrition (food). The first letters spell MRS GREN.

Plants are living too. They move slowly (turning towards light), grow, make seeds and make their own food.

Once-living things were alive but are not now, or came from a living thing. Wood, paper, cotton, a fallen leaf and a feather are once-living.

Non-living things were never alive, like rocks, metal, glass, water and air. Some non-living things show one or two signs of life — a car moves and fire grows — but they do not show all seven.

1.Which of these is once-living?
  1. Aa pebble
  2. Ba wooden spoon
  3. Ca glass marble
  4. Da metal key
2.Which is non-living (never alive)?
  1. Aa feather
  2. Ban apple
  3. Ca rock
  4. Da leaf
3.A seed looks like it is doing nothing. Is it living?
  1. ANo, because it does not move.
  2. BYes, because it can grow into a plant when it gets water and warmth.
  3. CNo, because it is small.
  4. DYes, because it is hard.
4.Fire moves, grows and needs air. Why is it not living?
  1. AIt is too hot.
  2. BIt cannot reproduce, sense or take in food like living things.
  3. CIt is orange.
  4. DIt only happens at night.
5.Which is a characteristic of all living things?
  1. AThey can walk.
  2. BThey need food or nutrition.
  3. CThey have fur.
  4. DThey live in water.

Part B: Sort and explain

6.Sort each thing: living, once-living or non-living?
  • a mushroom growing in the garden
  • a paper bag
  • a plastic bottle
  • living
  • non-living
  • once-living
7.In MRS GREN, the letter G stands for (answer space).
8.Something that came from a living thing, like a cotton shirt, is called (answer space).
9.A robot can move and sense light. Is it living? Explain. (answer space)

Part C: True or false?

Write True or False.

10.Plants are living things. ☐ True   ☐ False
11.A wooden table is non-living because it was never alive. ☐ True   ☐ False
12.Something must show all seven signs to be called living. ☐ True   ☐ False
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Preview — the PDF contains the full resource and answer sheet.

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Living Things & Life Cycles in other year levels

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About this resource

Created by
Success Tutoring Science Team
Last reviewed
1 October 2026
How it was made
Written by our team

Free to print and share for personal, classroom and homeschool use. Please don't resell. Spotted an error? Let us know.