Alive in the Tank Comics is a 15-page, story-driven science comic for Grade 1 that helps students classify living and nonliving things and see how the parts of a terrarium or aquarium work together. Four friendly animal characters (Mr. Dot, Nova, Bloop, Gear) guide young readers through short, kid-friendly explanations, labeled pictures and vocabulary bars, so the science is easy to follow whether you read it aloud or project it for the class. It is aligned to Texas TEKS Science 1.12A, 1.12B, 1.1E, 1.5D.

What students practice

• How to tell living from nonliving things by basic needs and producing young
• Classifying tricky cases
• The living and nonliving parts of an aquarium and a terrarium
• How living and nonliving parts depend on and interact with each other
• What happens if a part changes
• How caring for nonliving parts helps living parts

Key vocabulary: produce, living, nonliving, needs, classify, young, terrarium, aquarium, depend, care

What’s included (15 pages)

• 15-page full-color comic PDF (US Letter landscape, 11 × 8.5 in): print it or project it
• Notebook PPTX (15 slides, one per comic page) for whole-class display on a projector or smartboard
• An observe-the-tank lab
• A try-this activity
• A living/nonliving sort
• A quick review quiz with an answer key
• A vocabulary glossary
• Vocabulary bars and simple science explanations on the teaching pages, plus circled page numbers for easy navigation

How to use it in class

1. Whole-class read-aloud or projector lesson to launch a living-and-nonliving unit
2. Science centers or literacy + science crossover reading
3. Unit introduction or quick review before a tank observation, living/nonliving sort, or quiz
4. Homeschool science reading — no prep: print or project and go
5. Comics format supports visual and reluctant readers

At a glance

• Grade: Grade 1
• Subject: Science (life science: living and nonliving, basic needs, aquariums and terrariums)
• Texas TEKS Science: 1.12A, 1.12B, 1.1E, 1.5D
• Pages: 15 (comic PDF) + 15-slide PPTX
• Format: Instant digital download after purchase (PDF + PPTX)