Download Title: Plants Grow

Plant Needs
Seed Parts
Growing Seeds
Seed Sequencing
Plant Report
Plant Life Cycle
Plant Inheritable Traits
Plant Parts
A Second Grade Unit
Time: Four Weeks
Created by:
Erica Oberholtzer and Sherrie Newenhouse
Title: Plants Grow
Grade Level: Second Grade
Grade Level Content Expectations:
L.OL.E.1 Life Requirements- Organisms have basic needs. Animals and plants
need air, water, and food. Plants also require light. Plants and animals use food as a
source of energy and as a source of building material for growth and repair.
L.OL.02.14 Identify the needs of plants.
S.IP.E.1 Inquiry involves generating questions, conducting investigations, and
developing solutions to problems through reasoning and observation.
S.IP.02.11 Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the
appropriate senses.
S.IP.02.12 Generate questions based on observations.
S.IP.02.13 Plan and conduct simple investigations.
S.IA.02.12 Share ideas about science through purposeful conversation.
S.RS.02.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations,
performances, models, exhibits, and activities.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to make predictions about what will happen to plants
over the time period of this unit by writing questions they have about plants.
2. The student will be able to identify the needs of plants by observing what
happens when different variables are added or taken away.
3. The student will be able to write down meaningful observations in a plant
report packet that they will use throughout the unit.
4. The student will be able to report findings and conclusions to the rest of the
class.
Misconceptions:
Some students may think that plants take in water through their leaves. We can address
this misconception by experimenting on two separate plants. We could provide one of
the plants with water only given in the soil, and another plant that has its soil covered,
and spray water only onto the leaves. Students will discover that the plant that receives
the water only to its leaves does not survive.
Materials and Setup:
Engage: The following supplies should be displayed in the front of the classroom for all
students to see:
1 One healthy plant in a small container of soil. Any variety of house plant will
work, or purchase a flat of small individual plants from a local greenhouse.
2 One unhealthy plant of the same species as the healthy plant. The teacher will
need to prepare at least one week prior to the lesson, so that this plant has time to
show signs of plant death.
3 A Plant Report Packet which includes a KWL chart, seven copies of the Data
Record Plant Observation sheet, and a Plant Word Search.
Explore: The class will be divided into groups of 4; one group at each table. (The class
will be organized into 6 to 7 groups depending on the number of students in the class).
These supplies should be set on trays, so that they are ready to distribute to student
groups within the classroom.
1 A flat of plants from a local greenhouse- each group will need two plants.
2 Potting soil in a small butter tub.
3 Sand or gravel in a butter tub.
4 Spray bottle with water in it.
5 Plastic wrap.
6 50mL measuring cup with 10mL of water in it.
7 Shoebox, large enough to cover plant without touching it.
8 Small watering can.
9 Fertilizer, such as miracle grow that can be added to water, or “plant sticks”.
10 Clear plastic bag to put over the plant.
Explain: These supplies should be readily available to each student to use at their
assigned table of the classroom.
1 One Plant Report Packet per student to use along with their science journal.
2 A pencil.
3 Colored pencils.
Elaborate: This section may be conducted in the classroom if enough computers are
available for each student to use, or you may need to reserve time in a computer lab.
1 www.explorelearning.com plant growth simulation.
2 Plant crossword puzzle worksheet (students could be doing this if there are not
enough computers to use and have them alternate, so that all students have
something to do if there are not enough computers for everyone).
Procedure:
In this lesson, students will observe a healthy plant and an unhealthy plant. Students
will talk about what they think a plant needs in order to grow, and why some plants are
unhealthy and die. Students will also observe what part of a plant takes in water.
Students will observe what happens when plants are given the necessary requirements
to grow, and what happens when plants do not have all necessary components to grow
in a healthy manner. Students will also utilize technology to experience the adding and
taking away of plant growing requirements. This will reinforce what they experienced in
their investigations and allow students to see, in a matter of seconds, what happens
when certain elements are added or taken away.
Engage: 10-20 minutes
The teacher will open with showing a healthy plant and an unhealthy plant. The teacher
will then ask the students about the plants:
-Which plant do you think has what it needs to live?
-Which plant looks like it’s not getting what it needs to survive?
-What are some things that this nice healthy plant needs to stay alive?
-Are there any ideas about why this other plant died?
Allow students to think about each plant and give suggestions to the questions asked.
Then ask students if they can think of any other questions they have about the plants.
Use this time to assess student’s prior knowledge of plant life and plant needs. Introduce
the KWL chart. Ask students to fill in what they already know about plants, and what
they want to know about plants. Let students know that they will complete the “What I
Have Learned” portion at the end of the unit. If students don’t bring up the need for
water, suggest this, and ask if the plants take the water in through the leaves, stem, or
roots of the plant? Allow think time, and a few different answers to the question, and
then tell the students that they will have the opportunity to investigate this for
themselves. Have students write down the questions that they have about plants in their
journals, and to list some things that they think a plant needs to live, (Objective 1).
Explore: 3 weeks
This portion of the lesson will take about three weeks to conduct, so as you are
completing the objectives of this unit, the class will be continuing their investigations
within their groups. As students are wrapping up their predictions, (from above), pass
out a materials tray to each group. Each tray may contain different supplies.
1 One tray will consist of two plants, water, soil in butter tub, and sand or gravel in
butter tub. Students will replant the plants one in each of the tubs and give them
a little bit of water each day, so that they can observe if there is a change in
growth of two different types of soil.
2 Another tray will provide the group with a spray bottle of water and a measuring
cup of water, also some plastic wrap to put over the container that the plant is in.
With this tray students will spray the same amount of water onto the leaves of
one of the plant that has plastic wrap over the soil, and pour the same amount of
water into the soil of the other plant. The students will be able to make
observations about how plants take in water over the course of the unit.
3 On tray three, there will be two plants, water, and a shoe box. This group will
investigate the effect of light versus dark. The students should still water the
plants a little every day, but keep one of the plants inside the shoebox, so they can
observe what happens when no sunlight is given to the plant.
4 The fourth tray will have two plants, water, and fertilizer. These students will
give one of the plants fertilizer, and the other one no fertilizer, so that they can
observe the effect fertilizer has on plant growth.
5 Group five will get two plants, water, and a plastic bag to put over one of the
plants, so that they can observe how plants need air to survive.
6 Finally you should have a group that has two plants and water. They will give
water to one of the plants, but not the other one throughout the investigation.
If you have more than six groups duplicate one of the trays so that more than one
group is doing the same type of investigation. Once the students have their plants set
up on the tray have them place them on a table or shelf that is out of the way of
other classroom activities, but within reach so that they can water them and view
them as needed. I would suggest that you instruct them to measure out 10mL of
water to give them each day, especially the group doing the spray bottle tray, make
sure that they put 10mL of water in the spray bottle, and 10mL of water to pour into
the soil. You could also have a group investigate plants where one plant is given
10mL a day and the other one 50mL per day if you have seven groups. Students will
draw and write down observations every day in their plant report packet data sheet,
(Objective 3).
Explain: 3 weeks
In the explain portion of this lesson, students will discuss and illustrate what they
experienced in the exploration. They will answer questions that elicit critical
thinking and a broadening of their understanding of the necessities a plant requires
to thrive, (Objective 2).
1 Students should be given about 10 minutes every day to water their plants and
make observations so that they can draw the plants that they are tending to
each day in the plant report packet, (“Data Record Plant Observation” sheet).
This way they can see for themselves any changes in the two plants that they
are caring for. They should be sure to use colored pencils to portray the plants
as correctly as possible.
2 A class discussion about observations should take place, in a way that each
group can explain the experiment that they are conducting to the rest of the
class. This could be done everyday if time allows, or every few days,
(Objective 4).
3 Students should also refer back to their predictions of plant needs to see if
they were correct.
4 The students will also check the questions that they came up with in the
engage activity to see if they can answer them now after the explore activity.
Elaborate: 25-30 minutes
To elaborate on students’ experiments with maintaining plants using different variables,
we can utilize technology by using computers to play with a simulation model of plant
growth at this website: www.explorelearning.com. This simulation allows students to
add or take away certain plant needs. They will be able to adjust the amount of light,
water, and nutrients to a plant online and see it grow or diminish right before their very
eyes. It works out the best if you can have a computer available for each student, so that
they can all do this at the same time. If there are not enough computers available, every
other student should work on the “Plant Word Search”, which incorporates English
language arts into the science unit.
Evaluate:
Students will be evaluated in a number of ways:
Engage: In the engagement activity, the teacher will be able to assess prior
knowledge the students have about plant needs by listening to the answers they give
during the discussion about the healthy and unhealthy plants. The teacher will also look
over students KWL charts looking for what students think a plant needs to live, what
each student believes they already know about a plant, and what the student would like
to learn about plants. This may help the teacher gage what she wants to teach students
for the rest of the unit.
Explore: During the exploration, it is crucial for the teacher to be facilitating the
experiments that the groups are performing on the plants. The teacher should be asking
many questions to each group:
-What plant will you be trying to keep healthy?
-What plant do you think will not be healthy?
-What is this plant getting that the other one is not?
-What are some things that you will give the plant that you want to be healthy?
-Why will the other plant not be as healthy?
-Do we need to care for the plants that are outside like we do for these plants in
our classroom?
Evaluate the answers that the students give and encourage them to write them down in
their science journals, so that they can work on answering some of their own questions,
too.
Explain: This part of the lesson is where the teacher will be able to assess what
the students are getting out of the lesson by checking the drawings of their plants, but
more importantly by reading what they write down about their findings and
explanations of plant requirements.
Elaborate: Walk around to each computer while students are doing the plant
simulations, so that you can check that they are staying on task and finding out what
happens when different variables are added or taken away from the plant they are
working with online. Have the students finish the word search and see how many words
they could find.
Resources:
Abbott, Sandy. "Plants KWL." ABC Teach. N.p., 2006/2007. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.abcteach.com/free/p/plants_researchreport.pdf>.
Bass, Joel E., Terry L. Contant, Arthur A. Carin, and Arthur A. Carin. Methods for
Teaching Science as Inquiry. Tenth ed. Columbus, OH: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson,
2009. pp. 51 – 58. Print.
Berthelsen, B. (1999). Students Naïve Conceptions in Life Science. MSTA Journal,
44(1) (Spring’99), pp. 13-19. http://www.msta-mich.org
Gizmos! Online Simulations That Power Inquiry and Understanding. |
ExploreLearning. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. <http://www.explorelearning.com/>.
Westridge, Alison. "Plant Word Search." Worksheet Place. N.p., Mar. 2007. Web. 20
Sept. 2010. <http://worksheetplace.com/index.php?function=DisplaySheet
&sheet=Plant-Wordsearch&links=2&id=&link1=241&link2=242
Title: Uncovering Seeds
Grade Level: Second Grade
Grade Level Content Expectations:
L.OL.E.2 Life Cycles- Plants and animals have life cycles. Both plants and
animals begin life and develop into adults, reproduce, and eventually die. The details of
this life cycle are different for different organisms.
L.OL.02.22 Describe the life cycle of familiar flowering plants including the
following stages: seed, plant, flower, and fruit.
S.IP.02.11 Make purposeful observation of the natural world using the
appropriate senses.
S.IP.02.12 Generate questions based on observations.
S.IP.02.13 Plan and conduct simple investigations.
S.IA.02.13 Communicate and present findings of observations.
S.RS.02.11 Demonstrate scientific concepts through various illustrations,
performances, models, exhibits, and activities.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to make observations of a seed being germinated and
record the changes they see in their plant report packet.
2. The student will be able to identify the parts of a seed by labeling a diagram.
3. The student will be able to put the life cycle of a bean seed in the proper order
by using flashcards.
4. The student will be able to generate a question to investigate based on
observations made in nature.
Materials and Setup:
Engage: Fall is a great time to do this lesson, because many farmers are close to
harvesting soy bean plants from the fields, and these soy beans are full of medium size
seeds that can be looked at with the human eye. Students will visit a local farmer and
pick a few soy bean plants from the field. Students will need the following materials:
1 Soy bean plant with seeds that are at least 5mm in diameter.
2 Lima beans or peanuts (in the shell), enough for one per student.
3 Plastic knives, one per student.
4 Magnifying glass, one per student.
5 White piece of paper, one per student.
6 Pencil.
Explore: These supplies should be counted and organized ahead of time so that they are
easy to pass out to the students.
1 Children’s book “Oh Say Can You Seed?”
2 Plastic zip-loc baggies, sandwich size, one per student.
3 Paper towel that is cut and folded in a size to easily slide into the plastic baggie.
4 A variety of bean seeds that students have brought from home.
5 Water, in spray bottles, so that it is available to the students at their table.
Explain: These worksheets should be printed and in the plant report packet that was
given to students during lesson one.
1 “Bean Seed Life Cycle” diagram.
2 “Name the Parts of a Seed” diagram.
3 Data table in plant report packet to record changes in seed growth.
4 Crayons.
5 Scissors.
Elaborate: If possible schedule a local farmer to come in to talk to the students about
planting seeds, growing crops, and harvesting. This would provide a connection to the
community for students. We could also go on a nature walk hunting for seeds.
Safety:
Students should be careful when dissecting the seeds during the engage activity, even
though they are plastic knives, they can still cause cuts. Remind students to keep their
fingers out of the way of the blade, and to make sure to use the knife on the seed only.
Procedure:
In this lesson, students will explore bean plants to identify the embryo, cotyledon, and
seed coat. They will then place bean seeds in a plastic bag to watch them sprout over the
course of 3-4 days. They will document the changes they see in their plant report packet.
Students will also talk about what their bean seeds would look like after one or two
weeks, and the teacher will bring in bean seeds that have been grown for this long for
students to observe. Students will sequence the life cycle of a bean seed, and label the
parts of a seed. Lastly, a local farmer will come into the classroom to address how he
uses seeds on the farm, and where/when/how they are planted. If time allows, students
will go on a nature walk and generate a question they could investigate based on
observations they made on the walk.
Engage: 15-20 minutes
The teacher will present the soy bean plant, or other plant that has viewable seeds from
the students’ perspective. The teacher will pick off some of the seeds or seed pod and ask
the students what they think is inside it. Some answers that are expected are: seeds,
vegetable, fruit, or nut. Ask the students to get out a piece of paper to put on their desk
top. The teacher will then walk around the room and ask students to pick off their own
seed pods, or pass out beans or peanuts if the plant does not have enough for all the
students. Once the students each have a seed to look at, have them place it on the paper.
The teacher will then ask the students if they know what they have on their desks.
Students will then be instructed to open the seed up. Some students will be able to crack
it or peal it open with their fingers, but if they need assistance you can give them a
plastic knife to cut it open. Have students get a magnifying glass to look at the seeds in
more detail. If possible have a dissected bean projected onto the front board so that all
the students can see it in detail. Then instruct the students to draw their seed on the
paper in front of them with their pencil. Do this along with them on the projector and
label the seed with arrows to the embryo, cotyledon, and seed coat.
Explore: 3-4 days
This part of the lesson will take only 15 minutes to prepare, but will be observed over the
course of 3 to 4 days. Students will have bean seeds that they have brought from home.
Be sure to have some beans for students who haven’t brought any in. Bean seeds are
used because they only take 2 to 3 days to germinate. Before starting the experiment
read aloud the book “Oh Say Can You Seed?” by Bonnie Worth. This will refresh
students’ memory of seeds and seed parts. After reading, hand out plastic baggies, paper
towel, and bean seeds so that every student gets each item. The teacher will then
demonstrate how to put the paper towel into the baggie; folded up to fit snug. The seeds
will then be placed on the paper towel, so that they can be seen from the outside of the
bag. Make sure students keep the seeds near the middle of the paper towel/baggie, so
they don’t drown. Students will then be given water to moisten the paper towel in the
baggie and tape the baggies with the seeds in them to the window so that they hang
vertically. Now have the students draw the seed on their data table in the plant report
packet and fill in the descriptions of their seed. The students will fill in this table for the
next three days, so that they can observe changes in the seeds, (Objective 1). We will
then talk about what our seed may have looked like after one or two weeks, and the
teacher will draw these observations on the board. The teacher will then show students a
bean seed that has grown for one week, and a bean seed that has grown for two weeks,
and students will talk about the changes that they see in the plants.
Explain: 20-25 minutes
Students should now be familiar with the parts of a seed, and what a bean seed looks
like after 3-4 days. Students will be given a picture of a seed that is laid open, and asked
to fill in the diagram with the embryo, seed coat, and cotyledon, (Objective 2). This
worksheet is available at: http://michigan.gov/documents/seeds3_61094_7.pdf
We will then talk about what their bean seeds needed in order to grow. Students should
identify that a seed needs water, and sunlight in order to soften, and sprout. Groups of
two students each will then be given a bean sequencing worksheet, available at
http://seed.ucdavis.edu/files/seed/Activity_order_me_1_3_1.pdf and asked to color,
and cut out the four pictures, (Objective 3). Students will then be asked to work with
their partners to determine which order the four pictures go in. Students should be able
to talk about why the pictures go in the order they do, and what changes they see from
one picture to the next. The teacher should expect that students say “the plant is larger
in this picture”, “this one has more leaves”, “I can see roots in this picture”, and “this
one has a small sprout, just like our bean seeds”. Students are bringing what they now
know about seeds and the life cycle of a seed together as they are talking about
observable changes.
Elaborate: 30-60 minutes
Have a local farmer come in to discuss what they do for a living. The morning before the
farmer comes in, each student should come up with a question they can ask him about
seeds. Ask the farmer to talk about when they plant seeds, what they have to do to
prepare the field, how they plant the seeds, what types of seeds are planted, what they
do during the summer months, and then finally how they decide when to harvest, and
how. Questions that were not answered during this discussion, students should ask at
the end.
Also taking students on a nature walk to observe seeds in their natural habitat could
help students make real-life connections to what they are learning about in the
classroom. We could also take a field trip to a natural area to go on a nature hunt. Have
the students try to find seeds and observe plants. Have them think of a question to ask
about the seeds and/or plants that are encountered, (Objective 4). Students would then
write their question down in their science journal. After their walk have students
research their question by using books or computers to answer it, or have them do
further investigation in the natural area to answer it. They would use the “Plants Report
Planner” and “My Plants Report” worksheets.
Evaluate:
Students will be evaluated in a number of ways:
Engage: The teacher will be able to assess understanding by walking around the
room to facilitate in dissection of seeds, and check students drawings for proper
labeling.
Explore: The teacher will check the data table that the students are filling out
everyday to see if they are making meaningful observations of a germinating seed.
Explain: The teacher will have the students hand in their seed diagram and check
for correct labeling. The teacher can also walk around to each group of two students and
have them put the stages of the bean seed life cycle in the correct order.
Elaborate: The teacher can observe students listening to the farmer, and listen to
the quality of student questions. For the nature walk, the teacher can check on what
students are doing while they are outside and look at the students’ science journal for
the question they came up with, and see what resources or investigating they did to
further answer it.
Resources:
Abbott, Sandy. "Plants: Report Planner." ABC Teach. N.p., 2006/2007. Web. 26 Sept.
2010. <http://www.abcteach.com/free/p/plants_researchreport.pdf>.
Bass, Joel E., Terry L. Contant, Arthur A. Carin, and Arthur A. Carin. Methods for
Teaching Science as Inquiry. Tenth ed. Columbus, OH: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson,
2009. pp. 51 – 58. Print.
"Name The Parts of a Seed." Michigan Farm Bureau. N.p., Oct. 2002. Web. 26 Sept.
2010. <http://michigan.gov/documents/seeds3_61094_7.pdf >.
SOM - State of Michigan. Web. 23 Sept. 2010. http://www.michigan.gov/.
"Sprouting Bean Sequencing Cards." Enchanted Learning. N.p., July 2005. Web. 26
Sept. 2010.<http://seed.ucdavis.edu/files/seed/Activity_order_me_1_3_1.pdf>.
Worth, Bonnie, and Aristides Ruiz. Oh Say Can You Seed? New York: Random House,
2001. Print.
Title: Plant Parts and Life Cycles
Grade Level: Second grade
Grade Level Content Expectations:
K-7 Standard L.OL: Develop an understanding that plants and animals
(including humans) have basic requirements for maintaining life which include the need
for air, water, and a source of energy. Understand that all life forms can be classified as
producers, consumers, or decomposers as they are all part of a global food chain where
food/energy is supplied by plants which need light to produce food/energy. Develop an
understanding that plants and animals can be classified by observable traits and
physical characteristics. Understand that all living organisms are composed of cells and
they exhibit cell growth and division. Understand that all plants and animals have a
definite life cycle, body parts, and systems to perform specific life functions.
K-7 Standard L.HE: Develop an understanding that all life forms must
reproduce to survive. Understand that characteristics of mature plants and animals may
be inherited or acquired and that only inherited traits are passed on to their young.
Understand that inherited traits can be influenced by changes in the environment and
by genetics.
L.HE.E.1 Observable Characteristics- Plants and animals share many, but not
all, characteristics of their parents.
L.OL.E.2 Life Cycles- Plants and animals have life cycles. Both plants and
animals begin life and develop into adults, reproduce, and eventually die. The details of
this life cycle are different for different organisms.
L.HE.02.13 Identify characteristics of plants, (for example: leaf shape, flower
type, color, size), that are passed from parents to young.
L.OL.02.22 Describe the life cycle of familiar flowering plants including the
following stages: seed, plant, flower, and fruit.
Objectives:
1. The student will be able to identify, by labeling a diagram and by taking a
nature walk to identify plant parts, where the seeds, leaves, fruit, flower, and roots are.
2. The student will be able to record observations in a plant journal.
3. The student will be able to make predictions that are relevant to the topic.
4. The student will be able to identify the proper order of a plants life cycle by
putting a group of pictures in the correct order.
5. The student will be able to identify, using a Venn diagram, which
characteristics are inherited and which are not, by observing traits and physical
characteristics of plants.
6. The student will be able to give examples in one paragraph of which traits are
influenced by the environment, and which are influenced by genetics.
7. The student will be able to draw their own plant, label each part correctly, and
include what a plant needs to grow, (sunlight, water, nutrients).
8. The student will be able to answer worksheet questions about plant parts and
plant needs.
Materials and Setup:
Students will be organized into groups of four. Materials will be handed out at each
stage of the lesson, instead of everything at the beginning of the lesson, so that students
are not distracted by the objects that are in front of them.
Engage: Each student will need something to write with, and a “Plant Parts”
worksheet that will be handed out after our quick discussion of “What parts make up a
plant?”
Explore: Each group will be given a flowering potted plant, (in this case a tomato
plant), a plastic shovel, and a plastic knife. Students will also be asked to pull out their
plant journals to put observations, predictions, and drawings in.
Explain: The teacher will be showing the video, “From Seed to Plant”, so it would
be a good idea to have this pulled up on the internet and ready to go. After the video,
each student will receive a “How Do Plants Grow Booklet”, (that will already be
constructed). During this time, students will also need something to write down key
words with. After reading “Understand the Basic Plant Life Cycle”, each group will
receive a box of crayons to color their booklets. After about 10 minutes, students will put
their booklets in their plant journals. Each student will then receive two “How Do Plants
Grow” worksheets, (one with pictures on it, and one with numbers), a pair of scissors, a
glue stick, and a piece of construction paper.
Elaborate: The teacher will bring in 7 “mommy” geranium plants, and 7 “baby”
geranium plants, (one of each for each group). Each student will also be given a Venn
diagram to compare and contrast the two plants. Students should also have their plant
journals out, and ofcourse, something to write with.
Evaluate: Each student will receive a “My Plant” and “About Plants” worksheets
to complete as a final assessment of what they have learned throughout the entire
lesson.
Safety:
Students will have the opportunity to use plastic shovels and plastic knives. Before they
are handed out, students will be reminded that these objects are sharp, and that they
can only be used on the plant. If students do not use these tools correctly, the teacher
will collect the shovels and knives, and do the digging and cutting herself for each group.
Procedure:
In this lesson, students will learn about the parts of a plant, (leaves, roots, stem, flower,
and/or fruit), and be able to label them on a diagram. They will also explore a tomato
plant to see each part of a flowering plant, and discuss what a plant needs in order to
grow and survive. Students will go on a nature walk to further their understanding on
plant parts by observing them in nature, and identifying where each part is on various
plants. Students will also look at inheritance in plants by observing a parent and
offspring plant and making comparisons between the two. Students will complete a
Venn diagram, and write a paragraph about inherited and environmentally influenced
traits. Lastly, students will complete the “My Plant” and “About Plants” worksheets to
bring everything they have learned in this lesson together.
Engage: 15-20 minutes
Students will be asked what words come to mind when they think of a growing plant.
These words will be written on the board. Expected words will be flower, sun, green,
leaves, water, dirt. Next, students will be asked to close their eyes and picture a plant in
their mind.
-What parts make up a plant? Think of what keeps the plant in the ground. Think
about not only flowers, but trees. What do you see?
These words will be written on the board as well. Expected words will be stem, roots,
flower, leaves, fruit, bark. Students will be asked to open their eyes. We will talk about
which words actually describe the parts of a plant. Students will then fill in both sides of
the “Parts of a Plant” worksheet,(Objective 1). This will asses what students already
know about plants, and what needs to be taught. An overhead of both sides of the
worksheet will be displayed, and students will be asked to take turns coming up and
labeling the diagrams. For each student that comes up, I will ask why they chose to put
their label where they did. The whole class will be asked if they agree with the answers.
Explore: 30-40 minutes
Each group of students will be given a flowering potted plant that contains fruit, (such
as a tomato plant).
-What do you see in front of you? Describe it in terms of color, size, and parts of
the
plant.
-What part of the plant grows into a fruit?
-Where do you think the seeds are located?
In the first part of this activity, students will explore the plant and record in their plant
journal what they observe about the parts of the plant. After about 10 minutes of
independent investigating, they will be taken on a tour of the plant from the bottom up.
They will be asked to feel the soil. Students should notice that it is wet. Students will feel
the stem and be asked to describe it. They should notice that it is firm and sturdy
enough to hold up the tomatoes. They will be asked to feel the leaves and describe their
texture, color, and vein pattern. They will be given a shovel and told they can dig in the
dirt to find another plant part that can’t always be seen from the surface.
-Why do plants have roots?
Next, we will take a look at the fruit.
-Did you look inside of the tomatoes?
-What did you find when you cut open the tomatoes?
- Do you think that all fruits have seeds?
In order for students to come to the conclusion that seeds develop into fruit, they will
have the opportunity to open apples, oranges, and lemons, (with teacher help), to find
the seeds contained in them.
Now that students have found the seeds, they will be asked to predict which part of a
flowering plant grows first, which grows second and so on. On the dry erase board, I will
have eight labeled pictures, and will ask students, as an entire group, to predict what
order they think they go in, (Objective 3+4). They will be using background knowledge
of what they have observed in nature, and what they have observed in the classroom
while growing their seeds.
Explain: 55 -60 minutes
Students will be shown the “Seed to Flower” video. We will talk about if our predictions
were correct or not. Each student will then be given a “How Do Plants Grow” Booklet.
The teacher will then go page by page reading “Understanding the Basic Plant Life
Cycle”. Students will be asked to write words that they think are important to each stage
in the growing process.
Understanding the Basic Plant Life Cycle:
1. In the spring, the frozen ground thaws in the warm weather. The snow
begins to melt, and the weather becomes warm enough for plants to begin
growing.
2. Plants need soil to grow. The soil provides nutrients the plants need, just like
how we need food. Food helps our bodies grow big and strong, and soil nutrients
help a plant grow big and strong.
3. Seeds are the starting point for plants. The seeds can be found in either
flowers, or in a fruit. For example, the tomato produces seeds in the part that
we eat. A seed contains all the things the plant needs to start growing. It contains
all the food that a beginning plant needs. It also has a protective shell to protect
it as much as possible before it breaks out and starts growing into a plant.
4. Water provides more nutrients, and also enters into the soil to reach the seed.
It makes the seed shell soft enough to sprout.
5. Sunlight provides plants with energy to grow and make their own food.
Remember, plants need food to grow big and strong!
6. Once the seed has enough water, nutrients, and sunlight to grow, roots will
begin growing into the soil, and a sprout will appear above the ground.
7. Roots become stronger and carry water and nutrients up the plant, all the way
to the leaves. The plant continues to grow to a certain height. After it has
become a tall plant, it spends the rest of its life making baby plants just like it.
This is when flowers and fruit are made that hold the seeds.
After students have had a chance to write down their key words for each stage, they will
have about 10 minutes to color their books. Students will then be given two “How Do
Plants Grow” worksheets. These worksheets are the exact same sequencing pictures that
were put on the dry erase board. Students will now have to put these pictures in order,
on their own, to assess that they now know the life cycle of a plant, (Objective 4). They
will match each number, (1-8) to each picture in the correct order. They will glue this
sequence on a piece of construction paper. They will then have about to minutes to color
their sequences. To further explain and identify plant parts, the teacher will take the
class on a nature walk. She will call on students (especially those who have been
identified as needing extra help in the plant parts lesson), and ask them to verbally
identify which plant part she is pointing at. Each student that is called on should be able
to identify the plant part that is being pointed out.
Elaborate: 25-30 minutes
Students will now dive deeper into plant reproduction, and inherited traits. Students
already know that as plants are done growing, they begin making “baby plants” that are
very similar to the parent plants. Two geranium plants will be brought into the
classroom, both of the same color, but of differing height. Using a Venn diagram,
students will compare and contrast the parent plant to the offspring plant, (Objective 5).
Students should notice that they have the same color flowers, but the parent plant has
many more flowers. They should also notice that the leaves are the same. The following
questions will be asked out loud to the class, and students will be asked to write
answers/ideas/pictures in their plant journals, (Objective #2).
-Why is one plant taller than the other?
-Why does one plant have more flowers than the other?
-Where are the seeds located?
-Where are the roots located?
-Where is the stem located?
-Is there fruit on this plant?
We will then talk about which traits are inherited, and how the environment influence
plant life cycles/traits.
-If I pulled all of the petals off of the parent plant, would the baby plant grow
without petals? Why or why not?
-If I cut the leaves on the parent plant in half, would the baby plant grow with
leaves that were cut in half?
-Think about you and your parents. If your mom cut her arm, would you be born
with a cut on your arm?
-If a parent plant was growing in an area that didn’t receive rain for a week, what
might happen to it? Would it still be able to make baby plants?
Students will bring together everything they have learned to answer these questions,
and explain in one paragraph in their plant journals which traits are inherited and
which traits can be influenced by the environment, (Objective 6).
The last assignment that students will have is to finish up their KWL charts from lesson
#1. They should now fill in the “What I Have Learned” portion, and write a few
sentences as to what the most interesting thing they learned about was.
Evaluate:
Students will be evaluated in a number of ways.
Objective #1: Starting off, in the “engage” portion, students labeled two plant
parts diagrams. This assessed what students already knew about plants. I would expect
them to know what leaves and flowers are, but they still may be confused as to what the
stem, fruit, and roots are. At the end of this lesson, the teacher will walk around the
classroom and go over the 2 diagrams with each student individually:
-Would you change your diagram now, after doing the in-class investigations?
This will assess weather students have learned the parts of a plant or not. It is expected
that if a diagram is incorrect, the student realizes this at the end of the lesson, and
changes their diagram accordingly. Also, when going on the nature walk, students that
are called on should be able to verbally identify what plant part the teacher is pointing
to.
Objective #2: In the “explore” portion, students will be given a potted flowering
plant, and asked to make observations. The teacher will prompt the student with
questions, and based on these, students should record observations about the plant
parts. During this time, the teacher will walk around the room and look over the
students’ pictures, and observations that they have recorded in their plant journals. It is
expected that students will draw pictures of the plant they see in front of them, and
write down any key words that they think are important to remember. Students will be
assessed by what they have written/drawn in their journals. They will not be assessed
based on accuracy, but by their ideas, thoroughness, and effort. This will help me
identify which students are grasping the concepts, which are making an effort, and
which need more help.
Objective #3 and #4: Students should be expected to make predictions of
relevant events. In this case, students should be able to predict the correct sequence of a
plants life cycle based on what they have learned, and their prior knowledge. It is
expected that each group of students put the eight pictures in a logical sequence based
on what they have learned. Once the teacher has gone into a further explanation of each
plant part and the life cycle of a plant, students are expected to put the eight sequencing
pictures in the correct order on their own.
Objective #5: Students will look at both a parent plant and an offspring plant.
Looking at these two similar plants, students should start to make observations as to
which traits are the same between the two plants, which are similar, and which are
different, (using a Venn diagram). The Venn diagram will be assessed based on
accuracy. Students should observe that the plants have the same structure but different
heights. They should also notice that the petals
are the same, but one plant has more than the other, ect.
Objective #6: The teacher will prompt the class with a series of questions about
which traits could be influenced by the environment, and which are influenced strictly
by genetics. Students will be asked to write one paragraph and to name examples of
which trait’s a mommy plant passes to a baby plant, and which can be influenced by the
environment. Students will be assessed on their examples, and if they are correct or not.
Objective #7: Students will be given the “My Plant” worksheet to place in their
journals. They will be asked to draw their own plant, label all its parts, and draw what a
plant needs in order to grow. Students are expected to draw and label roots, a stem,
leaves, fruit or flowers, water, sunlight, and nutrients. this will assess if students now
know each part of a flowering plant, and what it needs in order to grow, and eventually
reproduce.
Objective #8: As a final test, students will be asked to complete the “About
Plants” assessment. It brings the whole lesson together, and assesses weather or not
students know the parts of a plant, and what a plant needs in order to survive and grow.
The worksheets in this lesson not only provide assessment feedback for the teacher, but
they are good feedback to send home to parents, so they know what their child is
learning about in school, and if they are grasping the concepts like the parents hope they
are.
Resources:
Abbott, Sandy. "Venn Diagram." ABC Teach. N.p., June 2009. Web. 20 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.abcteach.com/free/v/venn_form01.pdf>.
"From Seed to Flower." Teachers Domain. N.p., Sept. 2003. Web. 20 Sept. 2010.
<http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.colt.plantsgrow/>.
Hooper, Kevin. "Plant Life: How Do Plants Grow?." Craft Jr.. N.p., Sept. 2009. Web. 20
Sept. 2010. <http://www.craftjr.com/plant-life/>.
Mercer, Christopher. "Plant Life Cycles." Teacher Domain. N.p., Oct. 2004. Web. 20
Sept. 2010. <http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/tdc02.sci.life.colt.lp
_plantcycle/>.
Mooneyham, Katina. "Understanding the Basic Plant Life Cycle." Life 123. N.p., Jan.
2006. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. <http://www.life123.com/home-garden/kidsgardening/plant-science/understanding-the-basic-plant-life-cycle.shtml>.
Westridge, Alison. "Parts of a Plant Worksheets." Worksheet Place. N.p., Mar. 2007.
Web. 20 Sept. 2010. <http://worksheetplace.com/index.php?function=Display
Category&showCategory=Y&links=2&id=242&link1=241&link2=242>.