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Lesson plan: Instructions writing-how plants grow
Learning objective: To write instructions that explain how to grow a bean
Resources required
 whiteboards
 fact sheets about bean
growing
 Food video (Farmer Jack)
 writing frames
(differentiated)
 class word bank generated
at start of lesson
Adult Support
 Teacher modelling to begin
writing process.
 Teacher may need to
provide support for LA
writers by scribing/helping
them to order instructions.
Duration
2 hour-long lessons
(recommended)
Theme
Subject focus
Age group
Food (Nature also)
English, Food, Science
All KS2
Learning outcomes (differentiated)




To understand what plants need to grow
To orally rehearse instructions before writing
To plan and write clear, accurate instructions
To assess their own and others’ writing according to agreed success
criteria
MUST Create an accurate, chronologically ordered set of instructions that explain
how to grow a bean.
Keywords
instruction, explain,
plant, growth, seeds,
roots, seedlings,
beans, leaves, stem,
phloem,
chronological,
adverbials of time,
adverbs,
imperative verbs
SHOULD Use fronted adverbials of time to establish sequential order (eg ‘Before
begin’, ‘Firstly’, ‘Secondly’, ‘Next’, ‘Immediately after that,’ etc) and imperative verbs to instruct (eg ‘dig’,
‘place’, ‘arrange’, etc)
COULD Use adverbs and more complex sentences to strengthen instructions.
Starter
The Bean Game is great to get children thinking about different types of beans, and also to introduce
kinaesthetic learning to the lesson to keep minds active and pupils on task:
Follow up activities
 Watch the Best of Bristol
virtual fieldtrips, exploring
growing and cooking, and
carry out the associated
activities
 Grow beans and other
plants yourselves
 Try one of our healthy
recipes featuring local
seasonal vegetables and
plants, eg the Parts of Plant
recipe
 Find out more about Farmer
Jack by watching the next
chapters of his films
 Carry out our Shaun the
Sheep food mission, linked
to productivity and growing
seasons
• Learn about the
relationship between growing
and food waste with our Eco
Maths clip and related
activity
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jelly bean – wibbly wobble; broad bean – arms out to the side with slow and heavy movements; french
bean – stand with hands on hips and say ‘o la la’; jumping bean – jump up and down; baked beans – we stand
with arms out and head back – soaking up the sun; bush bean – trek wearily across the hot ground as if in the
Outback; runner bean – running on spot; baked bean – lying on floor flat out fanning self as if sunbathing;
butter bean – skating and slipping about; bean pole – hold an invisible pole and look up, straining to see how
high it is; coffee bean – stir a mug of coffee; chilli bean – fan an open mouth as if the bean is hot hot hot or
shiver as if cold; bean pod – hold arms up and clasp hands together over head – puff cheeks out; mixed
beans – let the children choose which bean & action they all want to do – perfect to end the game.
Main activity
Watch Chapter 1 of Farmer Jack films with pupils. Discuss as a class. Ask pupils to think of links between the
bean game, and this video. Draw out the links to different types of beans, different plants, plant growth, etc.
Explain that they are going to be writing instructions for growing beans- link to Jack questioning what he
needed to do to ensure the bean grew successfully!
Recap/elicit existing understanding- what are instructions? They tell us how to do or achieve something:
what materials we will need; what steps we will need to take; and in what order things should be done. We
give each other instructions every day (use commonplace classroom examples), and they can be oral or
written.
• Partner talk: How many different kinds of instruction writing can you think of? Share as a class
(eg recipe books, DIY manuals, safety instructions, science experiments etc). Explain that people
often need instructions when gardening, and that children will write instructions for other children
that explain how to grow beans successfully.
• Create a checklist for successful instruction writing: eg written in chronological order, with
adverbials of time, imperative verbs and adverbs. This checklist can be used to form success
criteria.
• Group talk: what are all the things that beans and other plants need to grow? Jot down as many
keywords as possible, working cooperatively. Collect class ideas, and display these as a word bank
for independent writing.
• NB- Consider modelling use of the writing frame, filling it in with the correct instruction to match

Start with one volunteer to be the seed. They curl up on the ground, as small as possible.

Add the roots – a number of students lie down with their feet towards the seed. If they have long
hair they can spread it out to be lateral roots. They need to make slurping noises to represent the
uptake of water from the soil.
the correct picture.
Independent writing
• Pupils to use writing frames to compose their own instructions for bean growing,writing the
appropriate instructions to match each picture.
• Fact files can be used for extra information.
• Differentiation comes from adult support, and also from the level of scaffolding given. Encourage
pupils to use language features in checklist.
• HA could be challenged to use more complex adverbial phrases/complex conjunctions in their
instructions
• (eg ‘If you water your bean plant diligently for a few weeks, you should see a green shoot and
leaves begin to emerge. When the leaves have reached the height shown in the picture, you will
know that your plant is immediately ready for transplanting.’)
• Less able writers could work cooperatively, with an adult scribing and supporting, to create one
set of group instructions, or complete the cloze. (An ordering exercise may be more suitable for
SEN children).
Pupils share their written instructions with a partner. They discuss how the writing could be improved, and
make changes based on these discussions.
Plenary
Could be used in a different lesson if necessary.
Explain that the students will apply their knowledge, and make a living ‘animation’ of plant growth using their
own bodies:
• Start with one volunteer to be the seed. They curl up on the ground, as small as possible.
• Add the roots – a number of students lie down with their feet towards the seed. If they have long hair they
can spread it out to be lateral roots. They need to make slurping noises to represent the uptake of water from
the soil.
• Add a ring of students holding hands around the seed– they are the stem. Explain that the stem pumps the
water from the roots upwards. Start crouching down and stand up making a noise that gets higher to
represent water moving up the tree.
• Add an outer ring of students – they are the phloem. Spread their fingers to represent leaves. Start by
standing up and then crouch down making a noise that gets lower to represent sugars going down the tree
from the leaves.
• Any remaining students are the beans. They need to stand around the edge and bark like dogs!
• Once everyone knows their role get the tree working for a short time by building up the sounds and
movements from the centre outwards.
NB- You could film this performance and use it as a future learning resource, to inspire further writing, etc.
Extension tasks
You could film this performance and use it as a future learning resource, to inspire further writing, etc.
Actions before next lesson
 Let the pupils know that they will be planting beans, following the instructions they have come up with,
soon (preferably next lesson).
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Reflective notes
Lesson plan: Instructions writing-how plants grow
Curriculum links
Learning objective:
To write instructions that explain how to grow a bean
English
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Discussing and recording ideas
Progressively building a varied and rich vocabulary and an increasing range of sentence structures
(English Appendix 2)
Organising paragraphs around a theme
Assessing the effectiveness of their own and others’ writing and suggesting improvements
Using conjunctions, adverbs and prepositions to express time and cause
electing appropriate grammar and vocabulary
Science


Reporting and presenting findings from enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and
explanations of and degree of trust in results, in oral and written forms such as displays and other
presentations
Describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals.
D&T
Know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed
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