First Grade COMMON CORE SKILL LESSON THEME: Physical Science LESSON TITLE: Plants BIG IDEA: Plants need water, soil, air, and light. Humans and animals need plants to survive. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: What are the basic needs of plants? How do plants help humans and animals survive? What are the similarities and differences in human needs and plant needs? OBJECTIVES: RL1-5, 10; RI 1-7, 9-10; RF1a, (choose other RF skills that correlate to your poetry or other literature); W2-8; S 1-6; L2b,c,d,e, 4a,5a,b,c, 6 KNOW: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to tell/list: The parts of a plant and the function of each part. The basic needs of a plant. Similarities and differences in human and animal needs vs. plant needs. DO: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain: Through investigation and experimentation, students will discover the basic needs of a plant, the parts of a plant, and the function of each part. Discover the similarities and differences in human and animal needs vs. plant needs. PRESENT: At the end of the lesson, students will decide to: After completing flip books about roots, stems, leaves, and flowers, students will take turns speaking about what each part of the plant does within their small group. Students will get together in small groups to choose a poem or story to act out. They will prepare together in their group, and then present to the class. VOCABULARY: Plants, animals, air, water, food, light, root, stem, leaves, flower, soil, photosynthesis, chlorophyll, pigment, carbon dioxide, oxygen, absorb, sprout, shoot, minerals, germination, pollination, reproducing, organisms, moist, bulb LESSON PLAN Lesson Introduction This lesson will introduce students to the parts of a plant and the function of each part as well as the basic needs of a plant. They will be conducting experiments and investigations to discover what happens to a plant when it doesn t receive its basic needs. They will be comparing similarities and differences in what plants need to what humans and animals need as well as how plants benefit people.
2 TEACHER S NOTE: This lesson contains several activities, so the teacher may choose to skip or modify the length of certain activities due to time constraints for your students. Here are some websites to use: www.theteacherscorner.net www.teachervision.fen.com/plants/printable/56085.html www.teacherkimbo.blogspot.com/2011/08/plants-mania.html Discoveryeducation Parts of a plant LESSON FORMAT Time Activities Resources 5 min HOOK: ATTENTION GRABBING ACTIVITIES THAT WHET STUDENTS APPETITES) YouTube video The Needs of a Plant by Harry Kindergarten BOOK: (ACTIVITIES TO CONVEY THE KNOW OBJECTIVE) From Seed to Plant Gail Gibbons The Tiny Seed Eric Carle The Carrot Seed Ruth Krauss, Crockett Johnson From Seed to Pumpkin Jan Kottke From Seed to Dandelion Jan Kottke From Acorn to Oak Tree Jan Kottke It Could Still Be a Flower Allan Fowler The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds From Bulb to Daffodil Scholastic News book Seed, Soil, Sun Cris Peterson The Surprise Garden Zoe Hall Seeds Vijoya Bodoch Roots Vijoya Bodoch Jack & the Beanstalk Planting a Rainbow Lois Ehlert The Empty Pot - Demi Pollinating a Flower Paul Bennett How a Seed Grows Helene Jordan The Reason for a Flower Ruth Heller A Plant Called Spot Nancy J. Peteraf Something is Growing Walter L. Krudop Someday a Tree Eve Bunting Grandma s Garden Elaine Moore Tops & Bottoms Janet Stevens (available on Youtube) Who Eats What Patricia Lauber Who Eats What Holly Keller Animals at Home David Lock Website: www.eduplace. com/scp/
3 The Salamander Room Anne Mayer POETRY: Life of a Plant from the book A Poem A Day by Helen H. Moore Seeds http://sciencepoems.net/sciencepoems/seeds.aspx Roots http://sciencepoems.net/sciencepoems/roots.aspx Flowers from 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners by Meish Goldish SONGS: Parts of a Plant from 101 Science Poems & Songs for Young Learners by Meish Goldish Green Plants from same book as above The Needs of a Plant - by Harry Kindergarten (on Youtube) 20min TOOK (ACTIVITIES TO CONVEY THE DO OBJECTIVE) Act out the story The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss & Crockett Johnson or choose a poem to act out. Students design their own plant and write a description of it and what it is useful for. Complete a Can, Have, Are chart about plants then have students write a descriptive piece about plants Discovery Education View The Parts of a Plant EXPERIMENT: Using pinto or lima beans have students PREDICT what will happen to seeds if you put them into a Ziploc bag with a wet paper towel and put them in a window. Also, put seeds into cups of soil. One cup will need to be given water & light, one cup will be given NO WATER OR LIGHT, one cup will be given ONLY WATER, and one cup will be given ONLY LIGHT. Have students predict what will happen to each seed and write their predictions in a journal. Then proceed with experiment over the next few weeks and have them record in their journal any changes. They may also take measurements of their plants and record that data as well. Then record the results to see if their predictions were correct. Write about the experience and steps of planting a seed. Make a seed collection in an egg carton. Students observe different types of seeds and write about them or grow them. Students create a picture of a flower either drawing or with construction paper. Then they cut out labels and glue them to their picture. Teacher prepares the labels ahead of time. Words needed on labels are: sunlight, air, water, flower, stem, roots, and soil. Also prepare a title label Parts of a plant & the things it needs to grow. Teacher prepares leaves & stem on green construction paper, flower
4 petals on different colors of construction paper, and a pot on white paper. Students write what a plant needs on the leaves. They write how plants are useful on the petals. They decorate the pot however they choose. Then they cut it all out and glue it onto a paper. I Can Eat the Whole Plant activity: Teacher creates a sorting template for the groups of seeds, flower, stem, leaves, and roots. Have students see if they can come up with different parts of a plant that they eat and write it in the correct spot. Then give them a bag of edible plant parts for them to sort and then eat. Things included in the bag are: sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds, broccoli or cauliflower, celery, spinach or lettuce, carrots. Read Jack and the Beanstalk. Then let students write their own story where they are the main character. They write what would happen if they grew a giant beanstalk and climbed to the top. Create a flip book about parts of a plant: roots, stems, leaves, and flowers. Draw and write about each part and what it does for the plant. OFF-SITE LESSON OPTIONS Note: The off-site period (at outings away from the school, even while riding in vehicles) FIELD TRIP REINFORCEMENTS: At Home Activity: Students continue caring for their plant after they take it home.
5 First Grade COMMON CORE SKILL LESSON THEME: Physical Science LESSON TITLE: Living vs. Nonliving BIG IDEA: The world is made of living and nonliving things. ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS: How are living things different than nonliving things? Is sunlight important to both living and nonliving things? Why or why not? What do living things need to survive? OBJECTIVES: RI1-10; W2,5,8; SL1-6 KNOW: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to tell/list: List or draw examples of living and nonliving things and explain the difference. Living things grow and change and make other living things like themselves. They need food, water, air, and space. Nonliving things do not eat, drink, or grow. They do not make other things like themselves, and do not need food, water, and air. DO: At the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain: Sort pictures of living and nonliving things and explain why they put them into that category. PRESENT: At the end of the lesson, students will decide to: Students can present their poster to the class and explain it Students discuss their picture sort with their small group. Author s Chair Students share writing with the class. VOCABULARY: living, nonliving, food, shelter, grow, space, compare, and contrast LESSON PLAN Lesson Introduction This lesson introduces students to the differences between living and nonliving things. They will learn that living things grow and change and make other living things like themselves. Living things also need food, water, air, and space. Nonliving things do not eat, drink, or grow. They do not need food, water, and air and do not make other things like themselves.
6 TEACHER S NOTE: This lesson contains several activities, so the teacher may choose to skip or modify the length of certain activities due to time constraints for your students. LESSON FORMAT Time Activities Resources 5 min 30 min HOOK: ATTENTION GRABBING ACTIVITIES THAT WHET STUDENTS APPETITES) Show the students pictures of living things and nonliving things. You may want to just show one pair at a time. Then ask them to compare and contrast the two pictures. See what the students come up with about the topic before the teacher tells them anything. (Activate prior knowledge) BOOK: (ACTIVITIES TO CONVEY THE KNOW OBJECTIVE) Houghton Mifflin Science Textbook (Chapter 4) Living and Nonliving Carol Lindeen What s Alive Kathleen Zoehfeld How Do Living Things Find Food Bobbie Kalman Is it Living or Nonliving Rebecca Rissman Living and Nonliving Angel Royston Living or Nonliving? Kelli Hicks What is a Living Thing Bobbie Kalman Is it a Living Thing Bobbie Kalman Website: www.eduplace. com/scp/ 20min TOOK (ACTIVITIES TO CONVEY THE DO OBJECTIVE) Picture sort (categorize and classify) of living and nonliving things. (Sort pre-printed pictures or find pictures in magazines.) Write about the differences between living and nonliving things. Make a poster about needs of living things. Write a story about the living and nonliving things in a park. Write about nonliving things that would be difficult to live without. OFF-SITE LESSON OPTIONS
7 Note: The off-site period (at outings away from the school, even while riding in vehicles) FIELD TRIP REINFORCEMENTS: At Home Activity: