Lesson 4 What Is a Plant s Life Cycle? The Seasons of a Tree

Transcription

1 Lesson 4 What Is a Plant s Life Cycle? The Seasons of a Tree STUDENT SKILLS: predicting, communicating prior observations and knowledge, listening, cooperating, observing, sequencing, communicating, reasoning, writing a story, drawing, synthesizing information

2 Lesson 4: What Is a Plant s Life Cycle? The Seasons of a Tree Activity 4A: What Is a Plant s Life Cycle? SUMMARY: Students hear a story and discuss an apple tree and the changes that take place during a year of its life. As an introduction to plant life cycles, students play a game that shows the different stages in an apple tree s life cycle. KIT MATERIALS: The Seasons of Arnold s Apple Tree (book) Apple tree dice (1 per group) Apple tree dice game pictures Bag with fruit tree pictures TEACHER PROVIDES: Copies of MySci Activity Sheets 1B-2 and 4A ENGAGE Ask the children if a tree is a plant. Have them explain their reasoning. Record responses. Refer to previous lesson on plant parts and ask students to identify roots, stems, and leaves on the apple tree. Show the pictures of various fruit trees and discuss where fruit comes from. EXPLORE Tell the class that they will hear a story about a boy named Arnold and the changes he observes happening to the apple tree in his backyard. Start by showing the book cover and asking the following questions: How do you think Arnold s tree might change through the year? Have you ever watched a tree (or other plant) change with different seasons? If so, what changes did you observe? Read the story. NOTE TO TEACHER: Students continue to observe and record data on the growth of the Fast Plants using copies of Activity Sheet 1B What Is a Plant? TM

3 Lesson 4: What Is a Plant s Life Cycle? The Seasons of a Tree EXPLAIN Talk the students through the cycle a tree makes through the seasons. Ask the following questions: How does the plant change as it moves through its life cycle? Why does the plant needs flowers? How does the plant makes new plants? ELABORATE Apple Tree Dice Game: Divide the class into groups of five or six students. Give each group a set of six cards depicting the following life cycle stages of an apple tree: seed, seedling, mature tree, flowering tree, fruit, and fruit with seed. Before playing the game, hold the cards up in random order and ask students to identify what they see on each one. Tell students the game is about an apple tree (like Arnold s) and the way it changes as it grows. Roll the dice as the class watches. Have each team place the card corresponding to the picture that comes up on the dice in front of them. Roll the dice again. Ask students to decide whether this next picture belongs before or after the first one, if they want to show the order in which an apple tree grows. For example, if the first picture that is rolled is a flower and the second one a fruit, which happens first in the life of an apple tree? If the next card is a seedling, where does it belong in the sequence? Continue to roll the dice, pausing after each roll for groups to decide where the new card should be placed in the sequence. If a picture is repeated, students should wait until the next roll. The game stops when each picture on the dice has been rolled at least once. EVALUATE Have each team display its sequence and explain why the team ordered the cards in the way it did. Note any misconceptions that may be evident in students explanations, but do not try to correct these now. Listen to students explanations to gain insight into students current thinking. Have students complete Activity Sheet 4A. NOTE TO TEACHER: An optional activity could be to make applesauce, pie, etc. Remind the children how important plants are to our lives. TM What Is a Plant? 37

4 Activity Sheet 4A Fill in the blanks with the names of the plant parts.

5 MySci Journal Drawing Page

6 MySci Journal Graph Page

7 MySci Journal Writing and Drawing Page

8 MySci Journal Writing Page