TEACHING Parts of Plants

TEACHING GUIDE TEACHING Parts of Plants Kindergarten Reading Level ISBN-13: 978-0-8225-1798-6

2 TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS Standards Language Arts Reading Language Arts Writing Language Arts Listening and Speaking Mathematics Science Thinking and Reasoning Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process. Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts. Uses the basic skills and strategies of the writing process. Gathers and uses information for research purposes. Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes. Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts of geometry. Uses basic and advanced procedures while performing the processes of computation. Understands biological evolution and the diversity of life. Understands the nature of scientific inquiry. Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment. Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences. Multiple Intelligences Utilized Interpersonal, naturalistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, and linguistic Copyright 2004 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may be reproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercial resale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review. LernerClassroom A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc. 241 First Avenue North Minneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A. 800-328-4929 Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com Books in the Parts of Plants series include: Flowers Leaves Roots Seeds Stems Manufactured in the United States of America 5 6 7 8 9 10 IG 13 12 11 10 09 08

TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS 3 Lesson 1 Reading First Step Nonfiction for Kindergarten Purpose: Students will become familiar with written text and reading strategies. Materials Parts of Plants series Reading Lesson Checklist p. 11 Objectives Recognize the format of nonfiction books. Explain attributes that make a book interesting. Employ basic reading strategies. Identify beginning letters in book titles. Construct meaning from text and pictures. Make predictions based on picture cues. Activity Procedures drawing paper crayons Prepare Copy one Reading Lesson Checklist p. 11 for the class. Pretest (class, pairs) Think of your favorite book. Explain why you like that particular book. What do you think the title of the book could be? Why do you think that? Open the book to the first page. Describe what you see on the page. As a class, look at the book, page by page, and talk about the pictures. What do you think this book is about? Read (teacher, class) Read the Parts of Plants book to the class, pointing to the words as you read them. Read the book a second time, with students pointing to the words in their own books as you read. Discuss (teacher, class) How did the book s pictures help you understand the words on the page? Discuss the book s content. Practice (student, pairs) Read a page of your Parts of Plants book to the teacher or a friend. Draw a picture to show what the book was about. Evaluate (teacher, student) Does the drawing show what the book is about? What was the main idea? Use the Reading Lesson Checklist p. 11 to evaluate student understanding. Assess two or three students each reading session. Preview (teacher, class) Look at the title on the front cover of one of the Parts of Plants books. What letter does it start with? Look at the pictures inside the book.

4 TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS Lesson 2 Plant Life Cycle Purpose: Students will understand and illustrate the life cycle of plants. Materials Parts of Plants books Flow Chart p. 12 pencils crayons scissors Objectives Label steps in a sequence of events. Identify steps in a process. Illustrate steps in a process. Diagram the growth process of a plant. Arrange pictures in sequential order. Explain how a plant grows. Discuss (class) What is a seed? Why is it important? How does a seed grow into a plant? Explain the steps in plant growth. Practice (student) Using Flow Chart p. 12, draw the steps in the growth process of plants. Label your drawings with the words first, next, then, and last. Cut out each box on Flow Chart p. 12. Mix up the steps and put them back into the correct order. Evaluate Evaluate each student s Flow Chart p. 12 for correctness. Observe students ability to reorder the steps in the growth process. Activity Procedures Prepare Copy Flow Chart p. 12 for each student. Pretest (pairs, class) With a partner, talk about the steps you take to brush your teeth. Share your ideas with the class, putting the steps in order. On the board, draw the steps in brushing your teeth. Label the steps first, next, then, and last. Talk about the order of the steps and the importance of doing them in order. Read Explain that a plant grows in steps, too. Read the Parts of Plants books.

TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS 5 Lesson 3 Classroom Gardeners Purpose: Students will plant seeds and record their growth as they become plants. Materials Parts of Plants books clear plastic cups potting soil seeds water newspaper Objectives Describe the function of a seed. Compare the growth rate of two or more plants. Interpret measurement data. Document the growth of a seed into a mature plant. Create a miniature garden. Measure the growth of a plant. Activity Procedures Prepare Gather planting materials. Put newspapers down in the planting station. Divide students into small groups for planting. Pretest (student) What happens to a seed that is planted in the ground? Read (teacher, class) Read Parts of Plants books. rulers How Tall? p. 13 pencils masking tape drawing paper paper cups Discuss (class) What is a seed? How does a seed grow into a plant? Model Fill a clear plastic cup 2 3 full of potting soil. Plant two or three seeds along the outer edges of the soil, visible through the cup. (This will allow students to see the root and sprout growth before the plants reach the surface of the soil.) Label the seeds by putting small pieces of masking tape with letters near each seed planted. This will allow students to observe and measure the same plant repeatedly. Water the seeds. Place the clear cup into a paper cup, which can be removed to observe root growth. Practice (small group) Follow the procedure for planting seeds modeled by your teacher. Water seeds regularly. Practice (student) Record your plant s height weekly on How Tall? p. 13. Draw a weekly picture of your plant. (optional) Compare the growth rate of two plants. Discuss (small group, teacher) How much did your plants grow each week? Did they grow more during certain weeks? Did they grow at the same rate? Evaluate Assess each student s How Tall? worksheet p. 13 for completeness. Observe student participation in discussions.

6 TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS Lesson 4 Stem Experiment Purpose: Students will understand how stems carry water and nutrients to plants leaves. Materials Roots and Stems books celery stalks (best with some leaves remaining) red food coloring Objectives Define the word stem. Discuss the functions of a plant s stem. Illustrate the outcome of an experiment. Analyze the results of an experiment. Explain how a plant s stem is similar to a person s veins. Summarize the results of an experiment. Activity Procedures Prepare Gather materials for stem experiment. Write the words Before and After on the board. Pretest (class) Ask students how they think plants get and use water and nutrients from the soil. Read (teacher, class) Read Roots and Stems books. clear glass jars water pencils crayons knife drawing paper Discuss (class) What did you learn about roots? What did you learn about stems? What do stems do for plants? Model Tell students that you are going to do an experiment to see how a stem carries water to the leaves of a plant. The students will draw what happens. Fold a piece of drawing paper lengthwise, making two columns. Write Before at the top of the left column, and After at the top of the right. Practice (student, teacher, class) Students will fold and label drawing paper as modeled. Place celery stalks in jars with 1 1 2 inches of clear tap water. Put jars in several locations around the room so all students can see. Students will draw what they see under the Before heading on their papers. Tell students that you are going to add food coloring to the water, and ask them to predict what will happen to the celery stalk. Add enough red food coloring to each jar of water to turn the water red. After about 45 minutes you will see red on the tips of the celery leaves. Ask students to look at the celery again. Have them draw what they see under the After heading on their papers. How are the two pictures different? Discuss what happened to the celery. Cut the celery crosswise to reveal the veins that carried the food coloring up the stem. How are these veins like the veins in a person s body? Evaluate Assess the accuracy of students Before and After drawings. Observe students participation in class discussion and explanations for the changes in the celery.

TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS 7 Lesson 5 So Many Leaves Purpose: Students will observe and sort a variety of leaves. Materials Leaves book Kinds of Leaves p. 14 leaves of different shapes, sizes, and colors Objectives Recall the names of plant parts. Compare various kinds of leaves. Classify leaves by similar characteristics. Identify leaf characteristics. Arrange items on a chart. Explain categories for classification. Activity procedures drawing paper crayons pencils Prepare Copy Kinds of Leaves p. 14 for each student. Gather leaves of different shapes, sizes, and colors. (This is a good activity for autumn when leaves have changed colors.) Distribute a variety of leaves to each child during the practice exercise. Pretest (class, teacher) Draw a large flowering plant on the board. Ask students to tell you which parts are the leaves. Ask students to describe a leaf. Are all leaves the same? How can they be different? Read Read Leaves book. Discuss (class) What did you learn about leaves? In what ways are leaves alike? How are they different? Model Show students a variety of leaves. Ask them for ideas about how you could group leaves into categories. Glue several leaves onto Kinds of Leaves p. 14, demonstrating different ways that leaves could be categorized. Practice (student) Look through your leaves and sort them by common characteristics. Are they the same size? The same shape? The same color? How else could they be categorized? Glue each group of leaves onto a different square on Kinds of Leaves p. 14, so leaves with like traits are all in the same square. Evaluate As students glue their leaves onto Kinds of Leaves p. 14, circulate and ask them how they grouped their leaves. Evaluate Kinds of Leaves p. 14 for logic of categories. Assess students explanations of their leaf categories. Extension (student) Make leaf rubbings by placing leaves under drawing paper and coloring over the leaves. Use a variety of leaves and colors.

8 TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS Lesson 6 Seed Comparison Purpose: Students will explore and compare seeds found in a variety of edible fruits. Materials Seeds book four (or more) seedcontaining fruits (such as apples, oranges, watermelon, cantaloupe, grapes, plums, grapefruit, or peaches) Objectives Describe seeds. Compare a variety of seeds. Discover the kinds of seeds found in several kinds of fruit. Distinguish between the seeds of different fruits. Make a chart with corresponding fruits and their seeds. Assess ways that seeds could be categorized. Activity Procedures pencils Seeds Inside p. 15 knife paper plates crayons glue Prepare Copy Seeds Inside p. 15 for each student. Gather a variety of edible fruits with seeds. Pretest (student) Where have you seen seeds before? What foods have you eaten that contained seeds? Read (teacher, class) Read Seeds book. Discuss (class) What do seeds look like? How are seeds alike and different? What is the purpose of seeds? Model Show students a variety of fruits. Explain how flowers turn into fruits and that fruits contain seeds. Draw one of the fruits under the heading Fruit on Seeds Inside p. 15. Cut the fruit open and draw its seeds under the heading Seeds on Seeds Inside p. 15. After students have drawn the fruits you have brought, cut each fruit open. Give each student seeds or a section from each fruit. (You may want to do this one fruit at a time.) Practice (student) Draw the fruits your teacher has brought under the Fruit heading on Seeds Inside p. 15. Draw each fruit s corresponding seeds under the Seeds heading on Seeds Inside p. 15. Allow seeds to dry and glue them onto the Seeds portion of Seeds Inside p. 15. Talk about how the seeds are alike and different. Eat the fruits. Evaluation Check each student s Seeds Inside p. 15 for accuracy. Observe students participation in class discussion.

TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS 9 Lesson 7 Plant Parts Purpose: Students will identify and count the parts of plants. Pretest (student, class) Look at the plant drawing on the board or pictures of real plants. What are the names of the plant s parts? How many stems does the plant have? How many leaves? How many flowers? Materials Parts of Plants books Flowers Big Book (optional) My Plant p. 16 various kinds of real flowering plants (either live or cut flowers) crayons scissors blue and green butcher paper colored construction paper glue photographs of flowering plants (optional) Read (teacher, class) Read Parts of Plants books. Discuss (class) What are seeds? Roots? Stems? Leaves? Flowers? How are stems alike? How are they different? What about flowers? (Discuss all plant parts.) Explain to students what flower petals are. Objectives Identify plant parts. Label plant parts. Compare two or more plants. Determine the number of leaves, flowers, petals, and stems a plant has. Make a diagram of a plant. Explain the functions of various plant parts. Evaluate the strengths of a class project. Activity Procedures Prepare Gather a variety of flowering plants or cut flowers. Copy My Plant p. 16 for each student. Create a classroom garden backdrop with blue and green butcher paper. Hang this in the classroom or hallway. Draw a large plant on the board. Label the parts with the words stem, leaf, flower, and petal. Practice (student, pairs, class) Pass out one flower or plant to each student. Draw a picture of the plant in the box at the top of My Plant p. 16. Count how many stems, flowers, petals, and leaves the plant has. Complete My Plant p. 16. Label the parts of the plant with the words stem, leaf, and flower. Share the information about your plant with a partner. Using construction paper, make a paper plant. Glue it to the classroom garden mural. Evaluate (teacher, class) Assess each student s My Plant p. 16 for completeness and accuracy. Talk about your classroom garden mural. What do you like about it?

10 TEACHING PARTS OF PLANTS Additional Resources WEBSITES Flower Crafts http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts /flowers/ This Enchanted Learning page offers various flower craft ideas, flower poems and worksheets. The Great Plant Escape http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/index.html A cartoon detective and his two plant helpers work to solve cases involving plant life. Students learn about the parts of plants and their functions, soil, plant growth, plant reproduction, bulbs, and how to care for plants. My Dad s Vegetable Garden The Parts of the Plant We Eat http://www.jmu.edu/biology/k12/garden /parts.htm This site explores the different plant parts we eat, complete with color photographs. Plant Parts Diagram http://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests /plantquest/parts.htm This printable plant diagram can be used to quiz students on the six basic parts of plants: seed, root, stem, leaf, flower, and fruit. Plant Parts Salad http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/vegquiz /index.html On this site, students match parts of plants with pictures of edible vegetables to make a virtual salad. Students are encouraged to make a real salad to enjoy. BOOKS Ehlert, Lois. Growing Vegetable Soup. San Diego: Harcourt, 1990. A boy and his father grow a variety of vegetables, which they later make into a soup. Ehlert, Lois. Planting a Rainbow. San Diego: Harcourt, 1992. This picture book tells a story while teaching students about how to plant and care for seeds and plants. Heller, Ruth. The Reason for a Flower. New York: Putnam Juvenile, 1999. This picture book explains the function of flowers. It includes flowers that may not seem like flowers, and it introduces young readers to new vocabulary. Hickman, Pamela. A Seed Grows: My First Look at a Plant s Life Cycle. Toronto: Kids Can Press, Limited, 1997. Sam plants seeds and grows a watermelon, as well as a variety of vegetables. Readers can see how the seeds sprout, how bees pollinate the flowers, and more. Jordan, Helene J. How a Seed Grows. New York: HarperCollins Children s Books, 1992. This book demonstrates how a seed grows into a plant. Maestro, Betsy C. Why Do Leaves Change Color? New York: HarperCollins Children s Books, 1994. This picture book explains why leaves are green and why they change color and fall off trees. Clear explanations make the life cycle of leaves understandable for young students. Activity suggestions included. Marzollo, Jean. I Am a Leaf. New York: Scholastic, 1999. This book teaches young readers all about leaves, from sprouting to how they receive nourishment. Mitchell, Melanie S. Beans. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2003. This book details the life cycle of a bean plant from seed to full grown plant, with color photos, glossary, index and diagrams. Posada, Mia. Dandelions: Stars in the Grass. Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2000. This picture book tells the story of the life cycle of a dandelion.

Reading Lesson Checklist 11 Name Skill Uses pictures to help determine title. Uses pictures to understand book content. Reads words from left to right. Reading Lesson Checklist Identifies first letter of book title. Understands that each print word represents one word heard. Teaching Parts of Plants

12 Flow Chart Name Directions: Draw the steps of the plant life cycle in the boxes. Label the steps First, Next, Then, and Last. Teaching Parts of Plants

How Tall? 13 Name Plant (Record plant letter here) Directions: Measure how tall your plant is. Use a ruler that shows inches. Record the height of your plant each week. Week 1 My plant is inches tall. Week 2 My plant is inches tall. Week 3 My plant is inches tall. Week 4 My plant is inches tall. Week 5 My plant is inches tall. My plant grew the most during week. Teaching Parts of Plants

14 Kinds of Leaves Name Directions: Sort your leaves into four groups. The leaves in each group should be alike. Teaching Parts of Plants

Seeds Inside 15 Name Directions: Draw the fruits you learned about below. Next to each fruit, draw or glue its seeds. How are the seeds alike? How are they different? Fruit Seeds Teaching Parts of Plants

16 My Plant Name Directions: Draw your plant in the box. Directions: Fill in the blanks in the sentences below. 1. My plant has stem. 2. My plant has leaves. 3. My plant has flowers. 4. My flower has petals. Teaching Parts of Plants