Download This Full Lesson: Seed Surprises
Lesson Description: By sorting and planting seeds, students discover seeds come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, as well as produce plants.
Objectives
(Note: All objectives are appropriate for older students; younger students may only accomplish the first two objectives.)
The student will:
- describe the shapes, sizes, and colors of seeds;
- demonstrate that seeds sprout and grow into plants;
- identify conditions seeds require for growth; and
- identify plant parts and their functions.
Estimated Teaching Time
- Four sessions: 30 minutes each, plus a few minutes each day to water the plants when needed and to check for sprouting. An additional one to three weeks will be needed to grow the plants.
Alignments
Next Generation Science Standards
K-LS1-1. Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
2-LS2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow. 2-LS4-1. Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats. 3-LS1-1. Develop models to describe that organisms have unique and diverse life cycles but all have in common birth, growth, reproduction, and death.
3-LS3-1 Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence that plants and animals have traits inherited from parents and that variation of these traits exists in a group of similar organisms.
Common Core English Language Arts – Writing
W.K.2. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic
W.K.3. Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened.
W.K.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.1.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.3. Write narratives in which they recount two or more appropriately sequenced events, include some details regarding what happened, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide some sense of closure.
W.1.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of “how-to” books on a given topic and use them to write a sequence of instructions).
W.1.8. With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.2.2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section.
W.2.3. Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure.
W.2.7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations).
W.2.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
W.3.2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. W.3.3. Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
W.3.7. Conduct short research projects that build knowledge about a topic.
W.3.8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
Common Core English Language Arts Speaking and Listening
SL.K.2. Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood.
SL.K.3. Ask and answer questions in order to seek help, get information, or clarify something that is not understood.
SL.K.4. Describe familiar people, places, things, and events and, with prompting and support, provide additional detail.
SL.K.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. SL.1.2. Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
SL.1.3. Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
SL.1.5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
SL.1.6. Produce complete sentences when appropriate to task and situation.
SL.2.2. Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
SL.3.2. Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
SL.3.4. Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at an understandable pace.
Common Core English Language Arts – Language: Conventions of Standard English
L.K.5. Sort common objects into categories (e.g., shapes, foods) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at school that are colorful).
L.K.6. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts
L.1.5. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. Identify real-life connections between words and their use.
L.1.6. Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading and being read to, and responding to texts, including using frequently occurring conjunctions to signal simple relationships (e.g., because).
Common Core Mathematics Standards
K.MD – 1. Describe measurable attributes of objects, such as length or weight. Describe several measurable attributes of a single object.
K.MD –2. Directly compare two objects with a measurable attribute in common, to see which object has “more of”/“less of” the attribute, and describe the difference. For example, directly compare the heights of two children and describe one child as taller/shorter.
K.MD –3. Classify objects into given categories; count the numbers of objects in each category and sort the categories by count.
K.G – 1. Describe objects in the environment using names of shapes, and describe the relative positions of these objects using terms such as above, below, beside, in front of, behind, and next to.
1. MD – 4. Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in another.
National Family and Consumer Science Standards
2.5.1 Analyze the use of resources in making choices that satisfy needs and wants of individuals and families.