Learning the Parts of a Plant

Designed by: Emily Herbig      School: Meadowfield Elementary

Grade Level: First       Subject: Science

Core Curriculum Objective(s):  Identify the parts of a plant (seeds, roots, stems, leaves, flower, fruit). 

South Carolina Standard: (II.A.2a.)

Overview: 
The teacher and the students will use real plants, an apple and tomato, and the Internet to learn the six parts of a plant. The children will engage in a review activity that requires the students to build a tomato plant using magnetic picture pieces and to place the correct label by each plant part. The culminating assessment is taken from an Internet site.

Focus/Essential Question(s): 
What name do you give to the strands that are at the end of a plant and that grow underground? 

What name do you give to the long part of a plant that starts growing out of the ground? 

What name do you give to the parts that grow out of the long part of a plant that starts growing out of the ground? 

What name do you give to the part of the plant that blooms or opens? 

What name do you give to the part of the plant that grows out of the part that blooms and it has seeds in it? 

What name do you give to the part of the plant that is inside the part that grows out of the blooming part, and it is the part that begins any new plant?

Time Frame: Two 1 hour periods

Resources/Materials:

Period 1

For the teacher:

1 piece of chart paper with the label "What we think are parts of a plant" on the left side of the chart and the label "What we learned are parts of a plant" on the right side of the chart"

1 small flowering plant from a "bed" of flowering plants

1 apple

1 tomato

2 paper or Styrofoam plates

1 knife

For each student:

A piece of newspaper (large enough to cover student's desk)

1 small flowering plant from a "bed" of flowering plants

1 Styrofoam cup already filled with soil

1 permanent marker

Period 2

For the teacher:

What we think/learned chart from Period 1

Averkey

Computer

Television

Destination computer (optional)

Dry erase board/marker

Pictures of plant parts: The teacher should draw a picture of roots, a picture of a stem (or cut out a stem shape from green construction paper), a picture of leaves (or cut out leaves from green construction paper), a picture of a flower (or cut out a flower pattern from construction paper), a picture of a tomato (or cut out a circle from red construction paper), and a picture of a tomato already cut open with the seeds being visible. The teacher should laminate these pictures and place a magnetic strip on the back of the pictures.

Labels of plant parts- write or type the plant part names on separate pieces of paper, back each label with construction paper, laminate the labels, and place a magnetic strip on the back of each label.

Hat or a container

For each student:

1 copy of tomato plant picture (printed from the Internet site)

6. Culminating Assessment: The following rubric will be used to assess identifying the parts of a plant:

1. The student correctly identifies the leaf of a plant = 1 point

2. The student correctly identifies the flower of a plant = 1 point

3. The student correctly identifies the fruit of a plant = 1 point

4. The student correctly identifies the stem of a plant = 1 point

5. The student correctly identifies the seeds of a plant = 1 point

6. The student correctly identifies the roots of a plant = 1 point

TOTAL = 6 points so that

6/6 points = +

5/6 points = a check

4/6 points and below = a dot

Instructional Activities:

Period 1

1. The teacher will tell the students that they will be learning what are the names of the parts of a plant and what the parts of a plant look like.

2. The teacher will construct a chart on chart paper. The left side of the chart should be labeled "What we think are parts of a plant," and the right side should be labeled "What we learned are parts of a plant."

3. The teacher will ask the students if they think they know any of the names of the parts of a plant. The teacher will write student responses on the left side of the chart.

4. Then, the teacher will tell the students that they will discover, through the lesson, if the children were correct in naming the parts of a plant. Also, the teacher will tell the students that once they learn all the plant parts, they will add these plant part names to the right side of the chart.

5. The teacher will tell the students that they will each discover some of a plant's parts by looking more closely at a real plant.

6. Each student will be given a section of newspaper to cover his/her desk and a small flowering plant from a "bed" of flowering plants.

7. The teacher will instruct the children not to do anything with the flower until he/she tells the children what to do.

8. Once every child receives a plant, the teacher will hold up his/her own plant so that the children can see, and he/she will tell the students to loosen the soil and dirt on their plants so that the white stringy part of the plant hangs down (teacher will demonstrate with his/her plant).

9. The teacher and other students will help those students who are having difficulty with this task.

10. After all students have completed this task, the teacher will ask the students if they know the name of this part of the plant.

11. After listening to student responses, the teacher should tell the students that this part of the plant is called the roots and that it is the part that grows underground.

12. Then, the teacher will hold up his/her plant and point to the long green part of the plant and instruct the students to look at and touch this part of the plant. The teacher will ask the students if anyone knows what this part is called.

13. The teacher should tell the students that this part of the plant is called the stem and that it is the part that starts growing out of the ground.

14. Then, the teacher will point to a leaf on the plant and instruct the students to look at and touch this part of the plant. The teacher will ask the students if anyone knows what this part is called.

15. After listening to student responses, the teacher should tell the students that this part is called a leaf and that it grows out of the stem.

16. The teacher will point to the flower on the plant and instruct the children to look at theirs. The teacher will ask the students if anyone knows what this part is called.

17. After listening to student responses, the teacher should tell the students that this part is called the flower and that it blooms or opens from the stem.

18. Then, the teacher will tell the students that they will learn about the other two parts of a plant after the children plant their plants.

19. The teacher will give each child a styrofoam cup already filled with soil. The teacher will tell students to dig a big hole in the soil so that they can put the dirt and roots part of the plant in the hole. The teacher will tell the children to cover up these parts with the soil so that only the stem, leaves, and flowers are showing above the dirt.

20. Each child will be given a permanent marker to write his/her name on the cup to take home. The teacher as well as the students who finish early should help their peers plant their plants.

21. Then, children will be called by table to throw away their newspapers and any mess around their desks and to put their plants on a designated table.

22. Once all desks are cleared, the teacher will tell the students that there are two more parts of a plant that they have not seen yet. The teacher will ask the students if they know the names of the two missing parts.

23. After listening to student responses, the teacher will tell the students that they will soon discover the names of the missing plant parts.

24. Then, the teacher will hold up an apple and a tomato and ask the students what the two objects are called (fruits).

25. The teacher will tell the students that both the tomato and the apple are called fruits and that a fruit grows out of a flower.

26. The teacher will tell the students that the final part of a plant can be found inside the apple and the tomato. The teacher will ask the students if they have any ideas as to what is inside the apple and the tomato.

27. After listening to several responses, the teacher will tell the students that he/she will cut the apple and the tomato in half to discover the mystery plant part.

28. The teacher will cut the apple and the tomato in half with a knife (make sure that you cut the fruits away from the children).

29. The teacher then will walk around the room and show the children the halves of the apple, making sure that they see the seeds. The teacher will ask the students what the brownish-black things inside of the fruit are called.

30. After listening to student responses, the teacher will tell the students that this part is called a seed and that seeds are the part of a plant found inside a fruit and that the seeds also are what you plant in order for new plants to grow (they are the very beginning of any new plant).

31. Then, the teacher will put each half of the tomato on a plate and have the students pass it around so they can see the smaller seeds in the tomato.

32. As a review, the teacher will point to the different parts of the flowering plant and hold up the fruits and point to the seeds, and the students will identify or provide the names of each part of the plant as the teacher points to it.

33. The teacher will tell the students that tomorrow they will review the plant parts and then show the teacher how much they learned.

Period 2

1. The teacher will ask the students to review what they learned the day before about plants.

2. Then, using either the Averkey or a destination computer, the teacher will go to http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case1/case1.html. This site was designed for 4th and 5th graders, but the 1st grade teacher can adapt by using the wonderful pictures related to plant parts and by reading aloud some of the information.

3. The teacher will tell the students that they will use the Internet to review the names of the plant parts and then play a game.

4. The teacher should read aloud to the students the paragraph called YOUR MISSION. The teacher will tell the students that they will only be focusing on identifying the different parts of plants for today.

5. The teacher should click on Plant Parts under the section the Facts of the Case. When the picture of the root comes up on the screen, the teacher should cover up the writing that identifies the plant part and ask the children to identify the picture of the plant part.

6. When a child provides the correct response, the teacher should uncover the writing and tell the student that he/she is correct. Then, the teacher should read some of the material appropriate for 1st graders.

7. The teacher will click on the walking carrot to go to the next plant part, and he/she will follow the above procedure with the next plant part. The teacher will continue through this section following the same procedure until all plant parts have been identified (Note: There is no separate picture for seeds so on the cucumber picture under "fruit," the teacher should point out the seeds and ask the children to identify this plant part.

8. After this activity, the teacher will tell the children that they will play a final game as a review of plant parts.

9. The teacher will draw a line on the board and tell the students that the line represents the dirt on the ground. Then, he/she will place pictures of roots, a stem, leaves, flower, and a fruit (tomato) on the magnetic board.

10. The teacher will tell the students that their job is to help build a tomato plant and that once they build the plant, then they can name or label the parts of the plant.

11. The teacher will ask a student to come forward to choose the plant part that is under the ground and to place it in the correct place (the roots). The teacher should encourage other children to clap when a part is placed correctly.

12. Then, the teacher will call on another student to choose the plant part that grows straight out of the ground and to place the picture in the correct place on the board (the stem).

13. The teacher will call on a student to place all the green parts that grow out of the long part in the correct place (leaves).

14. The teacher will ask a child to choose the part that blooms or opens up from the long part of the plant and to place it in the correct place (the flower).

15. The teacher will call on a student to locate the part that grows out of the blooming part and place it in the correct place on the board (the fruit).

16. Then, the teacher will place a picture of a tomato that has been cut in half on the board.

17. The teacher will place magnetic labels with the names of all the plant parts into a hat or container and tell the students that they will draw out the name of a plant part, read the word aloud (with help from the teacher, and then place the plant part name by the correct part on the board.

18. The teacher will let 6 children draw a name from the hat or container. As each child places a part on the board, the teacher will ensure that the other children know which plant part name goes with each plant part.

19. Then, the teacher will ask the students if they have any questions about plant parts.

20. After questions have been answered, the teacher will use the Averkey or destination computer to go to http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case1/c1m1app.html or he/she can return to the main menu (The Great Plant Escape), click onto Case #1, and then click onto the What Are the Parts of Plants section under Mystery #1. This section will bring up the picture of a tomato plant that includes the six plant parts. Each part has a blank label that points to a given plant part. The teacher should leave this screen on the television or destination computer and then give each student a printed copy of the tomato plant for an assessment. The teacher will explain the rubric at this time.

21. The teacher will write the six plant parts on the board. The teacher will point to part number one on the screen, tell the children to find number one on their papers and to look closely at the part that the line is pointing to, and then the teacher will read aloud and point to the following words on the board: stem, leaves, roots, flower, fruit, and seed. The teacher will read these words one by one and will remind the children to choose one word to write on the line that goes with that plant part.

22. The teacher will continue this same procedure for plant parts numbered 2-6.

23. After all students have completed the assessment, the teacher will pick up all papers.

24. Then, the teacher will go over the quiz by filling in the answers on the screen.

25. The teacher will ask a student to identify part #1. The student who gives the correct response will come to the front of the room and click on the plant part name that identifies part #1 in the picture. The teacher will follow this same procedure for numbers 2-6.

26. To close the lesson, the teacher will return to the chart first used in Period 1, and the teacher will ask students to help him/her fill in the right side of the chart labeled "What we learned are parts of a plant" until all plant part names have been given. As each student gives a correct plant part name, the teacher will write down the response in the chart.