Title: The Needs of Bean Plants
Grade Level: First/Second Grade
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify differences in the way bean plants are growing.
- Students will be able to suggest reasons for differences in the growth.
- Students will be able to explain the differences in plant growth by talking about the deprivation of certain needs.
National Standards:
- NSES: Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry K-4
- NSES: Content Standard C: Life Science K-4
Rationale:
We have previously spent a considerable amount of time learning about what living things need to grow and we began conducting an experiment to see what would happen to a bean plant if one of its basic needs was not being met. We had four experimental plants: one does not receive water, one does not have soil, one does not receive light, and one does not have space. Students need to learn how to organize and record the data that they collect from an experiment; this lesson is designed to provide the opportunity to observe the experimental plants and record any changes seen.
Suggested Time: 45 Minutes
Organization of Instruction:
- Introduction
- Observation and Whole Class Discussion
- Recording
- Individual Student Work
Materials/Resources Needed:
- Bean Plants
- Experiment Chart
- Science Notebooks
Procedure:
- Gather students on rug facing the experiment chart.
- Today we are going to look at our plants that we have been studying; we will look at all four plants and see how they are growing in different ways. We will also be filling out our experiment chart.
- Review science experiment chart. Take out plant 1 and observe any changes.
- To guide inquiry ask:
- Our plants have only been without these needs for a short period of time, so it might be hard to see the differences. We need to try and think about how the plants would look if they were deprived of these needs for the whole month of October.
- Why do you think the plant is pale?
- What do you think is making this one fall over?
- Why do you think this one did not grow?
- What do you think made this one grow so tall
- Why do you think this one is bent in this direction?
- Does the plant look strong? Why do you think this is so?
- Repeat with plants 2, 3, 4.
- Wonderful! Now we are going to record our observations on our chart. Record each plant in a different color for visual distinction.
- Look at plant 1, talk about color, record.
- Measure the plant, record.
- Look for special characteristics (droopy, bushy) and record under ‘other’.
- Repeat with plants 2-4.
- Look at and compare the four plants to each other. To guide inquiry, ask:
- How is one different from another?
- Are you surprised by some of the plants? Why?
- Are the leaves of the plants the same shade of green? How are they different?
- Which plants look the healthiest? Why do you think this?
- Which plants look the weakest? Why do you think so?
- Ask the students what they remember from the movie The Magic School Bus Gets Planted. Think back on the movie we watched the other day. What do you remember about the needs of living things? How do plants get food? Relate to our plants.
- Relate student’s thinking about the plants to other living things: Do you think other living things need the same things that the bean plants need? Why do you think this?
- What do you notice about our plants? Is it easier to see the differences between the plants when the information is in a chart?
- Please take out your science notebooks. Turn to page 14; we are going to draw two of plants. Draw together the plant which did not receive water and the plant that did not receive sunlight. Have students write the title of each plant next to the number. Also, write some description words next to the picture (label parts).
Assessment:
Formative:
- Walk around and observe as students draw and write in their science notebooks. Do the students’ pictures look different?
- Do the students discuss reasons for why the look different? Do they discuss the needs of plants: water, soil, sun?
Adapting of Instruction
- Gearing Up: Have students connect this topic to other living things (i.e. trees, animals, people) and brainstorm what would happen to them if some of their basic needs were lost.
- Gearing Down: Spend time reviewing what living things need to grow and why our experimental plants are not growing as well as the rest.
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