Growing Lima Bean Plants
3rd Grade
By: Allegra Gerhardt
Content Standards
 4.1.3.E: Identify changes in the environment over time.
 4.1.3.F: Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion.
 Ask questions about objects, organisms and events.
 Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and answering
questions and comparing the answer with what is already known.
 Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that different
questions require different kinds of investigations.
 Use simple equipment (tools and other technologies) to gather data and
understand that this allows scientists to collect more information than
relying only on their senses to gather information.
 3.1.3.A2: Describe the basic needs of living things and their dependence on
light, food, air, water, and shelter
 3.1.3.A3: Illustrate how plants and animals go through predictable life
cycles that include birth, growth, development, reproduction, and death.
ISTE Standards
 1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

Teachers use their knowledge of subject matter, teaching and learning, and technology to
facilitate experiences that advance student learning, creativity, and innovation in both
face-to-face and virtual environments. Teachers:

a. Promote, support, and model creative and innovative thinking and inventiveness.

c. Promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students'
conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes.
 2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and
Assessments

Teachers design, develop, and evaluate authentic learning experiences and assessment
incorporating contemporary tools and resources to maximize content learning in context
and to develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes identified in the NETS•S. Teachers
a. Design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and
resources to promote student learning and creativity.
Prerequisites
Students should have an understanding of:
 Power point
 Camera use, and picture taking
 General knowledge of the growth and cycle of plant
life.
Time Frame
 This lesson will take around three weeks to
complete because of the time it takes to grow the
Lima Bean plants and to care for them.
Instructional Procedure
 Before: Teacher will teach the lesson of the process
of growing lima bean plants and teach the life cycle
and needs of plants, as well as the different plant
parts.
Instructional Procedure
Cont’d
 During: Students will be in pairs (Lab Partners)
 Given all the tools to grow their Lima Beans and
they will plant their seeds.
 The pair will be responsible the care for their plants
for the next three weeks.
 Sunlight
 Water
 Placement in the room
 During continued:
 Record progress on class Wiki every other day
 Students will reflect on:




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Height (use ruler)
Color
Other visual observations
Reflect on the amount of water they gave their plants
Amount of sunlight they exposed their plant to.
 During continued:
 Every few days, upon request, students will take
digital photographs of their plant progress and
upload them to their laptop computers. They will save
them in a folder later to put them in order through a
power point.
 Record date and time on the pictures.
 After:
 Power point presentation of the growth of their
plants.
 Go through their online wiki reports and prepare a
presentation to explain their experience of their plants
life.
 Explain different parts of the plant as they arrived on
their plant.
Materials
 Laptops (power point, photo program, internet)
 Digital Cameras
 Soil
 Water
 Foam cups
 Lima Beans
 Rulers
Assessment/Evaluations
 Pre-assessment: Short question/answer on the wiki
page about what they think about growing plants.
 Questions:
 Does the amount of sunlight change the growing progress of
the plant?
 Does the amount of water change the growing progress of the
plants?
 What do you think is the best environment to grow a Lima
Bean plant?
Assessment/Evaluation
 On-going Assessment: Because the lesson takes place
over the course of three weeks the students will get
the opportunity to show what they know and what
they have observed several times.
 Participation and content grades: class wiki
participation and the content of their responses.
 Final Presentation: pictures, their knowledge of the
plant structure and their knowledge of how their plant
did.
Accommodations/Modific
ations
 Accommodations will be made and
determined depending on the disability or
necessity for modifications.
Technology
 Laptops
 Cameras
 Digital photography program
 Power point
 Class wiki
 Internet
Self Assessment
 Answer the questions:
 Did I get across the information I wanted?
 Did the students enjoy it and learn the information?
 Have students fill out quick assessment on how they felt
about the lesson.
Questions?