Eastern CT State University Lesson Plan Format
Student Teacher: Chelsea Burns
Grade Level: 2nd
Date of Lesson: TBA
Institution: TBA
Length of Lesson: 6-7 Weeks
Content Standards
Content Area: Structure and Function — How are organisms structured to ensure
efficiency and survival?
CT Science Standard 2.2 – Plants Change their forms as part of their life cycles
Core Science Curriculum Framework: 2.2.a. The life cycles of flowering plants include
seed germination, growth, flowering, pollination and seed dispersal.
ISTE Standard 1: Creativity & Innovation (Students demonstrate creative
thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes
using technology. Students:
a. apply existing knowledge to generate new ideas, products, or processes
b. create original works as a means of personal or group expression
c. use models and simulations to explore complex systems and issues
d. identify trends and forecast possibilities
*APP USED: The Seed Cycle for IPAD
Prior Knowledge/Connections
Students have read books about plants including The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and
The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein
The class has talked about plants; students know that plants are living things and
what they need to grow and survive.
The class has gone on a field trip to a local greenhouse
Student Learning Objectives
Students will understand…
1. Bean plants progress through a sequenced life cycle. First, beans sprout (germinate),
then grow into a plant, Reproduction/Flowering, and finally bean pods develop and
can be harvested
2. Roots, stems, leaves, flowers and seeds are structures that develop during different
stages of the plant’s life cycle.
Vocabulary
 Life cycle
 Plant structures
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Seed
Germinate
Reproduce
Flower
Pollen
Pollinator
Seed dispersal
Chlorophyll
Harvest
Assessment – Essential Key Question
What is the sequenced life cycle of a bean plant?
Students will be asked to draw/illustrate the life cycle of a bean plant
(Seed->seed sprouts->roots->stem->leaves->flower/bean)
Students will be asked to define the following terms:
Life cycle, seed, germinate, reproduce, harvest
Formative Assessment - Grading Rubric:
Criteria
Exceeds
Expectations
Meets
Expectations
Understands/Illustrates Exceptional detail
Drawing is
Sequenced Life Cycle of to work, precise
clear and neat,
Bean Plant
labels/explanations Labels are
correct and
accurate
Lesson Vocabulary
Lengthy definitions Most words
of all terms
are defined
correctly
Completion of Science
Includes extra
Includes all
Journal (Processing
detail/recording
required
Skills)
and drawings,
information, as
reflection in
well as
addition to
sketches &
required
some
information
reflection
Participation/Effort
Outstanding effort, Usually on
always on task,
task, listened
helps others, does
to directions,
extra
completed
work in a
timely manner
Partially
Meets
Expectations
Student made
an attempt to
draw/color,
includes some
correct labels
A few words
are defined
correctly
Includes most
of the
required
information &
sketches
Unsatisfactory
Student
needed some
redirection,
did not
complete all
tasks
Child disrupted
others, barely
focused, did not
complete all tasks
Drawing is totally
unclear/scribbling,
No correct labels
Words are
skipped/defined
incorrectly
Journal is missing
most required
information,
includes no
sketches
independently
Materials/Resources:
 The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
 Bean seeds
 Water
 Ziploc bags
 Cotton balls
 Clear tape
 Science journals
Technological Resources:
 Ipads with The Seed Cycle app
Learning Activities
Instructional Strategies: Whole group will meet for initiation
Grouping Strategies: Children will work independently on their plants
Students will rotate turns using two provided IPADS throughout lesson – 10
minutes each
Initiation
-Whole class will meet, read aloud of The Tiny Seed
-Will complete KWL chart about the life cycle of plants
-Discuss The Seed app on the IPAD (children will be partnered, partners will rotate
turns using the two available IPADS , 10 minutes for each pair)
Lesson Procedures:
DAY 1:
a.
Each child will receive materials for planting and will write their names on the
bottom of the bag
b.
Students will soak cotton ball in water and bury the seed inside the cotton ball
c.
Have them tape cotton ball & seed inside Ziploc bag (about 5 inches down)
d.
Students will take a second cotton ball, soak it, and squeeze more water into the
bag, onto the cotton ball & seed
e.
Children will place their Ziploc bags by the window
Over the next few days, children will observe and take note of their plants and make
sketches of what they see. The plant will sprout in about a week, and will grow into
a plant in about six weeks. Children should also be recording the dates/time span of
change and growth.
Children will use the IPAD app The Seed Cycle, and will begin to study Pollination, in
accordance with the bee character in the activity, and will continue to study the life
cycles of different kinds of plants. Other apps about life cycles will be introduced.
Closure
Once plants have fully developed, children will look back through their journals and
work on their drawing/illustration of the bean plant life cycle. They must label each
phase as well as the parts of the plant (seed, roots, stems, leaves, flowers/beans).
Students will also complete the vocabulary quiz, to be handed in with the journal
and will share their drawings with the class.
Intervention
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Allow student to work with partner or teacher,
check journal every day or so
child will only have to draw & color the progress of their plant
have child practice sequencing the life cycle
consistently review vocabulary words
Enrichment
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Child may be asked to do separate research on different kinds of plants to be
shared with class
Have child share different books out loud with class
Have child create their own app in relation to The Seed Cycle, about an
organism of their choice
Student Recording Sheet A
The Seed Cycle:
First tap the seed under the ground and tell and/or draw what happens…
Something sprouts from the surface; what is the scientific term for this
phase?
An embryo is another name for
What do plants need to grow and survive?
Explain and/or illustrate the first thing that happens when the plant
begins to grow:
Describe and draw a picture of each phase of the plant life cycle:
PHASE
Seed
Roots
Seeding
DESCRIBE
DRAW
Stem
Leaves
Flower
The Bee
What is the bee’s purpose?
What is pollen and what does it help plants do?
Fill in the blanks:
Is the process by which
from the
anthers of a flower is
to the stigma of the same
flower or another flower. This enables
which results in development of
from the flower.
Most plants need outside help in moving pollen, such as wind
or insects like bees and butterflies.
Bees, Honeybees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, flies, bats,
hummingbirds, honeyeaters, and sunbirds can all be considered
.
Circle the animals that eat plants
In the game, what is the hungry bird trying to eat?
Why do you think people put scarecrows in their gardens?
What is photosynthesis?
Fill in the blanks:
Leaves have a chemical inside them called
.
This gives leaves their green color and helps plants absorb
energy from
photosynthesis.
. It is very important in
What kind of flowers can you grow in your garden?
Why do we need plants to survive?
Label the different parts of the plant with the words in the
text box, use arrows:
Taproot
Leaves
Stem
The Seed Cycle:
Flower
Lateral roots
Terminal bud
Student Recording Sheet B
With your finger, first tap the seed in the brown dirt:
Describe or draw what you see:
This is the beginning phase of a plant’s life cycle, called seeding
or germination.
Plant Growth
Plants need water and light in order to grow and survive.
When you tap on the clouds, you can make it rain on the
plants:
When you tap on the sun, it will shine light onto the plants:
What changes do you see happen as you tap the different
pictures?
A plant is a living organism like animals and humans. The life
cycle shows how a living thing grows, lives, and dies.
Can you think of what happens in the human life cycle?
What happens when you tap the bee?
Pollination is the process by which pollen from a plant's anther
is transferred to another plant's stigma. This transfer fertilizes
the plant and the plant then goes on to reproduce (make more
seeds).
Bees, butterflies, beetles, flies, bats, hummingbirds, and the
wind can carry pollen
Circle the animals that eat plants
In the game, what is the hungry bird trying to eat?
Why do you think people put scarecrows in their gardens?
Draw a picture of your own garden or a garden you hope to
have one day:
What kind of flowers can you grow in your garden?
Why do we need plants to survive?
Label the different parts of the plant with the words in the
text box, use arrows:
Roots
Leaves
Stem
Flower