Lesson Title: Parts of a
Plant
Content Area & Arts
Discipline: (Non-Arts
Subject & Arts Subject)
Science, Visual Arts
BIG IDEA & LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will be able to know and/or do…identify the parts of the
plant that make food for the plant and the part of the plant holds it in the
ground.
Students will… illustrate and label the four parts of a flower drawn in a
style similar to Sunflowers by Vincent van Gogh
Overview of the lesson:
(Short description)
Students will learn the
four parts of a plant and
will create labeled
illustrations in a style
similar to Vincent van
Gogh’s “Sunflowers”.
Grade Level:
1st
Proposed Time Frame:
(Hours, Days, Weeks, etc.)
PROCEDURES
List the steps of the lesson by following the outline below:
The teacher/teaching artist will engage students (“the hook”) by:
Taking the class on a walk around the school to look at plants, giving
each student a clipboard with paper and a pencil to sketch pictures of
plants. During the walk, talk to the students about what they see.
Return to the classroom and have students get into groups of 5 to
share with each other what they saw. Have students circle things on
their list or picture they name in common.
The teacher/teaching artist will build knowledge by:
AnnClaire Bennett, Oak
Grove Lower Elementary
Showing students a print or projected image of Vincent van Gogh's
Sunflowers. Provide some context of van Gogh about the postImpressionist time period that he lived and worked in (additional
information about his biography is available in the Reference section).
Have students look at the class list and name what they see in the
print. Ask students to provide details about things they notice and how
the flowers would look different if they were not in a vase. Lead the
class to deduct that there are 4 major parts to a plant: roots, stem,
leaves and flower. Note that the roots are not seen in the print and
ask the students why they think van Gogh displayed them that way.
Edited by Megan Hines
The teacher/teaching artist will model the experience:
1 ½ hours
Date Lesson Created:
-Lesson Author: (Teacher
or Teaching Artist)
Transition students into making their own illustrations in a style similar
2/4/13
Room Requirements &
Arrangement: (Location of
chairs, classroom or gym, etc.)
Classroom
Materials/Equipment:
(Arts supplies, tech equipment,
etc.)
Paper
Clip boards
Pencils
8 1⁄2 X 11 white paper
Markers
Crayons
Pastels
Scissors
Vincent Van Gogh’s
“Sunflowers” (a print or a
projected image)
to Van Gogh by giving each child a piece of 8 1⁄2 x 11 piece of paper.
Model folding the paper vertically or “like a hotdog” and demonstrate
to students where they will be making their illustrations. Provide
students with crayons, markers, or pastels to create their illustrations
of a plant showing the four major parts. When students have
completed, model cutting 3 horizontal lines across the plant to the fold
separating each part of the plant. Be sure that students only cut
through the top layer!
The teacher/teaching artist will guide the practice with the
students by:
As students are making cuts in their books, assist any students that
are having a hard time manipulating the scissors.
The students will apply understanding by:
Upon making the cuts in their flipbooks, students will open each flap
and write the name of the plant part illustrated on this part of the
paper. Have students write any other information they have learned
about that part of the plant and ask them to add a sentence about
how they made their flowers in a style similar to Vincent van Gogh.
Resources: (Additional
books, website addresses,
images, etc.)
The teacher/teaching artist will create opportunities for reflection
(Closing) by:
Vincent van Gogh Gallery
http://goo.gl/S883WV
(includes electronic copies
of images and
biographical information)
As the students finish their books, ask them to share their illustrations
and to think about how their drawings were similar or different to the
style of van Gogh.
Vocabulary: (Key words for
Teacher observation in addition to checking the student’s flipbook of
the four parts of a plant for accuracy.
both the non-arts and arts
subjects)
Stem
Root
Leaf
Flower
Vincent van Gogh
post-Impressionist
The teacher/teaching artist will assess the students’ learning by:
STANDARDS & PRINCIPLES
Please list the competency from the following:
State Content Standards (i.e. CCSS, Mississippi Frameworks):
English Language Arts
Writing Standards
2. Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic,
supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
Speaking and Listening Standards
4. Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details,
expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
5. Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when
2/4/13
appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
Science
3. Develop an understanding of the characteristics, structures, life
cycles, interactions, and environments of organisms.
a. Classify animals and plants by observable features (e.g., size,
appearance, color, motion, habitat). (DOK 2)
f. Identify and label the parts of a plant. (DOK 2)
Arts Standards (i.e. MS Visual & Performing Arts Frameworks):
Visual Art
1. Develop fundamental skills in using art media and processes to
produce works of art. (CP)
d. Demonstrate manipulative skills by performing a variety of tasks
f. Combine recognizable symbols for common objects (e.g., people,
vegetation, houses, animals) to create an original expressive work of
art.
7. Know that similar subject matter is found in works of art and design.
(HC, CP, CA)
a. Identify examples of similar subject matter in works of art.
b. Create artwork using subject matter from examples of art and
design.
Principles of Universal Design for Learning (at least one from each
of the three guiding principles):
Provide Multiple Means of Representation
1.2 Offer alternatives for auditory information
1.3 Offer alternatives for visual information
3.2. Highlight patterns, critical features, big ideas, and relationships
3.3 Guide information processing, visualization, and manipulation
Provide Multiple Means of Action and Expression
4.1 Vary the methods for response and navigation
5.2 Use multiple tools for construction and composition
Provide Multiple Means of Engagement
7.1 Optimize individual choice and autonomy
8.4 Increase mastery-oriented feedback
9.3 Develop self-assessment and reflection
APPENDIX
Extended Learning Activities:
The book Camille and the Sunflowers, by Laurence Anholt provides a
true account of a young girl that befriends artist Vincent Van Gogh and
focuses largely on the Sunflower series. The text is appropriate for 1st
2/4/13
grade students and could provide an extension to further integrate the
lesson into English with both literary and informational text.
TIPS/FAQs:
-References: (i.e. Works cited, etc.)
--
2/4/13