Aubrey Lucas
CA177
Lesson 1
Grade Level: 3
Subject Areas: Science and Dance
Lesson Overview: Students will sign up for a role (i.e. a plant, sun, water) There is a
limited amount of options so that every student will fill a needed role.
Materials: The seven plant needs (coloring page)
Procedure:
1. Give a lecture on the seven plant needs (room to grow, temperature, light, water,
air, nutrients, and time).
2. Hand out worksheet as a visual (see attachment)
Dance
1. Explain to students that although there are seven plant needs, we will be creating
a dance using three of the seven needs.
2. Students will sign up for a role as plant, sun or water.
3. Students group into the appropriate area (i.e. plant, sun, water)
4. Students discuss how they are needed in the group (i.e. I am the sun so I need to
shine on the plant so it can eat.)
5. Students will then get in groups with their similar characters (plants with plants,
suns with suns, waters with waters)
6. Each group will then create a dance move which they will continually perform for
one minute showing their understand of the role. (i.e. sun will show it sun rays
moving toward the plant for one minute) The whole sun group must agree upon
their chosen dance move.
7. Students will then get back into their first groups of plant, sun, water, and discuss
how they will demonstrate their role.
8. Students will then perform a recital of their dance in their plant, sun, water group.
9. They will have five minutes to practice, then they will be presenting as a class and
in their groups. (the whole class presents at one time)
10. They will begin their performance, suns shining, plants swaying, rain falling) then
the teacher will say, “Okay rain stop falling,” and the plant will wither up.
11. Then they will start the dance again and the teacher will say, “okay sun stop
shining,” and plant will wither up.
12. Have a discussion after the dance and discuss why the plants withered when the
sun/rain stopped.
Vocabulary: Plant, sun, water, space/room, temperature, air, nutrients, habitat, organism,
survival needs.
Standards Addressed:
Science
II. Life Science
Unit of Study: Habitats and Adaptations
A. Characteristics of Organisms
1. Organisms can survive only in habitats in which their needs can be met.
a. Compare and contrast the basic needs of plants and animals.
Dance
2.7 Demonstrate a variety of partner skills (e.g. imitation, leading/following, mirroring).
Student Learning Objectives: Students will need to demonstrate good communication
and choreography prior to their dance to ensure that they create a proper habitat. This
means they will need to work well with group members.
Assessment: Assessment will be based on completion of a worksheet as well as meeting
the requirements of a checklist of skills meeting science standard 2.1 and dance standard
2.7 (see attachment)
Extension and Collaboration Strategies: This lesson could lead in to a further
discussion on ecology or relate to a discussion on animal needs.
Resources: Plant needs http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/case1/c1facts3a.html, “what a
Plant Needs,” coloring page http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnesfamous/flower.jpeg
Attachments: Worksheet of plant needs.
Plant Needs Worksheet
Visit http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/case1/c1facts3a.html and find the seven things
plants need to grow. Tell about those needs in your own words.
1. What are the seven things a plant needs to grow?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. What can happen to plants growing in small places?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. How can a plant tell you when it isn’t getting enough light?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. How can you tell when it’s time to water a plant?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
QuickTime™ and a
TIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
What plant needs are missing from the drawing?
1.______________________
2._______________________
3._______________________
Checklist
yes
Did student complete Plant Needs
worksheet completely and accurately?
Did student complete plant needs
dance?
Did student work well with group
members?
No (explain)