Tags: seeds, Fall, Spring, any grade, planting, outside, inside
Time : 45 mins
Author: Vicki DeBusk
Outline
| Greeting and Review | Gather students in their usual starting place. Ask, “Who can tell me how a plant starts?” “What do seeds need to grow?” (soil, water, sun and air) Explain that today they will look at different kinds of seeds and plant one. |
| Main Lesson | Planting a Seed |
| Activity 1 | Read: We Plant a Seed by Scholastic or you can watch the book being read aloud here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxl6Kiy7NPI |
| Activity 2 | Observe different seeds Materials: different kinds of seeds – (ex. lima beans, peas, beans, sunflower, pumpkin, – enough for 4 groups), container for the seeds – one per table, magnifying glasses, pencil and paper to draw seeds |
| Activity 3 | Plant a seed Materials: a cup or container for each student, permanent markers, soil, water and lima bean or other bean |
| Cleanup | Put all materials away and leave areas as they were found. |
| Goodbye | Have students name their plant and share their plant name as they leave. |
| External References | None |
| Worksheets | None |
There are three activities for this lesson. You can divide the class into 3 groups and rotate if you have enough volunteers, or you can complete the first activity as a whole group and then split the class in 2 groups. You could also complete the lesson over two class periods.
ACTIVITY 1: Read a book
Read We Plant a Seed by Scholastic or you can watch a read aloud here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxl6Kiy7NPI
ACTIVITY 2 : Observe different seeds
Place the different seeds on a plate and have the students observe them using the magnifying glasses. They can record their observations on paper by drawing pictures and/ or writing descriptive words to describe the seed.
ACTIVITY 3 : Plant a seed
- Hand each child a container and have them label with their name using permanent marker. (At this time they can also think of a name for their plant which they will share at the end of class.
- Have each child place dirt in their container making sure not to compact the soil. Using their finger, have students make an indent in the soil about half an inch deep. Drop a seed in the hole and cover with dirt.
- Water the seed and place it in a sunny spot. (water daily so soil is damp)
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Take pictures of your seed every other day and watch it grow. Print pictures and post on a board to see growth.
- Write a fictional story from the seeds point of view. Use descriptive words to show how the seed is feeling as it grows into a plant.
- Once the plant starts growing, measure weekly and place results of on graph.
CLEANUP & GOODBYE
- Have students help put away supplies and tidy up work area.
- As students line up, ask them what they named their plant.