Tags: Class Ideas, Fall, Leaves, Outdoor, Indoor, Pre-k, Kinder, 1st Grade, Anytime,
Time : 45 mins
Author: Vicki DeBusk
| Greeting and Review | Meet in your regular spot. Ask “What do you notice about all trees and plants? What do you know about leaves? Today we will investigate different leaves. |
| Main Lesson | Leaf Investigation |
| Activity 1 | Examine leaves Materials Needed: various sized, shaped and colored leaves – enough for each student to have one (you can find beforehand or have students look for them in the garden – you might have more variety if you bring from different places, pencils, crayons, hand lens, leaf investigation sheet (see below) |
| Activity 2 | Leaf rubbings Materials Needed: various leaves, crayons, white paper |
| Spanish Vocabulary | Hoja- leaf |
| Cleanup | Put all supplies away. |
| Goodbye | Have the students name a part of a leaf. |
It is a good idea to split the class into smaller groups and rotate activities.
ACTIVITY 1: Leaf examination
- At each table have students pick a leaf. Have them compare leaves with others at their table. Look closely at their leaves with a hand lens. What do all the leaves have in common?
- Explain the different parts of the leaf – the stem, blade, and veins. Explain the purpose of a leaf is help make food for the plant (tree) through a process called photosynthesis. The veins in the leaves work like straws and soak up water all the way from the roots to the very tip of the leaf.
- Have each student fill in their investigation sheet –
Encourage students to raise their hand and ask questions if they are unsure about something.
ACTIVITY 2 : Leaf Rubbings
- At each table, have various leaves of size and shape, white paper, crayons and pencil.
- Demonstrate how to rub a leaf by placing a leaf under a sheet of paper and then gently rubbing of the leaf with a crayon (I found it is easier if the crayon is used horizontally with the paper label removed)
- Optional – have the students label their rubbing with stem, blade and veins
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Read: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves!
By Lucille Colandro
- Make a leaf graph with all the different types of leaves collected.
- Leaf symmetry – Have students cut their leaf in half and draw the other half.
CLEANUP & GOODBYE – put away all crayons and pencils and clear off tables.
As students line up, have them name a part of the leaf.