DIXIE STATE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

ELED 4300 SCIENCE LESSON PLAN TEMPLATE

(1/5/15)
Teacher Candidate Heidi Rowley Grade Level Kindergarten Title Parts of Plants
CONTEXTUAL FACTORS (classroom factors)
Contextual Factors: 21 students; 8 girls and 13 boys
No ELLs
IEP Students:
Charlie for speech is pulled out
Luke for speech
Jonathan Autistic slight impulse control and speech is pulled out
Jaedyn- Repeating Kindergarten
High Level Students
Samara- High reading level- yet there are holes in her learning
Students that are apart of extended day Kindergarten
Stetsen
Luke
Jonathan
Charlie
(Lucy and Austin were recommended for extended day, but parents declined.)
Classroom environment: The classroom is large and rectangular. At the front of the room there is a Promethean Board and
four tables with five to six chairs at each table. In the right corner at the front of the room is the kiva. Along the walls of the
kiva is a board to display student work, a letter chart, sight words, letters of the week, and vocabulary words. On the side
wall is a word wall with a few sight words and student names. Next to the word wall is the door. Along the back wall is a
long counter with two hand washing sinks. There are three tables; a teacher work table, table with six iPads, and a
listening table.

WALK-AWAY (As a result of this lesson, what do I want the students to know, understand, and be able to do?)
State Standard/Objective:

Standard 4
Life Science. Students will gain an understanding of Life Science through the study of changes in organisms
over time and the nature of living things.
Objective 2
Describe the parts of living things
b. Identify major parts of plants, e.g., roots, stem, leaf, flower, trunk, branches.

Content Walk-Away: I will identify the main parts and functions of a plant.
Language Walk-Away: I will orally identify the main parts and functions of a plant.
Vocabulary:
Flower, Stem, Root, Leaf.
Briefly touch on Photosynthesis and Carbon Dioxide
Science Crosscutting Concept: Structure and Function

SCIENCE CONTENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

All plants are living organisms and the main parts of a plant include; roots, stem, leaf,
and the flower.
Roots: Roots act as the plants anchor keeping the plant in the ground. The roots are
also responsible for absorbing the water from the soil that the plant needs to survive.
Stem: The stem provides support and a place for buds and leaves to grow. Stems in
most flowering plants are green and soft. While trees have hard wooden trunks as their
stem for support. The stem also plays a role in photosynthesis by carrying waters,
sugars, and minerals throughout the plant. There are two different types of cells that
contribute to the stems role in photosynthesis. These cells are called the xylem and
phloem. The xylem carries the water through the plant and the phloem carries the other
nutrients through the plant.
Leaf: Leaves are the parts of the plant where photosynthesis starts. Leaves have
openings that allow water and air to come and go. Leaves also catch energy from the
sun this is where they receive their energy to complete the process of photosynthesis.
Flower: The flower is the part of the plant that is pollinated by bees. Once pollinated,
the flower turns into a fruit and is able to produce a seed for another plant to grow from.
Photosynthesis: Is the process of how a plant makes food for itself. The roots absorb
water from the soil and the water is carried up through the stem to the leaves where the
sunlight is absorbed to make food for the plant.
Resources:
http://www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/parts.html
http://ag.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/mg/botany/plantparts.html
http://kidsgrowingstrong.org/PlantParts

ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE (What evidence do I need to show the students have

learned the Walk-Away?)
Formative Evidence (checking for understanding throughout the lesson):
Pre-test have students draw what they think a plant looks like.
Content Walk-Away Evidence (Summative):
Students will identify the main parts and functions of a plant.

Modifications/Accomodations (ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)

Call on Jonathan to keep

him engaged during the
We do portion.

Language Walk-Away Evidence (Summative):

Students will identify the 4 main parts and functions of plants through
labeling.

Use labels in place of

writing the parts to
keep Jonathan and
Charlie from becoming
frustrated.
Have iPads ready for
Samara especially as an
extension and because
she is a fast finisher.

Approx
.
Time

ACTIVE LEARNING PLAN

Approximate length of entire lesson:__20_ minutes.
______

Teaching time: from _____to

Activate/Building Background Knowledge

Administer the Pre-test Students will draw a plant and use their best writing (invented spelling) to label the
parts a week before.
Ask: What does a plant look like? What parts of a plant can you identify?
Inquiry question: Is this the entire plant? (hold up plant in a pot) Are plants living? What do plants need to
live?
Pick up my plant and show students how to break off the soil. What do you see in the soil? Allow students to
pick up their plants and remove some of the soil. Investigation early in the lesson.
As you are looking at your plant you will tell your partner what the plant parts are called.
In pairs students will be given a plant they can touch to identify the parts of the plant.
Student will be talking about the Structure and Function of plants during this portion. When asking students
about if plants are living allow both sides to share. Allows for talk and argumentation. Remember Mrs.
Bighams pet rock is it alive? She gives it all the love and tries to feed it, but it does not grow or change. Mrs.
Bigham taught us that living things grow, breathe, move, and eat. While living things do not need to eat and
cannot breathe or move on their own.
Go to rug. Have students put their plants up.
State objectives: I will identify the four main parts and functions of a plant.
I will identify the four main parts and functions of a plant in writing.
Go over vocabulary referring to a plant model.
Flower
Root
Stem
Leaf
Formative assessment: Ask students what is below the soils surface. Is it apart of the plant?
Learning Goal
Success Criteria
Assessment Strategy
Students will learn that a part of
Students will have an actual plant Question students. What is below
the plant is under the soil.
to discover the roots.
the soils surface? Pair share
Answer the roots.
Modification/accommodations: (ELL, IEP, GATE, etc.)
Will need to reteach Charlie and Jonathan if they are pulled out during the main portion of the lesson.
SIOP 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,15,16,25 ,20
Focus Lesson (I do it)
Today we are going to be learning more about plants.
From bottom to top. The roots that we just discovered in the soil are a part of the plant.
Roots provide an anchor to the plant. They keep the plant in the ground. Roots also absorb the water in the
ground for the plant to survive. After the roots absorb the water, the water is sent through the stem to the

leaves and the leaves absorb carbon dioxide (What we breathe out) and the suns light to have energy to make
its food this process is called photosynthesis. The Plant releases sugar and oxygen for us to breathe (is
photosynthesis too much for the students?)

Leaves are the parts of the plant where photosynthesis happens. Leaves have
openings that allow water and air to come and go. Leaves also catch energy
from the sun this is where they receive their energy to complete the process of
photosynthesis.
The flower is the part of the plant that is pollinated by bees and is able to
produce or make the seed for a new plant to grow.
Discuss carbon dioxide (air), sunlight, water, and soil.
Have students label their plant as I teach.

Formative Assessment: Use white boards to draw

Learning Goal
Success Criteria
Students will be able understand
Use white boards to draw.
what roots, stem, leaves, and
flower are.

Assessment Strategy
Ask students what roots absorb
from the ground.
Observe white boards.

Modification/accommodations:
Explaining photosynthesis can help keep high-learners Samara engaged.
Have pictures to go along with vocabulary words to keep Jonathan engaged.
SIOP 25,26, 5, 6, 20
Guided Instruction (We do it)
Start power point.) On Promethean.) Show diagram/model of a plant
Have students come to the board to organize the parts of a plant and identify that part and its function.
http://www.wonderville.ca/asset/photosynthesis (Possibly use this site)

Formative Assessment: Observe students as they match the needs of the plants to the parts of the plants
Learning Goal
Success Criteria
Assessment Strategy
Students know the parts and
Students will match the parts and Students will match the vocab
functions of the root, stem,
functions of the plant to a picture words and functions to the plant
flower, and leaves.
of a plant
model.

Modification/accommodations: Already have the plant displayed. Prompt Charlie and Jonathan by helping
them first remember the part of the plant when called on to label what each part of the plant needs or does.
SIOP 5 & 6
Collaborative/Cooperative (You do it together)
With your group you will draw the parts of a plant in the correct order creating a model and identify the parts
of the plant. Show example first. Be sure to tell your partner what each part of the plant does. What is the job
of each part of the plant?

Formative Assessment: Monitor as students draw and label their plant by asking questions.
How does the plant get water?
Why do plants need the sun?
Why is air/Carbon dioxide important?
Why do plants need roots?
Learning Goal
Students will know roots are
underground and the functions of
plant parts.

Success Criteria
Students will draw the four parts
and label.

Assessment Strategy
Students will orally tell their
partner the functions of the parts
of plants. Observation.
Questioning as I monitor students
work together.

Modification/accommodations:
Group Ryker with Jonathan to help him stay on task. If Jonathan has just come back from pull-outs have
them participate with guidance.
SIOP 17,16, 20, 21,
Closure/Review of walk-aways, vocabulary, and essential questions
(Note: Closure includes student interactions, reflection, and/or demonstrations.)
Lets say our objectives: I will identify the 4 main parts and functions of plants through labeling

and speaking. Did we identify or name the four main parts of plants and know what they
do?
How do we know the parts of the plants? (Give Wait time)
Can we see it?
Have students share their drawings.
Tell students what they did well, Have students elaborate on their plant models.
SIOP 27,28, 29, 18,22

Independent (You do it alone)

Now on a piece of paper you will draw a plant and label the 4 parts. Then you will circle all the correct items
that plants need to survive.
After you are finished you may give me your folder and I will give you further instructions.
Summative Assessment: Give the students a blank paper to draw the parts of the plant and the pictures on
back for students to circle.
Modification/accommodations:
Leave the vocabulary words on the board. Put a set of vocabulary words on the desk for students to refer to.
Read the directions to the students.
Provide labels as Charlie and Jonathan struggle to write.
For Fast Finishers have the photosynthesis game open on the iPads for students which goes into an extension
to further learn about photosynthesis.
SIOP 30,23,24

SIOP Indicators
Preparation: 1-Content objectives, 2-Language objectives, 3-Content appropriate, 4-Supplementary
materials, 5-Adaptation of content, 6-Meaningful activities
Building Background: 7-Linked to background, 8-Linked to past learning, 9-Key vocabulary
Comprehensive Input: 10-Appropriate speech, 11-Clear explanation, 12-Variety of techniques
Strategies: 13-Students use learning strategies, 14-Scaffolding, 15-Higher-order thinking,
Interaction: 16-Opportunity for interaction, 17-Grouping supports objectives, 18-Wait time, 19Opportunity for L1 students

Practice/Application: 20-Hands-on materials, 21-Activities to apply content/language knowledge, 22Language skills (reading, writing, listening, speaking)
Lesson Delivery: 23-Content objective supported, 24-Language objective supported, 25-Students
engaged, 26-Pacing
Review/Assessment: 27-Review vocabulary, 28-Review concepts, 29-Feedback, 30-Assessment

TEACHING NOTES
What do I need to remember to do? What materials do I need to have ready? What is the approximate time needed for
this lesson?

Plants for each student approx. 22

Tubs for plants
Test papers
Pencils
Crayons
Labels
Large drawing paper
REFLECTION AFTER LESSON
How can I use the assessment data to reflect on & evaluate the outcomes of teaching and learning? How can I transfer
what I learned from teaching this lesson to future teaching? What was effective and not effective? What goals can I set
to improve my practice and student learning?

From the assessment data, I can conclude that overall students understood the main parts of the plants and four
of the components necessary for photosynthesis. As I analyzed the data from the pre-test to the posttest it was
apparent that students had indeed learned more than they had already known prior to my lesson. The most
missed question on the pre-test was where students were to circle if carbon dioxide was necessary for a plant to
survive 18 out of 20 students who took the pre-test missed this question. This was also the most missed question
on the posttest. However, only 3 out of 21 students (the entire class) missed this question on the posttest. From
this data I can conclude that I taught the concept of how plants need carbon dioxide well. Yet, there were still
three students who did not quite understand or know that plants need carbon dioxide. I could use this data to
improve my teaching to even make the concept clearer. When I was introducing my vocabulary of what plants
need to start the process of photosynthesis, I used pictures. All of the pictures of the plants needs lined up with
my assessment except for the carbon dioxide. On my assessment I put CO2, but on my vocabulary cards, I had
wisps of air. This was ineffective for 3 of my students. By having these pictures the same on my vocabulary
cards and assessment, students may have been less likely to miss question 7. For my future lessons I will
remember to have the pictures or materials I use in my lesson to be the same as those in my assessment. Why so
many students understood this concept could be because as I was explaining how we breathe out carbon

dioxide; I had students breathe in through their nose, put their hand in front of their mouth and breathe out to
feel the carbon dioxide. This demonstration seemed to be effective as 18 students remember carbon dioxide
played a role in keeping a plant alive.
Having students actually hold and observe actual plants was effective as well. From the pre-test almost half of
the students were unable to identify roots. However, on the posttest 100% of the students were able to draw and
label roots correctly. I first put plants on students tables. I had students pick up the plant and cover the dirt and
roots by cupping the plant in their hands. Then I had students observe and identify what parts of the plant they
did see. After we discussed what part of the plant was in the dirt; the roots.
For my future lessons I will remember that hands on activities work well, especially for such young learners.
My goals for future lessons will be to continuing to use hands-on activities. As I have seen they work well. I
will also remember to make concepts less confusing by using the same vocabulary and pictures throughout the
entire lesson.

Note: You must arrange to have at least 40 minutes to teach your lesson.