Text Set

1st Grade
New Plants
Jane Krueger
Educ 650

Note: For the various strategies mentioned in this document I drew upon the
strategies with in the book Subjects Matter: Every Teacher's Guide to Content Area
Teaching, By Harvey Daniels and Steven Zemelman.

Title of book
ISBN

A seed is Sleeping

Author/Poet
Copyright
date/Publisher date
Brief description

Dianna Hutts Aston

2014

Readability Level
Explanation of good
choice
Strategy used
teaching this text

Source used to find

the text

Magazine:

ISBN-10: 0811855201
ISBN-13: 978-0811855204

This gorgeous book from award-winning artist Sylvia

Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston offers children a
beautiful and informative look at the intricate, complex,
and often surprising world of seeds. Poetic in voice and
elegant in design, the book introduces children to a
fascinating array of seed and plant facts, making it
perfect reading material at home or in the classroom.
Level P (ages 5-10)
This text is a little high for first graders, but it a nice
read aloud and it uses some very lovely figurative
language to help students "feel" the life of a seed.
Frontloading with Images (before reading this text I
would ensure the students' background knowledge of
what various seeds look like to help the students in their
comprehension of the book's subject matter.)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/seed-is-sleepydianna-hutts-aston/1102015556#productInfoTabs
(description)

Title of book/article
ISBN
Author/Poet
Copyright date/Publisher date
Brief Description

Readability level
Explanation of good choice

Strategy used teaching this text

Scholastic News
N/A
none listed
2015
The "Standing Tall in the Sun" issue
focuses on explaining the life cycle of a
sunflower.In the Scholastic Science
reader the article "Ready, Set, Grow!"
deals with what plant need to grow.
grade 1, approximately
Clustering and Mapping (This strategy
would help learners to link the ideas
presented in these texts.)
www.scholastic.com

Title of the book

ISBN
Author/Poet
Copyright
date/Publisher date
Brief description

Readability Level
Explanation of good
choice

From Seed to plant (A Rookie Reader)

ISBN-10: 0516273078
ISBN-13: 978-0516273075
Allan Fowler
July 2001
The process of growing into a plant from a seed is one filled
with a variety of steps. This book looks at the life cycle of
plants as they start off as pollen, then move on eventually to
become full-grown plants.
Guided Reading level J, Lexile Level not available
This book's level is right about where you want first
grade students to be reading at the end of the year
and so this should be a fairly accessible text for the
students with a spring plant unit.

Strategy used
teaching this text
Source used to find
this text

http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/seed-plant0#cart/cleanup (description)

Title of the book

From Seed to plant

ISBN
Author/Poet
Copyright
date/Publisher date
Brief description

Readability Level

Explanation of good
choice
Strategy used
teaching this text
Source used to find
this text

SBN-10: 0823410250
ISBN-13: 978-0823410255
Gail Gibbons
1993
Gibbons explores the complex relationship between seeds and
plants in a simple, concise format. This book gives young readers an
interesting look into the basics of plant reproduction, pollen
transference, seed dispersal and germination. A great first look at
botanical science, with Gibbons' characteristically vivid illustrations.
660 lexile level

Gail Gibbon's illustrations are very child-friendly and

the labels and explanations tie her work together very
well.
Turn Talk and Word Wall (Both of these strategies will
help the learners understand all the information is this
explanation-rich picture book.)
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/book/seedplant#cart/cleanup(description)

Poem:
Little Brown Seeds
Little brown seeds so small and round,
Are sleeping quietly under ground.
Down come the raindrops
Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle.
Out comes the rainbow,
Twinkle, twinkle, twinkle.
Little brown seeds way down below,
Up through the earth they grow, grow, grow.
Little green leaves come one by one.
They hold up their heads and look at the sun.
Title
Little Brown Seeds
ISBN
N/A
Author
unknown
Copyright date
N/A
Brief description
Poem describing seed sprouting
Readability level
2/3 grade
Explanation of good
The poem can be sung to the tune of "Five Little
choice
Ducks", and accompanied with movement this text
helps reach kinesthetic and musical learners.
Strategy Used for
Dramatic role-play (The children act out the seed in
teaching this text
the poem.)
Source
www.theflowerfields.com

Video
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poet
copyrig
ht date
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descript
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level
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good
choice
Strateg
y used
teachin
g this
text
Source

Bill Nye the Science Guy, Plants

N/A
N/A
1995
Bill Nye explains how plants breathe, make food, defend themselves,
and move their seeds around.
N/A

The video format draws in the focus of the visual learners. Bill Nye is
likeable and the students enjoy the style these episodes are done in.

Exit Slip to share what knew or interesting concept they learned from
the video

http://explore.ecb.org/videos/WML_seriesTHE_NOLA1=BNSG&REFERER
=BADGER&SHOWHIDE=S (desciption and video)

Website
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Author
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description

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level
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good choice
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for teaching
this text
Source

Title
ISBN

www.brainpopjr.com
N/A
N/A
1999-2015
In classrooms, on mobile devices, and at home, BrainPOP
engages students through animated movies, learning games,
interactive quizzes, primary source activities, concept
mapping, and more. Our award-winning resources include
BrainPOP Jr. (K-3), BrainPOP, BrainPOP Espaol, and, for
English language learners, BrainPOP ESL. They cover topics
within Science, Math, Social Studies, English Language Arts,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, Music, Health, Reading, and
Writing. Our content is carefully mapped to the Common Core,
aligned to academic standards, and searchable with our
online Standards Tool.
N/A
The animated characters use humor and clear explanation in
their video segments. The accompanying games are
purposeful and appropriate.
Turn and Talk (After and during the viewing of the video
segment partners would turn talk about one of several
questions the characters pose in the video...before the
characters answer the question.)
http://educators.brainpop.com/about/ (description)
colleagues informed me of this site

Let's Go Nuts!: Seeds We Eat

ISBN13- 9781442467286

Author
Copyright date
Brief description

April Pulley Sayre

2013

Readability level
Explanation of good
choice
Strategy Used for
teaching this text

ages 4-8
This text help students see the value of plants/seeds by
seeing the various ways humans eat seeds.
KWL (Using what students know about seeds we eat,
wondering we have about eating seeds, and after
reading, what we learned.)
www.amazon.com (description)

Source

What do nuts, beans, grains, and even some spices have in

common? Theyre all seedsseeds we can eat! So get ready
to greet lentils and limas, take a crack at coconuts and
cashews, and say hi to rye and buckwheat. Youll soon be
seeing seeds in a whole new way!
This seedy celebration comes complete with an authors note
full of fascinating facts about seeds, including a section about
nut allergies and how to help nut-sensitive friends and
classmates stay safe and healthy.

Little Seeds
Little seeds we sow in spring,
Growing while the robins sing,
Give us carrots, peas and beans,
Tomatoes, pumpkins, squash and greens.
And we pick them,
One and all,
Through the summer,
Through the fall.
Winter comes, then spring and then
Little seeds we sow again.
Title
Little Seeds
ISBN
N/A
Author/poet
Else Holmelund Minarik
Copyright date
N/A
Brief description
This poem is useful for students to connect the seeds
planted to the actual food we eat that come from these
seeds.
Readability level
N/A
Explanation of
I must admit I love this author of the classic Little Bear
good choice
books, so in finding an applicable poem for plants written
by her, I was drawn to it. It nicely explain the cycle of
seed, growth, fruit, andseed again.
Strategy used for
Think Alouds (to share how I understand Minarik's few
teaching this text
words teaching us about the plant cycle)
Source
www.theflowerfields.com

Title
ISBN
Author
Copyrigh
t
Brief
descripti
on

Readabili
ty level
Explanat
ion of
good
choice
Strategy
used
Source

One Bean
9780802775726
Anne Rockwell
1999
What happens when you plant just one little bean? A fundamental
childhood experiment charmingly unfolds in this first science book
about planting and observation. A perfect balance of simple narration
and cheerful, thoughtful three-dimensional paper sculptures just right
for the very young, One Bean carefully and joyfully takes the young
observer step-by-step through a plant's growth cycle, from planting
the bean in a paper cup to the tasty results.
510 Lexile
This is one perspective on a bean plant growing. It is wonderful for the
students to have a chance to see how a published author record work that is
just like they are doing.

Partner Reading (With a more able reader supporting a partner

students could more easily access the information in this text.)
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/one-bean-annerockwell/1100667044?ean=9780802775726#productInfoTabs

Title
ISBN

Seed, Sun, Soil

Author/poet
Copyright date
Brief description

Cris Peterson, photography David Lundquist

November 1, 2010

Readability level
Explanation of good
choice

1050L (approx. grade 8.2)

Strategy used for

teaching this text

Word Wall (This book is so full of great information that

it is terrific source to use for beginning a word wall a
plant unit.)
http://www.amazon.com (description)

Source

ISBN-10: 1590787137
ISBN-13: 978-1590787137

Seed, Soil, Sun. With these simple ingredients, nature creates our
food. Once again, noted author Cris Peterson brings both wonder
and clarity to the subject of agriculture, celebrating the cycle of
growth, harvest, and renewal. Using the corn plant as an example,
she takes the reader through the story of germination and growth of a
tiny corn seed into a giant plant reaching high into the air, with roots
extending over six feet into the ground. This American Farm Bureau
Foundation's Agriculture Book of the Year also discusses the makeup of soil and the amazing creatures who live therefrom
microscopic one-celled bacteria to moles, amoebas, and earthworms.
David Lundquist's stunning photographs bring an immediacy and
vibrancy to the seemingly miraculous process.
This book has great visual supports to help inform students
about a corn plant's growth. Also the look in to the soil
relates to earlier study my students have done relating to
earth materials.)

Title
ISBN

Green Inheritance: Saving the Plants of the World Rev Exp Edition
ISBN-13: 978-0520243590
ISBN-10: 0520243595

Author/poet
Copyright date
Brief description

Anthony Huxley
2006 latest edit.

Readability level
Explanation of good
choice
Strategy used for
teaching this text

fluent reader
Student come to understand the value of our planet's
plant life.
RAFT essay (The students could take on the (R)role of a
plant (A)writing to a lawmaker (F)in a letter about(T)
why they should be protected.
www. amazon.com (description)

Source

Humans are entirely dependent on plants: we eat them, build with

them, burn them for power, breathe the air they maintain, cure our ills
with them. Yet, we are destroying this fundamental resource at a
terrifying rate. This extensively revised and updated edition of Anthony
Huxleys magnificent global overview of our plant kingdom portrays the
beauty, diversity, and history of wild and cultivated plants, highlighting
their profound importance in our lives. With its beautiful color
photographs, drawings, charts, diagrams, and superb text, Green
Inheritance describes the role of plants in the global environment and
across cultures; shows how plants are used for food, fuel, and
medicine; considers their role for us as objects of beauty in gardens;
and much more.

Title
ISBN
Author
Copyright date
Brief description

Readability level
Explanation of good
choice
Strategy Used for
teaching this text

Source

Plant Reproduction
9781432915087
Louise Spilsbury
2008
What is the dance of the chromosomes? Which flower
smells of rotting meat? What is the Millennium Seed
Bank? How do plants develop? What is crosspollination? How do insects help new generations of
plants? 'Plant Reproduction' provides the answers you
want.
grade 3 (approximately)
This book explains more deeper, for grades 3-5
students, the elements of plant reproduction.
Post-it Note Responses (The students could note, as
Kelly Gallagher or Stephanie Harvey have modeled,
areas where they had confusion or found an
interesting fact)
www.amazon.com

I have a unit on plants that I teach my first grade students in the spring.
There are so many choices of books for this topic. The student's learning objectives
are to develop an understanding of living and non-living things and then grow into
discussing seeds and other means to propagate plants, the parts of plants and why
plants are important. As we are reading about these things as we begin to
investigate the topics we are reading about; planting things from seed, then
growing a plant from a potato eye, then from a stem cutting, then we grow a bulb
and seed grows without soil; all the while constructing a word wall, anchor charts
and investigation lab recording sheets.