KUTZTOWN UNIVERSITY

ELEMENTARY EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

PROFESSIONAL SEMESTER PROGRAM
LESSON PLAN FORMAT

Teacher Candidate: __________Allison Young ___ __________ Date: __2/8/17_____________

Cooperating Teacher: _______Mrs. Hakimi____________________________ Coop. Initials: ________________
Group Size: ___23_______________ Allotted Time: _ 40 min/day for 2 days Grade Level: ___4th___________
Subject or Topic: __Plants__________________________ Section: _____________________

PlantsDay Three

STANDARD(s): (PA /Common Core - identify which learning standards are being addressed
within this lesson; may be obtained at: http://www.pdesas.org/Standard/View )
3.1.4.A1 Classify plants and animals according to the physical characteristics that
they share.
3.1.4.A2 Describe the different resources that plants and animals need to live.

I. Performance Objectives (a bulleted list of Learning Outcomes use Webbs DOK

chart or Blooms Verbs/Wheel to identify verbs and nouns for student
performance an objective is a performance indicator what the student will be able
to do as a result of this lesson)

The student will

The fourth grade students will be able to describe the function of the stem of a
plant by observing and analyzing the result of putting a celery stalk in a cup of
colored water for a few days.

II. Assessment/Evaluation plan (Pre-assessment - How you determined (1) that the
objective(s) is/are appropriate for the learner(s); (2) at what level the learner(s) may
be expected to meet the objective(s) & standards; (3) What evidence or data have you
gathered to plan for instruction? AND Post-assessment - How you will determine
and/or record whether, or to what extent, the learner(s) met the objective(s) &
standards?)
A. Formative
i. The students will make observations about their celery stalk after the
experiment. They will record these observations both in visual form (a
drawing) and written from (using words).
ii. The students will come to a logical conclusion as to why the experiment
results are what they are.
iii. The students will evaluate whether or not their hypothesis was correct and
why.
B. Summative
i. There is no summative assessment for this lesson.
III. Instructional Materials
Teacher Materials
Experiment sheet filled in with hypothetical answers.
Student Materials
Celery experiments (one per group; 4)
Experiment sheets (24)

IV. Subject Matter/ Content [prerequisite skills, key vocabulary, big idea(s), content -- an
outline goes here)
A. Prerequisite Skills
B. Key Vocabulary
a. Root hairsthreadlike cells on a root that take in water and minerals from the
soil.
b. Taproota single, thick root, found on plants like carrots and dandelions.
c. Epidermisthe thin protective layer on the top and bottom of a leaf.
d. Stomatatiny openings/pores from which gases and water vapor pass in and
out of. The plant uses them to control how much water it loses.
e. Chlorophylla green substance found in plants (leaves) that trap the energy
from the sunlight for the plant to use.
f. Photosynthesisthe process that plants use to make food using energy from
sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. The byproducts are sugar and oxygen.
g. Respirationthe process during which plants use the sugars it makes during
photosynthesis. This process uses oxygen and releases energy.
C. Big Idea
a. Plant parts and what they do
D. Content
a. Plants use their leaves to make their own food with photosynthesis using
sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.
i. Epidermisthe thin protective layer on the top and bottom of the leaf.
ii. Stomatapores that draw in and release water and gases.
b. Plant stems bring water and nutrients up the plant as well as hold up the leaves
to the light.
i. They can be woody or soft.
ii. This can be seen when certain plants, such as white flowers or celery,
are placed in colored water for a period of time. The colored water
will be drawn up the stem and into the flower/leaves, turning them the
color of the dye.
c. Plant roots hold the plant in place and also draw up water and nutrients from
the soil.
i. There are two types: taproot (a single, thick root) and fibrous (spread
out).
ii. Root hairs are threadlike cells that help the roots carry out their
functions.
d. Respiration-- the process during which plants use the sugars it makes during
photosynthesis. This process uses oxygen and releases energy.
e. Cacti and evergreens both live in dry places, have adaptations that help them
 maintain water (the shapes of the cactis leaves, the thick outer layer and wax
coating of the evergreens), and have adaptations that protect them from
animals (cactineedles, evergreenswoody trunk).
i. Cactilive in hot, dry areas (deserts); have large, fleshy stems to store
water
ii. Evergreenslive in cool, dry areas; keep leaves for 1-18 years; can
have needle-like leaves or broad, flat leaves

V. Implementation
A. Introduction
i. Have students take out their experiment sheets and select one student from
each group to retrieve their groups celery experiment.
B. Development
i. Have students observe celery.
1. Give them a few minutes to talk with their group members about
what they see and discuss why that might be.
ii. Have students do a gallery walk to each table to see everyone elses celery.
1. Explain that its called a gallery walk. Tell students that galleries
are like art museums, and its very important to be very quiet in art
museums. They can talk to their peers about what they see, but
they HAVE to keep their voices to a whisper or else theyll be
kicked out of the gallery.
2. Tell students to think about what is the same and what is different
about their celery and their classmates celery and why that might
be.
iii. Call on students to share their observations.
iv. Discussdid the celery change color? Did the leaves (if there are any)
change color? Why do they think so?
1. If the reason why the celery changed colorthat the water was
carried up the stalk and to the leavesis brought up during this
discussion, have students write it down on their experiment sheets.
v. Have students draw their groups celery on their experiment sheet along
with some written observations.
vi. If the reason the celery changed color hasnt come up yet, ask this
question, maybe have the students pair-share their answers, discuss as a
whole group, and have the students write it on their experiment sheets.
1. Why does the stem carry the water up to the rest of the plant?
Why is that important?
vii. Discuss whether or not students hypotheses were correct. How many
students hypothesized correctly? How many students hypothesized
incorrectly? Ask students to think about and share why their hypotheses
were wrong.
C. Closure
i. Have students record whether or not their hypotheses were correct and
why on their experiment sheets.
ii. Have students put their science things in their science folders and get
 ready to go home.
D. Accommodations/Differentiation
i. JP and LT will only be required to include one written observation about
the celery.
ii. JP and LT will only be required to record whether or not his hypothesis
was correct. They will not be required to write about why.

VI. Reflective Response

A. Report of Students performance in Terms of States Objectives (Reflection on
students performance written after lesson is taught, includes remediation for
students who failed to meet acceptable level of achievement written during field
placement)
i. Most of the students were able to successfully record their observations
about the celery, evaluate whether or not their hypothesis was correct and
why, and come to a logical conclusion as to why the celery changed color.
However, there are a number of students who did not complete those
sections of their experiment packets; next week, I am going to provide
pictures of the celery experiment to these students so that they can
complete their packets.
B. Personal reflection (1. Questions written before lesson is taught. 2. Reflective
answers to questions recorded after lesson is taught.)
i. Were the students able to stay on task and focused?
1. Yes, for the most part. There were some kids that didnt complete
the packet pages for the lesson (the after observations, the what
happened, seeing if their hypotheses were correct or incorrect),
but the kids were really interested in the celery, so I think that they
ii. Was my lesson engaging?
1. Definitely. The kids loved the experiment, and they loved
observing the celery to see what changed during the experiment.
They had a really good time breaking the celery apart to see the
inside, which was great because it allowed them to see the tubes
within that transport water and nutrients up the plant.
iii. Is there anything about this lesson I would change?
1. In the future, I would probably try to focus this lesson more.
Towards the end, the kids got a little bit crazy and out of control as
they were looking at their celery and their classmates celery as
well as taking apart their own celery. It was fun both for me and
the kids, but it could have been more focused and under control.
VII. Resources (APA Reference List (include web addresses, title, author, publisher,
dates, etc. for all items used to create lesson; APA formatting guidelines may be found
at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ )
A. Milton, J. (n.d.). Celery & Food Coloring Experiment. Retrieved February 02,
2017, from http://www.kiwicrate.com/projects/Celery-and-Food-Coloring-
Experiment/571
B. E. (2014, May 06). Celery Science Experiment | Activity. Retrieved February 02,
2017, from https://www.education.com/activity/article/celery_stick_science_first/