College of Western Idaho Lesson Plan Template

Name Date
Susan Robinson 03/15/2021

Subject/Grade Topic:
1st grade What Do Plants Need to Grow?

The Big Idea(s) or Essential Question(s) & Pre-Work

Students will be asked to walk around their yards and neighborhoods with their
parents to look at the different plants and trees they observe before coming to
class.

Students will learn what a hypothesis is and how to make a prediction about the
outcome of an experiment.

Students will also learn about and observe what is needed to make plants grow.

Students will also learn how important the sun, soil, and water are to plants and
the world.

State of Idaho and/or Common Core Standards Addressed

Standard: LS1-2. Ecosystems: Interactions, Energy, and Dynamics

LS1-2-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants
need sunlight and water.

Objectives/Learning Targets
(what the students will be able to do as a result of the lesson)

Students will observe the importance of sunlight and the needed warmth it
provides the soil for a seed to sprout.

Students will observe that water is used to keep soil moist for plants to
germinate but also to help provide nutrients from the soil during the growth
process.

Students will also understand the parts of a plant and the role of each.

Outcomes
SWBAT
Students will be introduced to vocabulary terms and use terms such as
hypothesis and photosynthesis.

Students will be able to analyze, identify and label the different parts of a plant
and the importance of each part.

Students will be able to use evidence to explain the process a seed goes
through to become a plant.

Materials/Resources/Supplies

Pencils, crayons/markers, printer paper, notebooks, plastic cups,

soil, bean seed packets, water, Chrome books, smart board,
computer.
Activities/Procedures (include anticipated time for each)
Introduction/Activator

Discuss the theme “What Plants Need to Grow”. Explain to students the
importance that plants have for the planet, animals, and humans. Ask students
to identify some different types of plants and what types of plants have they
observed in different environments.

Class Activities Reasons for Activities

(what you/students will do) (why you will do them)

Discussion/question period with Gain understanding on what students

students (15 min)
Bill Nye the Science Guy video on
plants. (15).
Plant and water bean seeds in 2
separate cups and place one cup in
the sun and the other cup in a darker
environment and work with each
group to make create their hypothesis
about the plants. (15 min).
Draw, diagram, and color a plant
worksheet (15 min).
already know and develop a better
understanding of the importance of
plants.
Vocabulary is used to help students be
able to understand and be able to put
them into sentences to solidify their
comprehension.
Group work will help students learn to
engage with other students. Also, helps
students to learn to bounce and
formulate ideas or concepts about their
project.

Closure/Reminders

Review vocabulary terms and have students use the vocabulary terms
Hypothesis and photosynthesis. Discuss with students what they learned about
what plants need. Also discuss that we will monitor plants for the next 7 days to
measure growth and document changes in their notebooks based on
predictions.

Assessment
(how you will know students met the objectives - include rubrics)

Students will be assessed on their ability to draw, label, and color the parts of a
plant. For those researching a plant, they will be assessed on their ability to find
the plant and write 3 complete sentences about their plant.

Name:____________
Date:____________

______________ RUBRIC

LEVEL        1        2         3

No complete Some parts of plant 3 complete

sentences or not on diagram are labeled sentences.
the topic. correctly.
Punctuation and
Details are not label Some punctuation and capital letters.
correctly or missing capital letters are
information. missing from sentences. Plants diagram
is complete.
Can’t read Project was rushed and
handwriting. Neat
could be nicer.
handwriting on
Project is not neatly project.
done.
Project is neat.
Accommodations/Differentiation

Will work with a small group to plant their seeds and give water. Help with
formulating their hypothesis and predict what will happen to the plants in the
sun and the one in the dark. Provide print out of plant that is easy to diagram.
Will provide a sheet with the different parts of the plants and work with students
independently or in a small group to ensure inclusion in the lesson.

For those students that need more of a challenge, I will provide an option
instead of the plant diagram. I will ask them to use a chrome book to research a
specific plant(s) that I have predetermined and write 3 sentences about
interesting facts they discovered during their research.

Reflection/Evaluation

I believe this lesson would be a fun one to teach in a first-grade classroom. I

am sure that the time allotted for the initial lesson might run over an hour.
Observations will take a full week. I do see value in the students planting their
own seeds and observing them as they grow. For some this might be the first
time they have ever planted a seed or watched the stages of development. It is
important for me to remember that first grade needs somewhat fluid when
introducing new concepts and allowing for exploration and questioning.