Teaching Parts Of Plants - lernerbooks.com · • Construct meaning from text and pictures. ... • newspaper • rulers • How Tall? p. 13 ... Teaching Parts of Plants

T E A C H I N G G U I D E

Kindergarten Reading Level

TEACHING

Parts ofPlants

ISBN-13: 978-0-8225-1798-6

T E A C H I N G P A R T S O F P L A N T S2

StandardsLanguage Arts– • Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process.Reading • Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of

informational texts.

Language Arts– • Uses the basic skills and strategies of the writing process.Writing • Gathers and uses information for research purposes.

Language Arts– • Uses listening and speaking strategies for different purposes.Listening and • Demonstrates competence in speaking and listening as tools for learning.Speaking

Mathematics • Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts of geometry.• Uses basic and advanced procedures while performing the processes of computation.

Science • Understands biological evolution and the diversity of life.• Understands the nature of scientific inquiry.• Understands relationships among organisms and their physical environment.

Thinking and • Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities andReasoning differences.

Multiple Intelligences Utilized• Interpersonal, naturalistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal,

and linguistic

Copyright © 2004 by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.

All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Student pages may bereproduced by the classroom teacher for classroom use only, not for commercialresale. No other part of this teaching guide may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior writtenpermission of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., except for the inclusion of briefquotations in an acknowledged review.

LernerClassroom A division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.241 First Avenue NorthMinneapolis, MN 55401 U.S.A.800-328-4929Website address: www.lernerclassroom.com

Manufactured in the United States of America5 6 7 8 9 10 — IG — 13 12 11 10 09 08

Books in the Parts of Plantsseries include:

FlowersLeavesRootsSeedsStems

• What do you think the title of the book could be?Why do you think that?

• Open the book to the first page.• Describe what you see on the page.• As a class, look at the book, page by page, and talk

about the pictures.• What do you think this book is about?

Read(teacher, class)• Read the Parts of Plants book to the class, pointing

to the words as you read them.• Read the book a second time, with students pointing

to the words in their own books as you read.

Discuss(teacher, class)• How did the book’s pictures help you understand

the words on the page?• Discuss the book’s content.

Practice(student, pairs)• Read a page of your Parts of Plants book to the

teacher or a friend.• Draw a picture to show what the book was about.

Evaluate(teacher, student)• Does the drawing show what the book is about?• What was the main idea?• Use the Reading Lesson Checklist p. 11 to evaluate

student understanding. Assess two or three studentseach reading session.

Lesson 1Reading First StepNonfiction forKindergartenPurpose: Students will become familiar with writtentext and reading strategies.

Objectives• Recognize the format of nonfiction books.• Explain attributes that make a book interesting.• Employ basic reading strategies.• Identify beginning letters in book titles.• Construct meaning from text and pictures.• Make predictions based on picture cues.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy one Reading Lesson Checklist p. 11 for the

class.

Pretest(class, pairs)• Think of your favorite book.• Explain why you like that particular book.

Preview(teacher, class)• Look at the title on the front cover of one of the

Parts of Plants books.• What letter does it start with?• Look at the pictures inside the book.

Materials• Parts of Plants series• Reading LessonChecklist p. 11

• drawing paper• crayons

T E A C H I N G P A R T S O F P L A N T S 3

Discuss(class)• What is a seed? Why is it important? How does a

seed grow into a plant?• Explain the steps in plant growth.

Practice(student)• Using Flow Chart p. 12, draw the steps in the growth

process of plants.• Label your drawings with the words first, next, then,

and last.• Cut out each box on Flow Chart p. 12.• Mix up the steps and put them back into the correct

order.

Evaluate(teacher)• Evaluate each student’s Flow Chart p. 12 for

correctness.• Observe students’ ability to reorder the steps in the

growth process.


Lesson 2Plant Life CyclePurpose: Students will understand and illustrate thelife cycle of plants.

Objectives• Label steps in a sequence of events.• Identify steps in a process.• Illustrate steps in a process.• Diagram the growth process of a plant.• Arrange pictures in sequential order.• Explain how a plant grows.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Flow Chart p. 12 for each student.

Pretest(pairs, class)• With a partner, talk about the steps you take to

brush your teeth.• Share your ideas with the class, putting the steps in

order.• On the board, draw the steps in brushing your teeth.• Label the steps first, next, then, and last.• Talk about the order of the steps and the importance

of doing them in order.

Read(teacher)• Explain that a plant grows in steps, too.• Read the Parts of Plants books.

Materials• Parts of Plants books• Flow Chart p. 12

• pencils• crayons• scissors

Discuss(class)• What is a seed?• How does a seed grow into a plant?

Model(teacher)• Fill a clear plastic cup 2⁄3 full of potting soil.• Plant two or three seeds along the outer edges of the

soil, visible through the cup. (This will allow studentsto see the root and sprout growth before the plantsreach the surface of the soil.)

• Label the seeds by putting small pieces of maskingtape with letters near each seed planted. This willallow students to observe and measure the sameplant repeatedly.

• Water the seeds.• Place the clear cup into a paper cup, which can be

removed to observe root growth.

Practice(small group)• Follow the procedure for planting seeds modeled by

your teacher.• Water seeds regularly.

Practice(student)• Record your plant’s height weekly on How Tall?

p. 13.• Draw a weekly picture of your plant. (optional)• Compare the growth rate of two plants.

Discuss(small group, teacher)• How much did your plants grow each week?• Did they grow more during certain weeks?• Did they grow at the same rate?

Evaluate(teacher)• Assess each student’s How Tall? worksheet p. 13

for completeness.• Observe student participation in discussions.


Lesson 3Classroom GardenersPurpose: Students will plant seeds and record theirgrowth as they become plants.

Objectives• Describe the function of a seed.• Compare the growth rate of two or more plants.• Interpret measurement data.• Document the growth of a seed into a mature plant.• Create a miniature garden.• Measure the growth of a plant.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Gather planting materials.• Put newspapers down in the planting station.• Divide students into small groups for planting.

Pretest(student)• What happens to a seed that is planted in the

ground?

Read(teacher, class)• Read Parts of Plants books.

Materials• Parts of Plants books• clear plastic cups• potting soil• seeds• water• newspaper

• rulers• How Tall? p. 13 • pencils• masking tape• drawing paper• paper cups

Discuss(class)• What did you learn about roots? • What did you learn about stems? What do stems do

for plants?

Model(teacher)• Tell students that you are going to do an experiment

to see how a stem carries water to the leaves of aplant. The students will draw what happens.

• Fold a piece of drawing paper lengthwise, makingtwo columns.

• Write Before at the top of the left column, and Afterat the top of the right.

Practice(student, teacher, class)• Students will fold and label drawing paper as

modeled.• Place celery stalks in jars with 11⁄2 inches of clear tap

water. Put jars in several locations around the roomso all students can see.

• Students will draw what they see under the Beforeheading on their papers.

• Tell students that you are going to add food coloringto the water, and ask them to predict what willhappen to the celery stalk.

• Add enough red food coloring to each jar of waterto turn the water red. After about 45 minutes youwill see red on the tips of the celery leaves.

• Ask students to look at the celery again. Have themdraw what they see under the After heading on theirpapers.

• How are the two pictures different? Discuss whathappened to the celery.

• Cut the celery crosswise to reveal the veins thatcarried the food coloring up the stem. How arethese veins like the veins in a person’s body?

Evaluate(teacher)• Assess the accuracy of students’ Before and After

drawings.• Observe students’ participation in class discussion and

explanations for the changes in the celery.


Lesson 4Stem ExperimentPurpose: Students will understand how stems carrywater and nutrients to plants’ leaves.

Objectives• Define the word stem.• Discuss the functions of a plant’s stem.• Illustrate the outcome of an experiment.• Analyze the results of an experiment.• Explain how a plant’s stem is similar to a person’s

veins.• Summarize the results of an experiment.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Gather materials for stem experiment.• Write the words Before and After on the board.

Pretest(class)• Ask students how they think plants get and use water

and nutrients from the soil.

Read(teacher, class)• Read Roots and Stems books.

Materials• Roots and Stems

books• celery stalks (bestwith some leavesremaining)

• red food coloring

• clear glass jars• water• pencils• crayons• knife• drawing paper

Read(teacher)• Read Leaves book.

Discuss(class)• What did you learn about leaves?• In what ways are leaves alike? How are they

different?

Model(teacher)• Show students a variety of leaves. Ask them for ideas

about how you could group leaves into categories.• Glue several leaves onto Kinds of Leaves p. 14,

demonstrating different ways that leaves could becategorized.

Practice(student)• Look through your leaves and sort them by common

characteristics. Are they the same size? The sameshape? The same color? How else could they becategorized?

• Glue each group of leaves onto a different square onKinds of Leaves p. 14, so leaves with like traits are allin the same square.

Evaluate(teacher)• As students glue their leaves onto Kinds of Leaves

p. 14, circulate and ask them how they grouped theirleaves.

• Evaluate Kinds of Leaves p. 14 for logic of categories.• Assess students’ explanations of their leaf categories.

Extension(student)• Make leaf rubbings by placing leaves under drawing

paper and coloring over the leaves. Use a variety ofleaves and colors.


Lesson 5So Many LeavesPurpose: Students will observe and sort a variety ofleaves.

Objectives• Recall the names of plant parts.• Compare various kinds of leaves.• Classify leaves by similar characteristics.• Identify leaf characteristics.• Arrange items on a chart.• Explain categories for classification.

Activity procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Kinds of Leaves p. 14 for each student.• Gather leaves of different shapes, sizes, and colors.

(This is a good activity for autumn when leaves havechanged colors.)

• Distribute a variety of leaves to each child during thepractice exercise.

Pretest(class, teacher)• Draw a large flowering plant on the board.• Ask students to tell you which parts are the leaves.• Ask students to describe a leaf. Are all leaves the

same? How can they be different?

Materials• Leaves book• Kinds of Leaves p. 14• leaves of differentshapes, sizes, andcolors

• drawing paper• crayons• pencils

Read(teacher, class)• Read Seeds book.

Discuss(class)• What do seeds look like?• How are seeds alike and different?• What is the purpose of seeds?

Model(teacher)• Show students a variety of fruits. Explain how flowers

turn into fruits and that fruits contain seeds.• Draw one of the fruits under the heading Fruit on

Seeds Inside p. 15.• Cut the fruit open and draw its seeds under the

heading Seeds on Seeds Inside p. 15.• After students have drawn the fruits you have

brought, cut each fruit open. Give each studentseeds or a section from each fruit. (You may want todo this one fruit at a time.)

Practice(student)• Draw the fruits your teacher has brought under the

Fruit heading on Seeds Inside p. 15.• Draw each fruit’s corresponding seeds under the

Seeds heading on Seeds Inside p. 15.• Allow seeds to dry and glue them onto the Seeds

portion of Seeds Inside p. 15. • Talk about how the seeds are alike and different.• Eat the fruits.

Evaluation(teacher)• Check each student’s Seeds Inside p. 15 for accuracy.• Observe students’ participation in class discussion.


Lesson 6Seed Comparison Purpose: Students will explore and compare seedsfound in a variety of edible fruits.

Objectives• Describe seeds.• Compare a variety of seeds.• Discover the kinds of seeds found in several kinds of

fruit.• Distinguish between the seeds of different fruits.• Make a chart with corresponding fruits and their

seeds.• Assess ways that seeds could be categorized.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Copy Seeds Inside p. 15 for each student.• Gather a variety of edible fruits with seeds.

Pretest(student)• Where have you seen seeds before?• What foods have you eaten that contained seeds?

Materials• Seeds book• four (or more) seed-containing fruits(such as apples,oranges, watermelon,cantaloupe, grapes,plums, grapefruit, orpeaches)

• pencils• Seeds Inside p. 15• knife• paper plates• crayons• glue

Pretest(student, class)• Look at the plant drawing on the board or pictures

of real plants. What are the names of the plant’sparts?

• How many stems does the plant have? How manyleaves? How many flowers?

Read(teacher, class)• Read Parts of Plants books.

Discuss(class)• What are seeds? Roots? Stems? Leaves? Flowers?• How are stems alike? How are they different? What

about flowers? (Discuss all plant parts.)• Explain to students what flower petals are.

Practice(student, pairs, class)• Pass out one flower or plant to each student.• Draw a picture of the plant in the box at the top of

My Plant p. 16.• Count how many stems, flowers, petals, and leaves

the plant has.• Complete My Plant p. 16.• Label the parts of the plant with the words stem,

leaf, and flower.• Share the information about your plant with a

partner. • Using construction paper, make a paper plant. Glue

it to the classroom garden mural.

Evaluate(teacher, class)• Assess each student’s My Plant p. 16 for completeness

and accuracy.• Talk about your classroom garden mural. What do

you like about it?


Lesson 7Plant PartsPurpose: Students will identify and count the parts ofplants.

Objectives• Identify plant parts.• Label plant parts.• Compare two or more plants.• Determine the number of leaves, flowers, petals, and

stems a plant has.• Make a diagram of a plant.• Explain the functions of various plant parts.• Evaluate the strengths of a class project.

Activity Procedures

Prepare(teacher)• Gather a variety of flowering plants or cut flowers.• Copy My Plant p. 16 for each student.• Create a classroom garden backdrop with blue and

green butcher paper. Hang this in the classroom orhallway.

• Draw a large plant on the board. Label the parts withthe words stem, leaf, flower, and petal.

Materials• Parts of Plants books• Flowers Big Book(optional)

• My Plant p. 16• various kinds of realflowering plants(either live or cutflowers)

• crayons

• scissors• blue and greenbutcher paper

• colored constructionpaper

• glue • photographs offlowering plants(optional)

Heller, Ruth. The Reason for a Flower. New York:Putnam Juvenile, 1999.This picture book explains the function offlowers. It includes flowers that may not seemlike flowers, and it introduces young readers tonew vocabulary.

Hickman, Pamela. A Seed Grows: My First Look at aPlant’s Life Cycle. Toronto: Kids Can Press,Limited, 1997.Sam plants seeds and grows a watermelon, as wellas a variety of vegetables. Readers can see howthe seeds sprout, how bees pollinate the flowers,and more.

Jordan, Helene J. How a Seed Grows. New York:HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1992.This book demonstrates how a seed grows into aplant.

Maestro, Betsy C. Why Do Leaves Change Color? NewYork: HarperCollins Children’s Books, 1994.This picture book explains why leaves are greenand why they change color and fall off trees.Clear explanations make the life cycle of leavesunderstandable for young students. Activitysuggestions included.

Marzollo, Jean. I Am a Leaf. New York: Scholastic,1999.This book teaches young readers all about leaves,from sprouting to how they receive nourishment.

Mitchell, Melanie S. Beans. Minneapolis: LernerPublishing Group, 2003. This book details the life cycle of a bean plantfrom seed to full grown plant, with color photos,glossary, index and diagrams.

Posada, Mia. Dandelions: Stars in the Grass.Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 2000. This picture book tells the story of the life cycleof a dandelion.


Additional ResourcesWEBSITESFlower Crafts

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/flowers/This Enchanted Learning page offers variousflower craft ideas, flower poems and worksheets.

The Great Plant Escapehttp://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/gpe/index.htmlA cartoon detective and his two plant helperswork to solve cases involving plant life. Studentslearn about the parts of plants and theirfunctions, soil, plant growth, plant reproduction,bulbs, and how to care for plants.

My Dad’s Vegetable Garden—The Parts of the Plant WeEathttp://www.jmu.edu/biology/k12/garden/parts.htmThis site explores the different plant parts we eat,complete with color photographs.

Plant Parts Diagramhttp://its.guilford.k12.nc.us/webquests/plantquest/parts.htmThis printable plant diagram can be used to quizstudents on the six basic parts of plants: seed,root, stem, leaf, flower, and fruit.

Plant Parts Saladhttp://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/vegquiz/index.htmlOn this site, students match parts of plants withpictures of edible vegetables to make a virtualsalad. Students are encouraged to make a realsalad to enjoy.

BOOKSEhlert, Lois. Growing Vegetable Soup. San Diego:

Harcourt, 1990.A boy and his father grow a variety of vegetables,which they later make into a soup.

Ehlert, Lois. Planting a Rainbow. San Diego: Harcourt,1992.This picture book tells a story while teachingstudents about how to plant and care for seedsand plants.

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Reading Lesson Checklist

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How Tall?

Name ____________________________________________________________________

Plant ____________________________________________(Record plant letter here)

Directions: Measure how tall your plant is. Use a ruler that shows inches.Record the height of your plant each week.

Week 1

My plant is ___________ inches tall.

Week 2


Week 3


Week 4


Week 5


My plant grew the most during week ______________ .

13


14


Kinds of Leaves

Name ___________________________________

Directions: Sort your leaves into four groups. The leaves in each groupshould be alike.

15


Seeds Inside

Name ___________________________________

Directions: Draw the fruits you learned about below. Next to each fruit,draw or glue its seeds. How are the seeds alike? How are they different?

Fruit Seeds

16


My Plant

Name ___________________________________

Directions: Draw your plant in the box.

Directions: Fill in the blanks in the sentences below.

1. My plant has ____________ stem.

2. My plant has ____________ leaves.

3. My plant has ____________ flowers.

4. My flower has ____________ petals.

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Teaching Parts Of Plants - lernerbooks.com · • Construct meaning from text and pictures. ... • newspaper • rulers • How Tall? p. 13 ... Teaching Parts of Plants