Identify the basic parts of plants.
Identify the differences between the requirements of plants and animals.
Demonstrate that plants require sunlight.
Determine that plants require appropriate amounts of water for survival.
Analyze how plant growth is affected by soil type.
Analyze soil and build a soil model.
Determine the effects of fertilizers on plant growth.
Develop an experiment that could test the hypothesis that plants need air.
Observe roots and determine that roots absorb nutrients and water to be
used by the rest of the plant.
Understand how decomposers are part of the soil formation process.
Describe newly gained knowledge while writing or drawing a story.
Build Your Own Plant
Model
Build a plant out of construction
paper. As your students learn what plants need (sunlight, water, air,
nutrients), add a picture of each item to your display. Make a unique
display of new words your students learn. Make a large bowl out of butcher
paper. Fill the bowl with information your students learn. Call it ' The
Salad of Knowledge.' At the end of the unit, make a real salad for your
students to enjoy. Discuss how the salad parts grew. Make a soil model.
Have each student make a different component out of paper. (See ' I' m
Superb Soil-Not Dirty Dirt' lesson.)
SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES
These activities can be completed in
a variety fi4 sequences. Skim over the entire unit before beginning it
with your students. Pick out a sequence which will work best for you.
Make sure you plan ahead so that short term activities can occur between
longer experiments. One sample sequence is listed below.