VIU Faculty of Education

The Needs of a Seed

Name: Heather McCarthy
Grade

Kindergarten

Topic

Science: Basic Needs of a Plant

Date

October 16, 2014

Allotted Time

30 minutes

Cite sources used to develop this plan:

Based around Kindergarten Science Curriculum Draft from
https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/science/K
A Seed Needs by Iram Kahn
Adapted from a lesson plan found on http://littlesoaringeagles.blogspot.ca/

1. Rationale: Why is this lesson relevant at this time with these students?

A sunflower is something that students are familiar with

To add to their unit on plants

Precedes lesson on parts of a plant

Concept falls under kindergarten science curriculum

2. Provincial Learning Standards: What competencies and concepts and content does this lesson
develop?

Basic needs of plants

Orally communicating observations using learned vocabulary

Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world

3. Assessment
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Lesson Outcome
What will students learn?

Sources of Evidence
What product or action will show
what students have learned?

Students will be able to orally

communicate that a plant
needs certain things to grow

SAY: Students participate in class

discussion about how a sunflower
seed turns into a sunflower

Students will be able to orally

communicate the 5 things a
seed needs to grow

SAY: Students participate in class

discussion when asked what the 5
needs of a seed are

DO: Construction paper gluing

Students will be able to
represent the 5 needs of a seed craft that shows the 5 needs of a
seed
with the use of a craft

Criteria
What will you look for in this
evidence?
Students have followed
instructions to create the craft
(I can observe that there have
been things glued to the paper,
etc.)
Students have all the 5 needs
of a seed on their craft
Students have placed the cut
out representations of the
things a seed needs accurately
on their paper (I can observe
the soil is glued at the bottom
of the page and the sun is
glued at the top of the page,
etc)

4. Resources, Material and Preparation: What resources, materials and preparation are required?

Teacher prepared poster board that has the poem The Needs of a Seed by Iram Kahn written
on it

Sunflower seeds, class set of glue sticks, class set of pencil crayons

Enough full sheets of blue construction paper for the class

Teacher prepared construction paper cut outs of suns, soil, clouds, and flowers

Teacher created worksheet

Teacher prepared example of the completed craft that the students will be doing

5. Lesson Development
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Pacing

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Introduction: How will you introduce this lesson in a manner that

engages students and activates their thinking?

Teacher will begin the lesson with a carpet discussion and reading of a
poem to engage students

The students will sit on their spots at the carpet and be shown a
sunflower seed that is passed around so all students get a chance to
touch it

The students are asked if any of them know what a sunflower can grow
into, to activate their thinking. Reinforce classroom management tricks:
By raising your hand who can tell me what this seed can grow into?

After all students are given a chance to participate, inform the students
that a sunflower needs five things to grow into a sunflower and that they
will be reading a poem about these five things and then making a craft
5 minutes
to show what they have learned

With the use of a pointer stick, read the poem out loud to the class. The
five things a seed needs (Sun, Soil, Space for the roots to grow, Air, and
Water) are underlined in the poem. List the five things a seed needs

Inform the students the poem will be read out loud again and ask the
students to read the poem with the teacher this time

Teaching/Learning Sequence: What steps and activities are you going

to use to help students acquire and practice the knowledge, skills and/or
15 minutes
attitudes needed to meet the outcome?

Ask the students to return to their seats and when everyone in sitting
quietly the teacher will hand out one piece of blue construction paper
and a glue stick to each student and tell the students this is representing
the air that a seed needs to grow

Instruct students that they will be adding the other things a seed needs to
grow into a plant to their piece of construction paper. An example of a
completed craft will be hanging on the board at the front of the class

Students will be asked to raise their hands if they know one of the needs
of a seed they have learned about from the poem

Teacher then picks a student to answer and if a correct answer is given,

the teacher will hand out the cut out representation of that need. For
example if the answer is sunlight; the teacher will hand out the sun
cutouts
The students are then instructed to glue the sun to the construction paper

5 minutes

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Last Revised: Fall 2005

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they have been given. Give the students hints such as where would you
put the sun? to help them accurately portray the 5 needs of a seed

Repeat procedure of asking students what a seed needs until all cutouts
have been handed out and glued on to their papers. While students are
gluing a cutout to their paper, circulate around the classroom to ensure
all students understand what is being asked of them and that they are on
task

Once teacher has observed that all students have finished gluing, pass
out the flower cutouts for the students to add to their craft Once a seed
has all five things it needs, it can grow into a flower!

Closure: How will you solidify the learning that has taken place and
deepen the learning process?

The teacher will then explain to the students that they can add their own
drawings using pencil crayons to the craft they have made to personalize
their learning

Teacher hands out the pencil crayons while giving examples such as adding
raindrops to show one way seeds can get water

Give the students a two minute warning before ending the lesson

After five minutes, ask one student from each table to put away materials

The lesson ends

5 minutes

6. Accommodations (adaptations, extensions, other ): How will you plan for students who have
learning/behaviour difficulties or require enrichment?

For students who require enrichment or are finished their craft early, hand out a worksheet that has
five lines for the students to write the 5 things a seed needs on them

If the students dont know how to spell the words they can look at the poem which will be at the
front of the class

For students who have learning/behavior difficulties emphasize the importance of process over
product by reminding them that not everyones craft needs to look like the example

Allow some extra time later in the day for students who need it or would like to finish their work

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Last Revised: Fall 2005