Wednesday Science Plans

Topic: How are plants alike and different?

Grade: Kindergarten
Standards:
SC.K.L.14.3 Observe plants and animals, describe how they are alike and how they are
different in the way they look and the things they do.
Goals:
EQ How are plants alike and different?
Objective I can observe that plants are alike and different by looking closely at their leaves.
Materials:
MYON (online library) text All About Leaves
Individual student science journals
Pencils (16)
The outdoors! (for leaf collecting)
Procedures:
Engage
1. Introduce students to leaves that were found while walking outside of the classroom.
2. Bring one leaf to each table group (4) and allow students to touch, smell, and observe the
leaves.
Questioning: what do you observe?
Explore
1. Brainstorm background knowledge that students have about leaves.
2. Record students responses on white board.
Questioning: what part of the plant are we observing?, what background knowledge do we
already have about leaves?
Explain
1. Have students move to classroom carpet.
2. Read MYON text All About Leaves, page 8 to end.
Questioning: how do these plant parts help the plant to grow?
Elaborate/Extend
1. Have student line up at classroom door.
2. Inform students that you will be taking a walk as a class outside to explore different kinds
of leaves in the school yard. The students will need to collect two leaves each; however,
they must find 2 leaves that are from different plants so that they are noticeably different.
Questioning: describe where we will find the leaves

Evaluate
1. Have students return to their seats.
2. Briefly model for students how they are to sketch the leaves (by placing their paper over
the leaf and gently coloring with their pencil).
3. Ask students to take out their science notebooks and do the same, sketching their two
leaves in different sections of their paper.
4. Ask students to record one thing that is the same about the leaves, and one thing that is
different.
5. Record students thinking on their white board as they are working.
6. Discuss thinking to debrief.
*If students struggle to make comparisons on their own, model this by making a Venn
Diagram on white board and comparing/contrasting 2 leaves.
Questioning: how are the leaves alike?, how are they different?