Unit - Nikita and Jill

Parts of a Plant
Jillian Messineo and Nikita Garbayo
April 23rd, 2021
Mrs. Rickey, Kindergarten

Table of Contents
I. Visual Representation
II. Overview
III. KUD’s, Essential Questions, and Standards
IV. Rationale
V. Home/School/Community Connection
VI. Preparing and Sustaining the Learning Environment
VII. Calendar
VIII. Lesson Plans
IX. Appendix
I. Visual Representation
II. Overview
This unit is centered around plants and the different parts of plants. We will not only
focus on the parts of a plant but also plant needs and the conditions the plant needs to grow in.
The unit will begin with a read aloud to students using a book about plants. This book will
introduce students to the basics of a plant and get their minds thinking about the topic. By
beginning to learn about the different parts of plants and all the work they do for the
environment, students will be able to relate it to their own lives and think about the plants that
they come across. Within the first two days of the unit we will have students plant their own
seeds that we will observe throughout the unit to see the different stages of the plant, from seed
to fully grown. This unit will take place through four lessons, each being taught twice. These
lessons will follow the students own plant as we watch it grow. Each lesson will either be about a
different part of a plant or what the plant does for the environment. To mark the growth from
beginning to end, we will have students draw a picture of the plant before (seed form), and then
record its progress everyday using an observation journal. Each day students will observe their
plants and write and draw about their observations. In total students will have four written
observations over the course of the unit.
III. KUD’s, Essential Questions, and Standards
KUD’s:
● Know:
○ Vocabulary: Roots, Stem, Leaf, Flower, Seed, Soil
○ What a plant needs to grow
○ Different parts of the plant

● Understand:
○ In order to grow, plants need proper conditions
■ Sunlight, water, soil, etc.
● Do:
○ Students will grow their own plants using the materials needed for plants to grow.
Essential Questions:
● What is a plant?
● How can we meet the basic needs of plants?
● What are the different parts of a plant?
● What do the different parts of a plant do?
● What does a plant need to grow?
● Have you ever grown a plant before?
● When writing do we begin our sentences with an uppercase or lowercase letter?
● How do we end our sentences?
Standards:
● K-LS1-1.: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including
humans) need to survive.
● 2-LS2-1.: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and
water to grow.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to
compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing
about and supply some information about the topic.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as
desired to provide additional detail.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.K.2: With prompting and support, identify the main topic and
retell key details of a text
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A: Print many upper- and lowercase letters
IV. Rationale
Plants produce 98% of our oxygen through photosynthesis and everything we eat comes
directly or indirectly from plants. Given the importance of plants in every aspect of our lives, it is
important to study and understand plants because they are critical to our own survival and to the
health of the planet. Plants supply food and energy, maintain earth’s atmosphere, cycles water
and nurtures the soil, produce resources for humans and animals, and much more. These are
elements that are crucial to our society and therefore a topic students should learn about in order
to become functioning members of said society when they are older.
This unit will provide students with life skills that will help them in the future. Having
knowledge and an understanding of plants will help students develop cognitively and will will
give them the base knowledge that will help students when understanding and learning about
other topics as well
V. Home/School/Community Connection
● Home: Students might have parents that grow plants at home. Through this unit they will
learn about the growing process and be educated on how their plants grow.
● School: Plants are often a topic of discussion in school.

● Community: Students will now understand how plants that they see in their community
are able to grow. They also will have a better understanding about how certain foods
come from plants and make it to their table.
● Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement:
○ Learning at Home: We will send a notice home to parents/guardians about how
their children are learning about plants and growing plants at school. We will also
provide resources for them online to learn more about plants on our virtual days.
○ Sending Home: Letter to Parents Describing Unit- see Appendix
VI. Preparing and Sustaining the Learning Environment
● We will try to do an in-person bulletin board if there is space available in the classroom.
An online bulletin board will be used if an in person is not available
● Any books that we think go along with the unit will be put onto a virtual classroom for
students to view on our virtual day.
● We will have virtual posters in the virtual classroom. We will also have anchor charts
hanging in the classroom that we will make throughout the week.
● On the windowsill there will be a designated area for the plants the students will be
growing.
VII. Calendar
○ Lesson 1: What is a plant 4/26 2:20pm and 4/29 12:45pm
■ Read aloud
■ Planting seeds
● Plant seed, draw seed with detail (tell students to focus on lines
and colors)
● Start observation comparison drawing
○ Lesson 2: Parts of a plant 4/27 2:20pm and 4/30 12:45pm
■ video
■ Diagram label worksheet
■ Observation chart for plant seed
○ Lesson 3: Plant needs 5/3 2:20pm and 5/6 12:45pm
■ Talk about what plants need to grow and relate it back to the plants they
are growing
■ Craft
■ Observation chart for plant seed
○ Lesson 4: Plants We Eat and overall review 5/4 2:20pm and 5/7 12:45pm
■ Go over the types of plants people eat
● Relate it back to what kinds of plants each student eats
■ Overall review
■ Observation chart
● Have students draw their plants with details (now should be
sprouts)
● Monday and Tuesday: Lessons will be taught at 2:20
● Thursday and Friday: Lessons will be taught at 12:45
VIII. Lesson Plans

TCNJ Lesson Plan
Lesson 1: What Is a Plant?
Student Name: Jill Messineo and Nikita Garbayo School Name: Pace Charter
Grade Level: Kindergarten Host Teacher’s Name: Rickey
Guiding and/or Essential Questions:
● Where do plants come from?
● What do plants look like?
Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge (ex. background knowledge,

possible misconceptions, prior lesson content)
● Students will know a little about basic plants (trees, grass, flowers) but not know any in
depth information
Standards:
compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about
and supply some information about the topic.
● 2-LS2-1.: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and
water to grow.
●
Learning Objectives and Assessments:
Learning Objectives Assessment
Being able to identify what a seed is and that Observing what they notice about the seed
plants grow from them
2-LS2-1.: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants
need sunlight and water to grow.
Being able to notice detail about their seed Drawing and writing their observations from
and write about it the seed
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing,

dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in
which they name what they are writing about and supply some
information about the topic.
Materials/Resources: (List materials, include any online or book references and resources
● How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan

● Plastic Cups
● Soil
● Seeds
● Water
● Observation Packet
● Crayons
● Pencils
Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:
● We will be responsible for passing out materials. Students will remain at their desks for
the entirety of the lesson. We will bring them their planting cups, bring the soil over to
them, bring the seeds to them, and bring the water over to them.
Step by Step plan (numbered):
1. Lesson beginning
a. We will begin the lesson by asking students “How many of you saw a plant
today?”. We will call on students that raise their hands and ask them to describe
and talk about the plant. Then we will move on to read a book about seeds and
plants called How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan.
2. After this, we will tell students how we will be growing our very own plants in the
classroom! We will start off with tiny seeds just like in the story and watch them
hopefully grow into plants.
3. Before we plant the seed, we will have students fill out page one of the observation
packet and draw and write about their seed before it was planted
4. We will pass out the seeds and have a class discussion of what the seed looks like
a. Students will take their time and do a detailed drawing and then we will write
“Today I noticed…” sentences about the seed together.
b. We will ask students what they notice about their seeds and write the describing
words on the board. Students will pick from those which they want to write.
5. Next, we will plant our seeds
a. First we will pass out the plastic cups
b. Then we will come around and have students scoop soil into their plastic cup
c. Once all students have soil in their cups we will first explain then help students
plant their seed deep enough in the soil.
6. After the seeds are planted in the soil we will have students water their plants and label
their cups
7. We will then put the cups on the windowsill to get sunlight to grow
8. Closure
a. For a closure, we will ask 3 students to make predictions about the plant. How
fast will it grow? What will it look like? Will all plants grow at the same pace?
Key Questions (that you will ask):

● Where does a plant come from?
● What is a seed?
● Does anyone know how a seed becomes a plant?
Key Vocabulary
● Seed, plant, grow, soil
Logistics:
● Timing:
○ Opening discussion: 3 minutes
○ Book: 8 minutes
○ Seed observation drawing & writing: 10-15 minutes
○ Planting seed: 15 minutes
○ Closure: 5 minutes
● Transitions:
○ N/A Students will be at their desks the whole time
● Classroom Management: To get students attention we will use the call and response
method that Mrs. Rickey uses. We will shout out, “All set” and the students will respond
with, “You bet.” This will show us that they are ready and paying attention.
Differentiation Notes
● Content: All students will have the same content.

● Process: One student will have one of four teachers sitting with him at his desk during
the entire lesson to keep him focused, paying attention, and on task. He may need
assistance with writing. One other student will need occasional support. The rest of the
students will be fine with support from teachers as we walk by and check their progress.
Students are sufficient in writing and drawing.
● Product: Students will have the same product for the most part. We will be drawing the
observations of the seeds together and all be writing “I noticed…” statements, but
students will write their own details of what they noticed. We will also be planting the
seeds as a class so the plants will also be the same
TCNJ Lesson Plan
Lesson 2: Parts of a Plant
Grade Level: Kindergarten Host Teacher’s Name: Mrs. Rickey
● What are the different parts of a plant?

● What is the job of each part of the plant?

● From the previous lesson, students will have learned the basics of plants. They will know
what a plant is, what they look like, and where they come from.
Standards:
compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about
and supply some information about the topic.
● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A: Print many upper- and lowercase letters
For students to be able to write and identify Together as a class we will fill out the plant
the different parts of a plant diagram that labels and identifies the different
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, parts of the plants
dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in
which they name what they are writing about and supply some
information about the topic.
For students to practice using their Students will be given a chance to observe
observation skills to observe and record any their plants. They will draw a detailed picture
changes in their plants of the current state of their plant. They will
then write a sentence about if there were any
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.K.5: Add drawings or other visual
displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. changes and if so, what changed
Resources: (List materials, include any online or book references and resources)
● Parts of a Plant Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6TLFZUC9gI

● Plant diagram worksheet
● Projector
● Observation Journal
● Whiteboard
● Pencils
● Crayons
● Drawing of Plant of chart paper

● Students will remain in their desks for the entirety of the lesson. We will hand out the
worksheet and observation journals to them. Their pencils and crayons will already be in
their desks.
1. Lesson beginning: To begin the lesson, we will put up a large picture of a plant that we
drew on the whiteboard. We will then point to the stem of the plant and ask the students,
“Does anyone know what part of the plant this is?” We will call on a student to answer.
Once we hear their answers we will explain to them how plants have all different parts
and they all have different names and functions.
2. We will then go through all the different parts of the plant that we have labeled on our
diagram and describe the function of each part to the students.
3. After going through the diagram we will watch a short video explaining the different
parts of the plant and their functions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6TLFZUC9gI
4. After the video we will do the plant diagram worksheet as a class. We will project the
worksheet on the document camera for all students to see. We will point to one of the
blank spots on the worksheets and ask the students what part of the plant the box is
pointing to. We will call on a student to answer and then we will write the answer in the
box for all students to see. We will do this for all the boxes.
5. The last activity will be for students to write in their observation journals. First students
will observe their plants that they planted the previous day. Then they will write a
sentence beginning with “Today I noticed…” about their plant. After they finish their
sentence they will draw a picture to go along with their sentence and what they noticed.
6. Closure: We will call on 3 students to name one of the different parts of a plant and point
to it using the chart drawing of the plant.
● Does anyone know what part of the plant this is?
● What do you notice about your plant today?
Key Vocabulary
Roots, stem, leaf, flower, seed, observation
Logistics:
● Timing:
○ Lesson beginning: 5 minutes
○ Video: 3 minutes
○ Diagram Worksheet: 10 minutes
○ Plant observation: 20 minutes
● Transitions: N/A students are at their desks the whole time
● Classroom Management: Students will be following along as we talk in the front of the
classroom. When one of us is doing something on the projector, the other one will be
walking around helping students and making sure they are staying on task.
Differentiation Notes:
● Content: All students will have the same content

● Product: For the worksheet, all students will have the same product. For the observation
journal, students will have different products. Students' observations may be the same or
different depending on what they are seeing in their plant cup.
TCNJ Lesson Plan
Lesson 3: Plant Needs
● What does a plant need to survive?

● How can we give a plant what it needs to survive?

● Students will know what a plant is and the different parts of a plant. Using prior lesson
content, students will possibly be able to identify certain elements of what a plant needs
to survive. They also may know this from their own background knowledge.
Standards:
For students to be able to identify the Students will do a craft diagram that shows
different things a plant needs in order to grow and labels the elements of what a plant needs
and stay alive
K-LS1-1.: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and
animals (including humans) need to survive.
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUBIQ1fTRzI
● Pre-cut construction paper
● Glue
● Document camera
● Vocabulary words
● Anchor chart
● White board
● Pencils
● Crayons
● Observation journals

● We will pass out the pre-cut pieces of construction paper to the students for the craft
● Students have glue, pencils, and whatever else they may need inside their desk
1. Lesson beginning: We will take one of the students plants and bring it up for the class to
see and ask students what has been making this plant grow. Students will raise their hand
and answer and we will discuss what they come up with.
2. We will then play the video which is a song about the different plant needs
3. After the video we will hang chart paper on the whiteboard and sketch out the different
needs a plant has with mini descriptions below. We will also have a plant drawn out to
demonstrate where the plant takes in these needs.
4. Once we finish the chart paper, we will move on to the craft. For the craft, students will
create a scenery of what a plant needs using construction paper. We will have all of the
paper pre-cut and the words to label the plant needs pre-written. We will do the project all
together as a class step by step. We will first put the soil down, then the flower, then the
sun, and then the rainy cloud. After those are glued down we will ask students where they
think each label should go. Once all labels are in the appropriate spot students will be
allowed to glue them down.
5. The last activity will be for students to write in their observation journals. First students
will observe their plants that they planted a couple days ago. Then they will write a
sentence beginning with “Today I noticed…” about their plant. After they finish their
sentence they will draw a picture to go along with their sentence and what they noticed.
6. Closure: We will call on 3 students and ask about what the different needs a plant
requires and how it helps the plant

● What do you think helps a plant grow?
● What things does a plant need to help it grow?
● How can we help a plant grow?
● What did you notice about your plant today?
Key Vocabulary
● Plant, grow, needs, soil, air, water, sun
Logistics:
● Timing:
○ Lesson Beginning: 5 minutes
○ Video: 3 minutes
○ Craft: 15 minutes
○ Observation Journal: 15 minutes
classroom. When one of us is doing something on the projector, the other one will be
walking around helping students and making sure they are staying on task.

● Product: For the craft, all students will have the same product. For the observation
journal, students will have different products. Students' observations may be the same or
different depending on what they are seeing in their plant cup.
TCNJ Lesson Plan
Lesson 4: Plants We Eat
● Do we eat plants?
● What kinds of plants do we eat?
● What are the different parts of the plant that we eat?
● Do you like fruits and vegetables?

● By now students should know what plants are and be familiar with the different parts of
plants. Some students may be familiar with fruits and vegetables.
Standards:
For students to be able to identify the

different parts of the plant that we eat Students will be given a worksheet where they
will name and draw different parts of the plant
K-LS1-1.: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and
animals (including humans) need to survive.
that we eat.
● Worksheet
● White Board
○ Markers
● Pictures of different fruits and vegetables
● Pencils
● Crayons
● Observation Journals
● Anchor chart paper
● We will pass out observation journals and worksheets when we are ready to do them
● Students will have pencils and crayons already inside their desks
1. Lesson beginning: We will begin the lesson by having students write in their observation
journals. First students will observe their plants that they planted the previous day. Then
they will write a sentence beginning with “Today I noticed…” about their plant. After
they finish their sentence they will draw a picture to go along with their sentence and
what they noticed. We will then ask students questions about the different parts of their
plants and if they could eat any of it. (yes)
2. On the whiteboard we will label four columns “leaves, flower, root, and seed.” We will
also have pictures of different fruits and vegetables. We will tell the students that they in
fact eat different parts of the plant. We will hold up each picture and ask the students,
“which part of the plant do you think this food belongs to?” we will call on a student to
answer. Once a student answers we will put the picture in the appropriate column. We
will do this for all the pictures.
3. After the pictures are sorted students will be given a worksheet. On the worksheet there
will be four squares labeled “leaf, flower, root, stem.” Students will draw a picture of a
fruit or vegetable that belongs in the assigned box and write what they drew (example:
for leaf, they would draw spinach and write spinach at the bottom of the box).
4. The last activity we will do is we will hang anchor chart paper up on the white board and
have sections labeled with different fruits and vegetables. Students will raise their hands
and say which ones they eat and we will make a bar graph with that information. After
we will have students talk about what they observe about the graph
5. Closure: To close this lesson we will call on 3 students and ask them what are some
plants that they eat and what part of the plant do they come from
● What plants do you eat?
● Are plants good for humans?
● What parts of the plant do you eat?
Key Vocabulary
● Plants, eat, food, fruit, vegetables, flower, leaves, roots, seeds
Logistics:
● Timing:
○ Lesson Beginning: 10 minutes
○ Flashcards/Sorting Activity: 10 minutes
○ Worksheet: 10 minutes
○ Anchor chart: 10 minutes
classroom. When asking if they agree with another student or are ready to move on, we
will ask them to put their hands on their heads to show they are listening.

● Product: Everyone's worksheet will be different depending on what they pick for each
category and everyone's journal will be different as well
IX. Appendix
Appendix A: Teacher Background Knowledge
While teaching a kindergarten unit on Parts of a Plant seems simple, there was a lot of
research done in order to plan these lessons. To begin, we created a concept web that organized
our main ideas and what those main ideas would lead us to. This is how we figured what content
we wanted to cover during the unit. In order to learn more about how we wanted to teach this
content, we used websites such as Pinterest, Teachers Pay Teachers, and Youtube. These sources
not only showed us how other teachers have taught these concepts in the past but gave us new
ideas of how to approach these topics in fun engaging ways. Together we have spent hours
learning and exploring all about plant life. This has allowed us to create informational lesson
plans in an orderly way. We were able to determine which content was important to teach and
what order to teach it in. Being in the classroom and getting to know the students also played an
important role in determining what activities they would respond best to.
By using the resources both listed above and below, we as teachers were able to develop
a deeper understanding of the topic of plants. Despite teaching on a kindergarten level, in order
to successfully teach and know what elements play important roles in these concepts we did deep
research and found many helpful resources. Through this research we were able to find resources
that would work best for our students.

Appendix B: Key Vocabulary
Lesson 1: Lesson 2:
● Seed ● Roots
● Plant ● Stem
● Grow ● Leaf
● Soil ● Flower
● Seed
● Observation
Lesson 3: Lesson 4:
● Plant ● Plants
● Grow ● Eat
● Needs ● Food
● Soil ● Fruit,
● Air ● Vegetables
● Water ● Flower
● Sun ● Leaves
● Roots
● Seeds
Appendix C: Resources for Teachers/Students
Books, Websites, and Other Resources
● How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan

○ This children's picture book takes students through the process of how a seed
grows, starting at being planted into the ground all the way until it turns into a
fully grown plant
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6TLFZUC9gI
○ This youtube video is a fun, colorful, and exciting video that talks about all the
different parts of a plant
● https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUBIQ1fTRzI
○ This youtube video is a fun song about the different needs of a plant
● https://www.pinterest.com/
○ Pinterest was used as a resource to explore and find books, resources, and fun
activities that will help us teach and learn about plants
Appendix D: Worksheets
Appendix E: Parent/Guardian Letter
Dear Families,
Hello! Our names are Ms. Messineo and Ms. Garbayo and
we are student teachers from The College of New Jersey.
We have been student teaching at Pace for a couple
months now and our time here is almost over. For our last
two weeks we will be teaching a unit on the parts of a
plant! The students will be learning about the parts of a
plant, plant needs, and each student will even be growing
their own plant. We are super excited to be teaching this
unit with the students and we cannot wait for you to hear
all about the fun activities we have planned! Thank you for
allowing us to share this experience with your children.
Sincerely,
Ms. Messineo and Ms. Garbayo

Unit - Nikita and Jill

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Unit - Nikita and Jill

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Parts of a Plant

Jillian Messineo and Nikita Garbayo

April 23rd, 2021

Mrs. Rickey, Kindergarten

III. KUD’s, Essential Questions, and Standards

VI. Preparing and Sustaining the Learning Environment

VIII. Lesson Plans

observations over the course of the unit.

III. KUD’s, Essential Questions, and Standards

○ Vocabulary: Roots, Stem, Leaf, Flower, Seed, Soil

○ What a plant needs to grow

○ Different parts of the plant

○ In order to grow, plants need proper conditions

■ Sunlight, water, soil, etc.

● How can we meet the basic needs of plants?

● What are the different parts of a plant?

● What do the different parts of a plant do?

● What does a plant need to grow?

● Have you ever grown a plant before?

● When writing do we begin our sentences with an uppercase or lowercase letter?

● How do we end our sentences?

humans) need to survive.

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to

about and supply some information about the topic.

desired to provide additional detail.

retell key details of a text

● CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.K.1.A: Print many upper- and lowercase letters

to become functioning members of said society when they are older.

other topics as well

● School: Plants are often a topic of discussion in school.

come from plants and make it to their table.

● Epstein’s Six Types of Parent Involvement:

○ Learning at Home: We will send a notice home to parents/guardians about how

○ Sending Home: Letter to Parents Describing Unit- see Appendix

VI. Preparing and Sustaining the Learning Environment

An online bulletin board will be used if an in person is not available

students to view on our virtual day.

hanging in the classroom that we will make throughout the week.

○ Lesson 1: What is a plant 4/26 2:20pm and 4/29 12:45pm

● Start observation comparison drawing

○ Lesson 2: Parts of a plant 4/27 2:20pm and 4/30 12:45pm

■ Diagram label worksheet

■ Observation chart for plant seed

○ Lesson 3: Plant needs 5/3 2:20pm and 5/6 12:45pm

■ Observation chart for plant seed

■ Go over the types of plants people eat

● Relate it back to what kinds of plants each student eats

● Have students draw their plants with details (now should be

● Monday and Tuesday: Lessons will be taught at 2:20

● Thursday and Friday: Lessons will be taught at 12:45

VIII. Lesson Plans

Lesson 1: What Is a Plant?

Grade Level: Kindergarten Host Teacher’s Name: Rickey

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge (ex. background knowledge,

Learning Objectives and Assessments:

Learning Objectives Assessment

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.K.2: Use a combination of drawing,

● How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

Step by Step plan (numbered):

Key Questions (that you will ask):

● Content: All students will have the same content.