Developmental Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Abigail Elsavage Date: N/A

Group Size: 23 Allotted Time: 1 hour
Topic: Lesson #1 Plant needs & photosynthesis Grade Level: 4th

Common Core/PA Standard(s):

 Standard - 3.1.4.A2: Describe the different resources that plants, and animals need to
live.
Learning Targets/Objectives:
- The students will be able to identify 4 basic needs of plants by completing a Kahoot
game.
Assessment Approaches: Evidence:
1. Observation 1. Anecdotal notes
2. Kahoot 2. Kahoot responses
Assessment Scale:
10 Kahoot Questions
5-10 points = proficient
< 5 = below basic
Subject Matter/Content:
Prerequisites:
*All prerequisites were taught in the prior unit
- Students must have basic knowledge about animal growth and adaptations
- Students must have basic knowledge about the basic needs of animals (food, water,
shelter, and oxygen)
- Students must have basic knowledge about how animals body parts help them meet
their needs
- Students must have basic knowledge about how animals’ behaviors help them meet
their needs
Key Vocabulary:
- Carbon dioxide: a gas breathed out by animals.
 - Nutrients: substances, such as minerals, that all living things need to grow.
- Photosynthesis: when a plant makes its own food (photo means “light” and synthesis
means “putting together.”
Content/Facts:
- Students will learn about the 4 basic needs of plants (air/carbon dioxide, water, light,
and nutrients)
- Students will learn about the photosynthesis process.
1. Chlorophyll traps sunlight
2. Energy starts the food-making process
3. Carbon dioxide and water are used with other nutrients to make sugar.
4. Oxygen is given off.
- Photo = “light”
- Synthesis = “putting together”

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies:
1. The teacher will place the two potted flowers on a desk in
Flower Observation the front of the classroom. (flower #1 & flower #2)
(extended over multiple 2. First, students will observe the flowers and complete the
days within unit) Seesaw journal activity which will ask the following
This will be a part of the question:
introduction to every - “What do you notice about flower #1 and flower #2 on
lesson in this unit. day 1?”
*Over the next few days, - Allow 4 minutes for students to observe flowers and
students will observe two complete the Seesaw activity.
different flowers and
3. After the observation, the teacher will ask the following question:
- “What is a need?”
- The students will have 2 minutes to turn and talk with their table groups about what a
need is.
4. The teacher will ask students to share their response to the question.
5. The teacher will explain that a need is something that a living thing cannot live without.
6. The teacher will ask students the following question:
 - “What are some of your needs?”
7. The teacher will call on students to share their response to the question.
8. The teachers will emphasize that humans need food, water, oxygen, and shelter.
9. The teacher will ask a follow up question which will refer to the student’s prior knowledge:
- Question: “What are some basic needs of animals?”
- The teacher will allow the student to turn and talk with their table groups and then
share out some answers with the teacher.
- The teacher will explain that the basic needs of animals is food, air, water, and shelter
(just like humans!).
10. The teacher will pass out the vocabulary sheet.
Development/Teaching Approaches
1. The teacher will place a living plant in the front of the classroom. The teacher will ask
the following question:
- “Is this plant a living thing? Please give me a thumbs up if you think this plant is living
or give me a thumbs down if you think this plant is not living.”
- The teacher will scan the room to view student’s answers.
2. The teacher will ask some students who had their “thumbs up” to explain why the plant
is a living thing.
3. The teacher will ask the following question:
- “Using your background knowledge, what do you think some basic needs of plants
are?”
- The teacher will allow students to think/pair/share their predictions.
4. The teacher will pass out notecards to every student. Some notecards will be labeled
air, nutrients, water, and sunlight (4 basic needs) while others will be labeled with
random items that plants do not need.
5. The teacher will refer to the living plant in the front of the classroom when asking the
next question.
6. The teacher will ask the following question:
- “Does the plant need the item on your notecard? Think very carefully and place your
card in the “yes” or “no” bin. I will call one table group at a time to come place their
cards in the bin.”
 7. Once students have placed their notecards in the baskets, the teacher will read through
the student’s predictions and sort them into a pile of “need” and “do not need.”
8. Next, the teacher will pass out the basic needs foldable to the students.
9. The teacher will go through the foldable with the students using a large anchor chart
that represents the foldable.
10. The teacher will hold up flashcards of each basic need and discuss the importance of
the need while going through the foldable. (L.A.W.N) acronym
Carbon dioxide:
- Definition: Carbon dioxide is a gas breathed out by animals.
- The molecular formula is CO2.
- Have students breathe in = oxygen
- Have students breathe out = CO2
- Inform students how plants use CO2 to live through a process called photosynthesis
which they will learn more about in a little bit.
Nutrients:
- Definition: Substances, such as minerals, that all living things need to grow.
- Ask students “How do you get nutrients?” *Through food
- Ask students “Where do you think plants get nutrients? *Through the soil
Water:
- Ask students “How do you get water?”
- Ask students “How do you think plants get water?”
- Rainfall!
- Leaves take in water, but plants mostly take in water through the roots.
- Molecular formula = H2O
Light:
- Sunlight
- Provides energy in the food-making process.
11. To finish emphasizing the basic needs of plants, the teacher will play the following
video and ask students to sing along:
- https://youtu.be/DPL0F2V9_gY
-
Day #2
12. Next, the teacher will begin teaching students the process of photosynthesis.
13. The teacher will ask students to say “photosynthesis” very slowly.
14. The teacher will explain that even though “photosynthesis” is a big word, the word can
be broken down to make sense.
15. The teacher will post the word “photosynthesis” on the board.
16. The teacher will post the meanings of photo (light) and synthesis (putting together)
under the word photosynthesis to break down the word.
17. Post a photo of a food web on the board. Ask students the following questions and
allow them time to raise their hand and answer.
- “All living things need energy to survive. How do us, humans, get energy?”
- “After looking at this food web, how do rabbits get energy?”
- “How do trees get their energy? Do trees “eat” any other organism?
18. Next, the teacher will ask “Where do plants get their energy from?”
19. Allow students to share answers.
20. To begin, the teacher will play the following video: https://youtu.be/Iln136eMl4g
21. The teacher will show students a pre-made anchor chart of the photosynthesis process
(without labels).
22. The teacher will guide students through the photosynthesis process while adding labels
to the chart.
23. The teacher will remove the labels and pass out the photosynthesis worksheet to the
students.
24. The teacher will go through the photosynthesis process a second time while students
will in the answers on their own papers.
25. For extra support, the teacher will pass out the “Photosynthesis In/Out” activity.
- Students will be placed into groups of 5.
- The students will work together to practice the activity.
- Students will be provided with 5 notecards (carbon dioxide, water, sunlight, oxygen,
and sugar/glucose.)
- Photosynthesis Activity: Leaf with "in" and "out" envelopes on front and back.
Students sort the cards into the correct envelope. Water, sunlight, and carbon dioxide
 go IN to the leaves while sugar and oxygen are products of photosynthesis, so they go
OUT.
- Students will have 5 minutes to practice the activity.
Closure/Summarizing Strategies:
1. As a review, the students will pair up for an activity to practice learning the process of
photosynthesis.
2. The teacher will hand on the “steps of photosynthesis” worksheet to the students and pair
students together.
3. The students will be asked to raise their hands when they have completed the steps and the
teacher will walk around and check students work.
4. To end the lesson, the teacher will play a Kahoot game with the students.
Link to Kahoot! https://create.kahoot.it/details/550b59d4-0a6e-4fbc-bee7-08bcd8e0d74b
Accommodations/Differentiation:
Follow all IEPs
Materials/Resources:
 Steps of photosynthesis (pre-cut) (22)
 Photosynthesis process worksheet (22)
 Needs foldable (22)
 In/Out photosynthesis activity (5 sets)
 22 notecards (half contain needs and other half does not contain a plant need)
 Photosynthesis word with meanings
 Yes/No cards (1 set)
 Labels for flower #1 and flower #2
 Two flowers (one will receive needs while other will not)
 Seesaw activity
 Kahoot: https://create.kahoot.it/details/550b59d4-0a6e-4fbc-bee7-08bcd8e0d74b
 Slideshow
 4 basic need cards for the teacher to show students
 Photosynthesis video: https://youtu.be/Iln136eMl4g
- 4 basic needs sing-along video: https://youtu.be/DPL0F2V9_gY
 - https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/
183N99WjYuHVjdVdOrdaYSwlKbKoD40cj3HEz95gRKDE/edit?usp=sharing

Reflection:
This lesson required two days to complete due to the many layers in the lesson. I had various
assessments through out the lesson. However, my major assessment was at the end of the
lesson when the students completed a Kahoot quiz. Unfortunately, the Kahoot quiz did not go
as planned. I had to do the Kahoot quiz at the end of the lesson and it ran into our dismissal
time. Some students left during the Kahoot because some students had to pack up. I continued
with the Kahoot because I knew I had to complete the lesson on that day. When I went through
the data on the Kahoot website, some students did not answer some questions. Therefore, it
was very hard for me to assess how well the students met the objectives. However, I did go
through the students who completed every question and I noticed more than half of the students
reached a proficient score on the Kahoot.