Topic: Botany, How flowers get nutrients
Objective: Using inquiry based learning, students will construct their own ideas about how flowers get their nutrients from the soil through their roots by working in groups on an experiment and observing what happens.
Common Core Standards:
· 5.3.2.B.3: Explain that most plants get water from soil through their roots and gather light through their leaves.
· RST.6-8.3: Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Vocabulary:
· Nutrients
· Roots
· Soil
Materials:
· White Daisies or Carnations (one per group)
· Glass mason jars
· Food coloring
· Science journals
· KWL chart: http://shipshapefirstgrade.blogspot.com/search?q=kwl
Warm Up (5 min):
· Have students work on interactive activity to label parts of a plant
o http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/lifecycles.html
· Have students look at picture and write in their science notebooks about how why they think the flowers are tie-dyed. Ask students to record what they know about how flowers are get nutrients.
o http://www.weddingwindow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/widget_ab9nFOqVPjBl8xlKwO7uvS.jpeg
Mini-Lesson (10-15 min):
· Motivate: Create a KWL chart to provide purpose for the lesson and create an opportunity for students to connect personal and/or prior experiences to flowers.
o Have students share what they know about how flowers are fed in the K part of the chart. Ask students what the would like to know about how flowers are fed in the W part of the chart. Say: “We will be learning about how flowers get their nutrients today and answering all our questions together.”
· Elaborate:
o Say “In order to understand how flowers grow, we need to understand how they get their nutrients. Can anyone tell me what the word “nutrient” means? How do we get our nutrients? Today in our groups, we will be working together to observe how flowers get their nutrients. I want you to turn and talk with a partner about what you think plants eat to get their nutrients and how.”
· Demonstrate:
o “Scientists, I would like you to look at my experiment up on the table. In order to do the experiment, you will need a flower, a jar, water, food coloring, and your science notebooks. You will fill the jar up with water and put a few drops of food coloring in to make the water that color. When I see your group has done this, I will then come around with flowers and cut the ends off. Your group will put the flower in the water and write down everything you observe in your science notebook. Remember to use your senses and draw pictures if this helps you record your thoughts. I want you to then work with your group to form a hypothesis about what you believe will happen. Have fun!”
Independent Work Time (30-40 min):
· Circulate and confer with students while taking notes or working with a small group in direct instruction.
· Students work in groups to complete the assignment and formulate a hypothesis.
· When students have completed their work say “Scientists, you did a great job making observations and formulating hypotheses. After lunch we are going to look at our flowers again and see observe what happens.”
· When students return from lunch have them bring their flowers to the desks and observe what happened. Have them record their observations in their science notebooks.
Share Session (5 min):
· Have students share their hypotheses and observations. Guide discussion by asking:
o What does the colored water represent in this experiment?
o How does a flower grow?
o What parts of the flower do the nutrients help?
o How do the roots of a plant help the process?
o What do we know about soil?
· When they have done so say: “Scientists, you have done a great job today. We are going to keep observing our flowers and learning about how plants get nutrients.”
Reflection:
· Have students respond in their science journals about the science experiment they worked on today. What did they learn? What are they still curious about? How did seeing the flowers change color help them understand how plants are fed?
Extended Learning:
· http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/case2/facts.html This is a good interactive site for learning about soil. Having students complete this will give them background knowledge as to how soil works. This will allow me to create a future lesson about soil using the information they learn about on this site.
Objective: Using inquiry based learning, students will construct their own ideas about how flowers get their nutrients from the soil through their roots by working in groups on an experiment and observing what happens.
Common Core Standards:
· 5.3.2.B.3: Explain that most plants get water from soil through their roots and gather light through their leaves.
· RST.6-8.3: Follow precisely a multistep procedure when carrying out experiments, taking measurements, or performing technical tasks.
Vocabulary:
· Nutrients
· Roots
· Soil
Materials:
· White Daisies or Carnations (one per group)
· Glass mason jars
· Food coloring
· Science journals
· KWL chart: http://shipshapefirstgrade.blogspot.com/search?q=kwl
Warm Up (5 min):
· Have students work on interactive activity to label parts of a plant
o http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/lifecycles.html
· Have students look at picture and write in their science notebooks about how why they think the flowers are tie-dyed. Ask students to record what they know about how flowers are get nutrients.
o http://www.weddingwindow.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/widget_ab9nFOqVPjBl8xlKwO7uvS.jpeg
Mini-Lesson (10-15 min):
· Motivate: Create a KWL chart to provide purpose for the lesson and create an opportunity for students to connect personal and/or prior experiences to flowers.
o Have students share what they know about how flowers are fed in the K part of the chart. Ask students what the would like to know about how flowers are fed in the W part of the chart. Say: “We will be learning about how flowers get their nutrients today and answering all our questions together.”
· Elaborate:
o Say “In order to understand how flowers grow, we need to understand how they get their nutrients. Can anyone tell me what the word “nutrient” means? How do we get our nutrients? Today in our groups, we will be working together to observe how flowers get their nutrients. I want you to turn and talk with a partner about what you think plants eat to get their nutrients and how.”
· Demonstrate:
o “Scientists, I would like you to look at my experiment up on the table. In order to do the experiment, you will need a flower, a jar, water, food coloring, and your science notebooks. You will fill the jar up with water and put a few drops of food coloring in to make the water that color. When I see your group has done this, I will then come around with flowers and cut the ends off. Your group will put the flower in the water and write down everything you observe in your science notebook. Remember to use your senses and draw pictures if this helps you record your thoughts. I want you to then work with your group to form a hypothesis about what you believe will happen. Have fun!”
Independent Work Time (30-40 min):
· Circulate and confer with students while taking notes or working with a small group in direct instruction.
· Students work in groups to complete the assignment and formulate a hypothesis.
· When students have completed their work say “Scientists, you did a great job making observations and formulating hypotheses. After lunch we are going to look at our flowers again and see observe what happens.”
· When students return from lunch have them bring their flowers to the desks and observe what happened. Have them record their observations in their science notebooks.
Share Session (5 min):
· Have students share their hypotheses and observations. Guide discussion by asking:
o What does the colored water represent in this experiment?
o How does a flower grow?
o What parts of the flower do the nutrients help?
o How do the roots of a plant help the process?
o What do we know about soil?
· When they have done so say: “Scientists, you have done a great job today. We are going to keep observing our flowers and learning about how plants get nutrients.”
Reflection:
· Have students respond in their science journals about the science experiment they worked on today. What did they learn? What are they still curious about? How did seeing the flowers change color help them understand how plants are fed?
Extended Learning:
· http://urbanext.illinois.edu/gpe/case2/facts.html This is a good interactive site for learning about soil. Having students complete this will give them background knowledge as to how soil works. This will allow me to create a future lesson about soil using the information they learn about on this site.