All+About+Plants

=All About Plants Unit, by Bobbie Dunn=

Our students are in a desperate need to think more about spring, so I decided to develop a unit that teachers can use on plants! I have developed this unit for a first grade classroom. While the following resources would be useful for any first or second grade classroom, I had one first grade classroom in mind. The students in this room range from low first grade to a high third grade level, so I selected books for that range on a variety of different plant-related subjects.


 * Lesson Plan:**
 * 1) Develop a KWL chart with students on plants. After completing the discussion on students' background knowledge, read //Plants//, stopping to discuss some of the unique ideas that students hadn't mentioned during the KWL discussion.
 * 2) Give students 2-3 days to read their choice of books on plants and further explore the websites. They will need to use their writer's notebook to write down facts that they learned and answers to any questions on the KWL chart.
 * 3) Students will develop their own plant book. They will be able to share their favorite information and illustrate it as well.
 * 4) Upon completion of the books, students will share them with the class.

[|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.1] Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.1.5] Know and use various text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text. [|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.1.2] Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.
 * CCSS Addressed:**


 * Nonfiction Books:**

(2011). //Plants around the world.// Chicago, IL: World Book. This is a primary (K-3) picture encyclopedia providing information on a wide variety of plants.

Bodach, V. K. (2007). Flowers. Mankato, MN: Pebble Plus. This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about the importance of flowers, the different kinds, and the types that are food for other animals.

Bodach, V. K. (2007). Leaves. Mankato, MN: Pebble Plus. This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about the importance of leaves, the different kinds, and the types that are food for other animals.

Bodach, V. K. (2007). Roots. Mankato, MN: Pebble Plus. This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about the importance of roots, the different kinds, and the types that are food for other animals.

Carr, A. (2013). //Plants//. New York, NY: AV2 by Weigl. This 2nd-grade-level book explains the life cycle of plants, how they feed themselves, and how the seeds are spread to other places.

Fowler, A. (2001). //Plants that eat animals.// New York, NY: Children’s Press. This is a 2nd grade-level book on carnivorous plants such as the Venus fly trap.

Jordan, H. J. (1992). //How a seed grows.// New York, NY: HarperCollins. This is a 2nd grade-level book that that shows how bean seeds grow from seeds into plants.

Johnson, T. (2009). //Growing new plants.// Ann Arbor, MI: Cherry Lake Publishers. This is a 3rd-grade-level book that explains what plants need in order to grow and also explains how plants reproduce and can grow in new places.

MacAulay, K. (2014). //How are plants useful?// New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing. This 3rd-grade-level book tells the reader about how we use plants for food, medicines, fabrics, and in many other ways.

MacAulay, K. (2014). //How do plants survive?// New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing. This 3rd-grade-level book tells the reader what plants need in order to survive in different habitats, including deserts and underwater.

Rattini, Kristin. (2014). //National Geographic Readers: Seed to Plant.// National Geographics Children's Books. This 1st-grade-level book takes children on a journey from seed pollination to plant growth. Children learn about what plants need to thrive and grow with nice photographs.

York, V. (2010). //A Bean Plant Grows//. New York, NY: Scholastic, Inc. This 1st-grade-level book tells the reader about different types of seeds and how they grow.

Lauber, P. (1994). //Be a Friend to Trees//. HarperCollins. This is a book with a 500 lexile measure. It details all of the ways in which trees are important to humans. (added by Martie Campbell)

Plant Websites:
 * [] - dozens of links for plant-related printables for grades K-1.
 * [] - an amazing website that can be used on a SMARTboard. It shows the life cycle of a seed in different weather conditions, different methods for seed dispersal, information on plant identification, and it also provides worksheets to go along with it!
 * [] - this website asks you to break a flower down into its pieces, then it explains each piece and why it’s important. The activity would need to be done as a large group, as the vocabulary is a little advanced, but it’s a fun SMARTboard activity!
 * [] - a great information website that could be shared with a large group. Most of the words are student-friendly, but there are some Tier 3 words that would need to be discussed. It explains all stages of the plant life cycle.
 * [] - “The Great Plant Escape” – provides different “plant mysteries” for students to solve through different activities.
 * [] - student-friendly handout on the parts of a seed

Hi Bobbie, One of my favorite books that I read with my students when we are learning about plants is //From seed to plant// by Gail Gibbons. It is a nonfiction book that covers the life cycle of the plant. It would be ideal to use with a graphic organizer on sequence. My favorite fiction book on the subject is //The tiny seed// by Eric Carle. I love him and all his stories. I especially find this one helpful when introducing circle stories. Jennifer Saloun

Bobbie, I am so excited that you provided us with this lesson and a ton of great resources! I am starting my plant unit at the end of April with the hope that spring will be here by then! I haven't had a chance to check out all of your websites yet but I do really like the Great Plant Escape one and I am excited to use this website with my students. Thanks for sharing a great plan and resources!

Beth