Thematic Units - Plants
Plants
You will find various Lesson Plans on the top portion of this page.
Further down, you will find Web Sites.
At the bottom of the page, you will find Books that you can order directly from Amazon.com!
Lesson Plans
This indicates resources located on The Teacher's Corner.
Little Brown Seeds Grades K-2
A fun poem for younger students.
Little brown seeds so small and round,
are sleeping quietly underground.
Down come the raindrops,
sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle.
Out comes the rainbow,
twinkle, twinkle, twinkle.
Little brown seeds way down below,
up through the earth they
grow, grow, grow.
Little green leaves come one by one.
They hold up their heads
and look at the sun.
Submitted by: Stacie
Poems & Songs Grades K-2
Here are some creative ways to help your students learn about plants and seeds.
Submitted by: Lorti@email-removed
Planting Popcorn Grades Elementary
This is a great activity to help students learn the exact way a seed sprouts and grows. A plant activity I use and one that the kids love is to plant popcorn kernels in a clear plastic cup and they can watch the seed grow into roots and a stem. Roll up a paper towel and place inside a clear plastic cup, making sure the towel lays against the sides of the cup with a hollow space in the middle. Put soil in the cup, in the space inside the rolled paper towel, so that it pushes the paper towel against the sides of the cup. Put about 3 kernels in each cup, point side down, between the paper cup and the towel. Water and watch. The kids keep a journal of the plant's progress and can draw and label the parts.
Submitted by: Debbie
Plant Sale Project Grades Elementary
Growing plants to sell can be a valuable lesson and a great fund-raiser. I incorporate many academic areas into my classroom through studying plants. We grow plants from cuttings, from seeds, and from bulbs. We start at the beginning of the year and by May, we have many different kinds, so my class holds a Mothers' Day plant sale. Students compare and contrast the growth of the plants and record the plants' progress in their writing journals. Students sell the plants, so collecting money and making change become part of the project. They calculate how much was spent on supplies and how much profit was made. We purchase books for the school library with the proceeds. We've been doing this for three years and the students just love this project!
Submitted by: From Amy Graff , a first, second and third grade special educator at The Stapleton School in Framingham, Massachusetts. This idea was posted in the NEA's Weekly "Works4Me" Tip Newsletter.
Various Activities Grades Various
Here are a variety of plant activities. Ranging from tissue paper flowers to graphing plant growth to making a "Dirt" snack.
- List products that come from plants.
- Teach the children the three things plants need to grow: water, sun, food.
- Make tissue paper flowers.
- Plant seeds . Graph their growth. Measure using a ruler, Unifix Cubes or another nonstandard unit of measurement.
- Sort seeds.
- Soak lima beans overnight in water. (First, examine the size of the beans with your class and predict what will happen if you soak them, etc...). Split the lima bean to see the parts of a seed.
- Read, then act out The Carrot Seed by Ruth Kraus.
- Make "dirt" (a snack!) using chocolate pudding, Cool Whip, crushed Oreos and gummy worms. There is no "wrong" way to make this. (I use three boxes of pudding and one tub of Cool Whip. After making the pudding, I mix some of the pudding with cool whip to create a light brown muddy color. The children layer the light colored "mud," the darker colored "mud" and the crushed Oreos in clear plastic cups. They top each cup with a gummy worm.
- See what happens when you put a white carnation in a vase filled with colored water.
- Put a celery stalk in a glass with colored water.
- Put a good sized sweet potato in a glass of water (1/2 in, 1/2 out - Use toothpicks stuck into side of the potato to help it balance on the edge of the glass.). Observe it each day. In 1-2 weeks you should see some interesting changes.
Submitted by: Dmdunk@email-removed
Apples Grades Primary
This particular unit was written for the primary grades, and is anchored in second grade. Although it is literature based, science and social studies standards are addressed. By studying about Apples students will learn and wonder about how nature works to help plants grow.
Plants Grades K-5
This unit includes Favorite Links, Internet Activities, Lesson Plans, and Related Resources for Pre-K-5th grade classes studying earth science.
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Web Sites
Aquatic Plants
Learn about the variety of plants that can be found in each aquatic community.
Celebrating Wildflowers Coloring Book
Simply click on a flower, print, and color!
Chemistry of Autumn Colors
Learn about the scientific explanation of the changing colors in leaves.
Dendrochronology
Find out how archaeologists date past events like climate change by studying the rings on trees.
The Desert Biome
Learn about the plants that grow in the harsh, dry conditions of a desert.
eNature.com
Bring nature to your computer by exploring information and photos of almost any North American plant or animal. Check out diverse habitats, get tips from Audubon experts, and more!
Fresh Water Plants
Learn about the variety of plants are located in or around fresh water ecosystems.
Geobop's
Find your state's plant.
The Grasslands Biome
Pictures and descriptions of grasslands and the flowers found in them.
Great Plant Escape
Learn more about plants and life cycles while solving a mystery. What fun!
Leaf it Alone: Plants to Keep Away From
This Lanakids page teaches you how to avoid coming home with an itchy, yucky rash after playing outdoors.
Natural Perspective
A scientific exploration of the plant, animal, protist, and fungi kingdoms, with pictures.
Paper U
Learn about papermaking, recycling, and how they effect the environment. Site includes information on paper crafts, trees, and careers working with paper.
PBS MATHLINE
Gardening and Farming Activities include plotting a vegetable garden and estimating crop
yields, plus a career spotlight with farmer Keith Jolley and tips on how to prioritize rules and relationships in your classroom.
Plant Medicines
Overviews medicinal plants and herbs of the rain forest.
Rainforest Biome
Learn about the different Rainforest plants and their adaptations.
Science 4 Kids
Visit this site from the Agricultural Resource Service (ARS) for cool links to bacteria, bugs, and plants that like heavy metal.
Seed Starting Home Page
Find fast facts on starting flower, vegetable, and herb seeds.
The Tundra Biome
Learn about the plants that live in the Tundra Environment.
Why Do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?
This site includes projects to do with leaves, from the Curious Kids Science Newsletter.
Why Leaves Change Color
Learn the science behind this marvelous act of nature.
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Books
3D Eyewitness Plant
Acorn Pancakes, Dandelion Salad, and Other Wild Dishes
by Jean Craighead George
The Amazing Apple Book
by Paulette Bourgeois
America's Deserts: Guide to Plants & Animals
by Marianne D. Wallace
A Seed Grows : My First Look at a Plant's Life Cycle (Child's First Look at Nature - A Unique Flap-Book Series)
by Pamela Hickman
Atlas of Plants
by Gallimard Jeunesse, Claude D. Delafosse, Sylvaine Perols (Contributor)
Autumn Leaves (Preparing for Winter)
by Gail Saunders-Smith
The Berenstain Bears Grow-It: Mother Nature Has Such a Green Thumb
by Stan Berenstain
Berries, Nuts and Seeds (Take-Along Guide)
by Diane L. Burns
Botanical Gardens Coloring Book
by Dot Barlowe, Dorthy Barlowe, Sy Barlowe
Botany: High-School Science Fair Experiments
by H. Steven Dashefsky
Carnivorous Plants
by Cynthis Overbeck
The Dandelion Seed
by Cris Arbo
Dig and Sow! : How Do Plants Grow? (At Home With Science)
by Janice Lobb
Draw 50 Trees, Flowers, and Other Plants : The Step-By-Step Way to Draw Daffodils, Poison Ivy, and Pineapples, Sycamores, Prickly Pears and Truffles
by Ames. Lee J.
Edward Plants a Garden
by Dale Gottlieb
Endangered Plants
by Elaine Landau
The Escape of the Plant That Ate Dirty Socks
by Nancy McArthur
Experiment With Plants
by Monica Byles
Exploring the World of Plants
by Penny Raife Durant
Eyewitness Explorers: Flowers
by David Burnie
Fairy Dusters and Blazing Stars: Exploring Wildflowers With Children
by Suzanne M. Samson
Flowering Plants (Step-By-Step Science)
by Chris Oxlade
From Seed to Sunflower (Lifecycles)
by Gerald Legg, Carolyn Scrace (Illustrator)
From Seed to Plant
by Gail Gibbons
Fruits, Roots, and Fungi: Plants We Eat
by Isamu Sekido (Photographer)
Fungi (Our Living World)
by Jenny Tesar
Gardens From Garbage: How to Grow Indoor Plants from Recycled Kitchen Scraps
by Judith F. Handelsman
Greenhouse (Discovery Box)
by Gallimard Jeunesse, Kate Waters (Editor)
How a Plant Grows (Crabapples)
by Bobbie Kalman
How a Seed Grows
by Helene J. Jorday
How Do Apples Grow? (A Let'S-Read-And-Find-Out Science Book)
by Betsy Maestro, Giulio Maestro (Illustrator)
How Does Your Garden Grow? Be Your Own Plant Expert
by Dominique Joly, Philippe Joly
How Leaves Change (Natural Science Series)
by Sylvia A. Johnson, Yuko Sato (Photographer)
How Seeds Travel (A Lerner Natural Science Book)
by Cynthia Overbeck, Shabo Hani (Photographer)
I Am a Leaf (Hello Reader!, Science. Level 1)
by Jean Marzollo, Judith Moffatt (Illustrator)
Jack's Garden
by Henry Cole
Life and Times of the Peanut
by Charles Micucci (Illustrator)
Little Green Fingers : A Kid's Guide to Growing Things
by Clare Chandler
Looking at Plants
by David Suzuki, Barbara Hehner (Contributor)
Mother Nature's Pharmacy : Potent Medicines from Plants (Science & Society)
by Renee A. Kidd, J. S. Kidd
Mysteries of the Rain Forest : 20th Century Medicine Man (The New Explorers)
by Elaine Pascoe
Nature's World Records
by John R. Quinn (Illustrator)
Pharmacy in the Forest : How Medicines Are Found in the Natural World
by Fred Powledge
Plant Experiments (New True Book)
by Vera R. Webster
Plant Life (Straightforward Science)
by Peter Riley
Plants (Kingdoms of Life Series)
by Alvin Silverstein
Plants (Make It Work! Science Series)
by Andrew Haslam
Plants (Starting With Science)
by Ray Boudreau (Illustrator)
Plants (World of Science)
by David Black, Anthony Huxley (Contributor)
Plants and Flowers (It's Science)
by Sally Hewitt
Plants and Plant Eaters (Secrets of the Rainforest)
by Michael Chinery
Plants Feed on Sunlight : And Other Facts About Things That Grow (You'd Never Believe It, But)
by Helen Taylor, Stephen Sweet (Illustrator)
Plant Life (Straightforward Science)
by Peter D. Riley
Plants That Never Ever Bloom (World of Nature)
by Ruth Heller
Science Fair Success With Plants (Science Fair Success)
by Phyllis Jean Perry
Science Project Ideas About Trees (Science Project Ideas)
by Robert Gardner
Science Projects About Plants (Science Projects)
by Robert Gardner
Seeds Grow! (My First Hello Reader)
by Angela Shelf Medearis, Jill Dubin (Illustrator)
Superseed
by Thomas D. Stanks
Taking Root (Rookie Read-About Science)
by Allan Fowler
The Life of Plants (The Invisible World)
by Marcel Socias (Illustrator)
The Living Earth
by Eleonore Schmid, Eleanore Schmid
The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds: A Book About How Living Things Grow
by Joanna Cole
The Plant-And-Grow Project Book
by Ulla Dietl
The Plant Kingdom : A Guide to Plant Classification and Biodiversity (Greenaway, Theresa, Classification.)
by Theresa Greenaway
The Reason for a Flower (World of Nature)
by Ruth Heller
What Is a Plant? (Science of Living Things)
by Bobbie Kalman, Niki Walker
What's Inside Plants? (What's Inside?)
by Anita Ganeri
You Can Be a Woman Botanist
by Kristin Rose Bozak
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