Lesson 4: Plant Growth

Timing: Spring

Objective: To make observations about how plants grow in different conditions. Students will learn how to observe, predict, and record how different environmental conditions affect the growth of plants. They will explore how factors like light, water, and soil type influence plant health and development.

SMART Learning Goals:

• K–2nd Grade: Students will plant seeds in two different spots and draw how each seed changes over two weeks in the journal.
• 3rd-5th Grade: Students will grow seeds in 3 different conditions and record plant height, leaf number, and health every other day for 2 weeks in the journal.

Materials:

• Seeds
• Water
• Magnifiers
• science journals.
• Writing utensil

Activities:

Begin with a class discussion: Ask: “What do plants need to grow?”

• Create a chart of students’ ideas (light, water, soil, space, time, etc.).
• Ask: “What happens if one of these things is missing or changed?”

Explain: Plants grow according to their conditions.

• Students will plant seeds and test how different conditions affect plant growth.
• Explain the concepts of variables and controls.
• Variable = one thing you change (such as water)
• Control = things you keep the same (such as seed type, container size)

Make a hypothesis

• In their science journals, have students write a hypothesis: “I think the seeds in ___ will grow the fastest because...”
• Have them draw what they think each plant will look like after a week.

Plant!

• Each group plants seeds in at least three different conditions, such as: Light vs. shade, dry soil vs. moist soil, sand vs. rich soil, indoor vs. outdoor
• Students label each plant area with group name and condition
• Have the students write down or draw their setup in their science journals ( drawings, seed type, date).

Observe

• Check on the seeds every day for the next two weeks.
• In their science journals, record things like:
• Height of seedling
• Number of leaves
• Color/health of the plant
• Student sketch of changes
• Notes on sunlight/watering/temperature

Explore!

• After two weeks, make one final observation.
• Have a class discussion.
• Which condition helped plants grow fastest?
• Were there any surprises?
• What did your results teach you about what plants need? Reflection
• Students should use their science journals to draw or write about what they observed.

How this activity supports Common Core Science Standards K–2:

• 2-LS2-1: Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

3–5:

• 3-LS3-2: Use evidence to support the explanation that traits can be influenced by the environment.

Related Lessons:

• Lesson 1: Introduction
• Lesson 2: Living vs Non-Living Things
• Lesson 3: Soil Discovery and Decomposers
• Lesson 5: Wind Direction and Study
• Lesson 6: Pollinator Patrol
• Lesson 7: Butterfly Garden
• Lesson 8: Seed Dispersal
• Lesson 9: Solar Energy Exploration
• Lesson 10: Microhabitat Study
• Lesson 11: Decomposition Detectives
• Lesson 12: Building a Scale Model of the Solar System

Lesson 4 - How to Build and Teach From Outdoor Science Learning Labs.pdf