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Plants

Science Year 1/2 Growing Things

Explore outside and prepare tubs for planting potatoes. Record the growth of a bean and look at how it develops. Can you recreate the plant with craft materials? Can you label the parts of the plant? Look really closely at little cress plants and draw what you see. Then pop them into egg sandwiches for an egg and cress snack!

Block Outcomes Key Concepts

Session 1 What's growing outside?

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Objectives

Explore the outdoor area at school and look at plants that are growing. Talk about what they are and what they will look like when they are fully grown. Map out the school garden area and decorate with sketches, facts and labels.

Science Objectives
i) Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees (1P).
ii) Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees (1P).
iii) Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants (2P).
iv) Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy (2P).

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Identify and classify.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • Images and close-up drawings of fruit

Additional Resources

  • Local fruit and vegetables
  • Chopping boards and knives
  • Sketch books and clipboards
  • Camera
  • Magnifying glasses
  • Large sheet of card and marker pens

Weblinks
Mr Tumble grows things in his garden from www.YouTube.com

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Look at, draw and taste a range of fruits and vegetables that could be grown in a garden.
  • Look at plants in the school garden.
  • Identify them, label them and sketch what is growing (Yr1).
  • Make a map of the garden plot, identifying the plants and predicting what they will turn into when they are fully grown, if they stay healthy (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Identify and closely observe plants outside the school building.
  2. Predict what plants will look like when they are fully grown.

Investigation - exploring
Go outside to the school garden to look at plants.
Year 1 - Identify plants, label them and sketch.
Year 2 - Make a map of the garden plot, identifying the plants and predicting what they will turn into when they are fully grown.

Vocabulary
Plant, leaf, grow, weed, change, living, water, healthy, similar to, different from

Session 2 Spuds

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Objectives

Look at different potatoes and potato products. Working in teams, prepare tubs for growing, and plant a chitted potato. As a team, how will you keep your potato plant healthy?

Science Objectives
i) Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees (1P).
ii) Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees (1P).
iii) Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants (2P).
iv) Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy (2P).

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Identify. and classify.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • ‘How to chit potatoes’ sheet

Additional Resources

  • Different varieties of potatoes
  • Chopping boards and potato masher
  • Chitted potatoes and tubs
  • Bags or large cardboard boxes
  • Soil and spades
  • Lolly sticks

Weblinks
Information on how to chit and grow potatoes from https://www.gardenersworld.com

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Look at the different types of potato and talk about any similarities and differences (Yr1).
  • In groups, prepare tubs and plant chitted potatoes.
  • Label the tubs and predict what will happen.
  • Consider what do we need to do, as a team, to encourage our potato to grow and produce lots of potatoes (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Understand that there are different types of potato, plant them and predict outcomes.
  2. Understand what needs to be done to keep the plants healthy.

Investigation
In groups, prepare tubs and plant chitted potatoes. Label the tubs and predict what will happen.
Year 1 - Look at the different types of potato and talk about any similarities and differences.
Year 2 - Consider what do we need to do, as a team, to encourage our potato to grow and produce lots of potatoes.

Vocabulary
Plant, leaf, grow, weed, change, living, water, healthy, similar to, different from, potato, chitting

Session 3 Beans in bags

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Objectives

Set up a garden centre in the classroom and plant seeds in a jar or bag. Predict what will happen and start to watch them grow. How will you keep your seeds healthy?

Science Objectives
i) Identify and name a variety of common wild and garden plants, including deciduous and evergreen trees (1P).
ii) Identify and describe the basic structure of a variety of common flowering plants, including trees (1P).
iii) Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants (2P).
iv) Find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy (2P).

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Perform simple tests.
  4. Identify and classify.
  5. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  6. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • ‘Different gardens’ resource
  • ‘How to grow a bean in a bag’
  • ‘My Bean in a Bag Diary’

Additional Resources

  • Things for setting up a garden centre in the classroom: small plants, plastic plant pots, some tools, garden string, plant labels, packets of seeds, role play cakes, till, baskets, plastic food, paper, pens, card for signs, etc.,
  • Dried bean seeds and paper towels
  • Stapler
  • Plastic bag (the A4 sized kind which seals at the top works best)
  • Rulers

Weblinks
Lowden Garden Centre from www.YouTube.com
Time lapse video of a sprouting bean seed (3.26 mins) from www.YouTube.com

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Design and set up a garden centre in the classroom.
  • Share what they know about what beans need to grow (Yr1).
  • Start a record of the bean's growth and predict the outcome (Yr2).
  • Place one bean in a bag in a cupboard and talk about what might happen to the bean and its growth.

Activities

  1. Understand what a garden is and how varied they are.
  2. Understand what a bean and seed need to be able to grow.
  3. Predict the outcomes of the bean and seeds and set up a diary to observe the growth over time.

Investigation - observing over time
Design and set up a garden centre in the classroom. Plant a bean in a jar and seeds in a bag and keep them in the classroom garden centre.
Year 1 - Share what they know about what beans need to grow.
Year 2 - Start a record of the bean's growth and predict the outcome.

Vocabulary
Plant, leaf, root, grow, weed, change, living, water, healthy, different, seeds, garden centre

Session 4 Grow some cress!

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Objectives

Think about the conditions for healthy plant growth and plant your own cress seeds. Record their growth. How long will it take for them to be long enough to eat?

Science Objectives
i) Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants (2P).
ii) Find out, describe how plants need water, light, and a suitable temperature to stay healthy (2P).

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  4. Gather and record data to help answer questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Plant cress seeds on cotton in an egg shell or small container.
  • Know that the cress seeds need water and the right temperature (Yr2).
  • Place one egg shell with cress in a cupboard and talk about what might happen to the cress and its growth (Yr1).
  • Start a record of the cress growth and predict how long it will take for the cress to grow long enough to eat (Yr2).

Activities

  1. Understand what plants need to be healthy.
  2. Know that cress seeds need water and the right temperature to germinate and grow.
  3. Predict, and begin to give reasons for, what will happen to the cress in the dark cupboard.
  4. Understand what is involved in recording cress growth.

Investigation
Plant cress seeds on cotton in an eggshell or small container.
Year 1 - Place one egg shell with cress in a cupboard and talk about what might happen to the cress and its growth (Exploring over time, pattern seeking).
Year 2 - Start a record of the cress growth and predict how long it will take for the cress to grow long enough to eat (Problem solving).

Vocabulary
Warmth, light, water, dry, wet, moist, growth, germination

Session 5 Bean update

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Objectives

Record the growth of the bean and look at how they have developed over the last few weeks. Can you recreate the plant with craft materials? Can you label the parts of the plant?

Science Objectives
i) Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants (2P).
ii) Find out, describe how plants need water, light, and a suitable temperature to stay healthy (2P).

Working Scientifically

  1. Ask simple questions and recognise that they can be answered in different ways.
  2. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  3. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.
  4. Gather and record data to help in answering questions.

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • ‘Junk Model Bean’ sheet
  • ‘Seed Song’

Additional Resources

  • Craft and junk modelling materials
  • Tape
  • Glue
  • Wool
  • Pipe cleaners

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Consider and explain the differences between the plants left in the classroom and the ones left in the cupboard (Yr2).
  • Talk about what they see, including facts about the stem and leaves and the seed coat left at the base of the plant (Yr1).
  • Make a plant out of craft and junk materials and talk about each part of the plant model, including its name and function.

Activities

  1. Understand that there are differences between the bean grown in the classroom and the ones grown in the cupboard.
  2. Understand and explain why those differences have occurred.
  3. Understand the various functions of the parts of the plant and their importance.

Investigation - exploring over time, pattern seeking
Understand that there are differences between the bean grown in the classroom and the one grown in the cupboard. Make a bean out of craft and junk materials.
Year 1 - Begin to talk about the various functions of the parts of the plant and their importance.
Year 2 - Begin to explain why those differences have occurred.

Vocabulary
Seed, seed coat, bean, water, warmth, nutrients, leaves, stem, roots

Session 6 Cress sandwiches

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Objectives

Look really closely at the little cress plants and draw what you see. Then pop them into egg sandwiches for an egg and cress snack!

Science Objectives
i) Observe and describe how seeds and bulbs grow into mature plants (2P).
ii) Find out, describe how plants need water, light, and a suitable temperature to stay healthy (2P).

Working Scientifically

  1. Observe closely, using simple equipment.
  2. Use their observations and ideas to suggest answers to questions.

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Sketch and talk about what they see, including facts about the stem and leaves and the seed coat left at the base of each cress plant (Yr1).
  • Be able to talk about what the seed has produced and how the cress plant grew (Yr2).
  • Notice and explain the differences between the cress left to grow in the classroom and the cress left in the cupboard. Boil eggs and butter bread to make egg and cress sandwiches.

Activities

  1. Observe the cress growth, talk about what the seed has produced and how the cress plant grew.
  2. Understand the differences between the cress in the classroom and that left in the cupboard.
  3. Make egg and cress sandwiches.

Investigation
Understand the differences between the cress grown in the classroom and that left in the cupboard. Boil eggs and butter sandwiches and make egg and cress sandwiches.
Year 1 - Observe the cress growth and comment on their observations.
Year 2 -Be able to talk about what the seed has produced and how the cress plant grew.

Vocabulary
Seed, bean, water, warmth, nutrients, leaves, stem, roots

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