Leaves (K-2nd)

Lesson Plan Developed by: Sarah Tudor

Objective: The goal is for the students to have a better understanding of how the water system of a plant works.

Overview: The activity is to make leaves that will show how the water moves through the leaves. This should only take 30 minutes.

1st grade, Number of students: 25

Subject Covered: Physical Science

Materials:
This requires coffee filters and food coloring. The students should have scissors. I did have to use something that did not mess up the tables. They worked individually with me.

Background Information: For this activity I checked out a book at their library, Plants by David Burnie. The book was able to explain the veins inside the leaves to the students. (I added my own little dance.) I explained the difference between our veins that carry blood and the leaves veins that carry water and nutrients.

Motivate! (Engage): I asked them if they knew how water got all the way to the leaves. Most of them knew in a general way. A few knew about the veins. They were excited to find out they were going to make leaves. I also had leaves to show them.

Activity (Explore): Each student receives a coffee filter. I come around to drop a few food-coloring drops on their coffee filter. The food coloring spreads. They can watch how colors are engulfing the white. After they dry, they cut leaves out of the filters.

Safety Tips: The food coloring will stain. Only adults should handle the food coloring. They should also have a protective covering under the coffee filters. I did not want to ruin their new tables.

Closure: In most classes I had time to bring students back to the carpet to review. The key concept was to understand how water travel through a plant. I made all of them stand up. The water started in the air, then landed on the plant and ground. Next, it went up the roots to the stem, up through the branches, into the twigs and then in the veins. We acted out the motions.

Assessment (Evaluation): This was my first time in the classroom. The students were very excited. They all seem to love science. I think that by the 4th class I had it down the right way to give out the food coloring without messing up the tables. It took longer for me to go around to each student but it was well worth it. I think the students understood the concept. I assessed the students by having them say out loud with me the parts of the plants. When they hear themselves say something, it might stick with them more.

Connections (Integration with Other Content Areas): This activity integrated art. Art is important to their physical development. I believe that some teachers had them write about a story about their leaves. Other age groups could explain the whole system in detail. They could even work in a big group to create one big tree with all of the parts (If time allows for that, and the teacher).