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Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 30 minutes

Seeds, bulbs and germination

Plants

CCSS NGSS.2-LS2-1England: KS1 Y2 Plants

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Seeds, bulbs and germination.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: What plants need to grow

Leads to: Life cycle of a flowering plant; How seeds travel: wind, water, animals and bursting pods

Materials: Real plants or seeds, Hand lenses, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (What plants need to grow). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which of these does a plant need to grow well? (loud music / sweets / darkness all day / light) → lightPrompt: What does a plant get from the Sun?
  2. What plants need: which statement is true? (Plants need water. / Plants eat soil to get their food. / Plants never need water. / Plants grow best in the dark.) → Plants need water.Prompt: Think about what keeps a plant healthy.
  3. What plants need: which statement is NOT true? (Plants take in minerals (nutrients) from the soil through their roots. / Plants need light to grow well. / Plants need air. / Plants grow best in the dark.) → Plants grow best in the dark.Prompt: One sentence is a common mistake.

Hook · 3 min

  • Bring in a plant that has been kept in the dark next to one in the light, and ask what happened.
  • Share the objective: Seeds, bulbs and germination. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Is this a seed or a bulb: sunflower seed?
  • Step 1: Seeds are made by flowers and grow into new plants.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: seed
  • Answer: seed
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Is this a seed or a bulb: garlic? (seed / bulb) → bulbPrompt: Seeds are usually small and hard. Bulbs are rounder, with papery layers.
  2. Cress seeds are put on damp cotton wool with no soil. What happens? (They turn into bulbs. / They melt. / They still germinate. / Nothing, seeds need soil.) → They still germinate.Prompt: What do seeds really need to start growing?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Where does a young seedling get its energy before its leaves can make food? (the soil / the rain / the food store inside the seed / the Moon) → the food store inside the seedPrompt: What is packed inside a seed?
  2. Which of these is a bulb? (bean / conker (horse chestnut) / hyacinth / pea) → hyacinthPrompt: Seeds come from inside fruits and pods. Bulbs are round and have papery layers.

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: What plants need to grow.
  • Use concrete materials: real plants or seeds.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Life cycle of a flowering plant; How seeds travel: wind, water, animals and bursting pods.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-2.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Seeds, bulbs and germination

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Is this a seed or a bulb: hyacinth?

    • A. seed
    • B. bulb

  2. Question 2

    Where does a young seedling get its energy before its leaves can make food?

    • A. the Moon
    • B. the soil
    • C. the rain
    • D. the food store inside the seed

  3. Question 3

    Which of these is a seed?

    • A. tulip
    • B. hyacinth
    • C. conker (horse chestnut)
    • D. garlic

  4. Question 4

    Is this a seed or a bulb: garlic?

    • A. seed
    • B. bulb

  5. Question 5

    Cress seeds are put on damp cotton wool with no soil. What happens?

    • A. They still germinate.
    • B. They turn into bulbs.
    • C. They melt.
    • D. Nothing, seeds need soil.

  6. Question 6

    Which of these is a bulb?

    • A. conker (horse chestnut)
    • B. tulip
    • C. apple pip
    • D. sunflower seed

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Answer key: Seeds, bulbs and germination

  1. 1. B. bulb

  2. 2. D. the food store inside the seed

  3. 3. C. conker (horse chestnut)

  4. 4. B. bulb

  5. 5. A. They still germinate.

  6. 6. B. tulip