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Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 45 minutes

Which part of the plant do we eat?

Plants

CCSS NGSS.1-LS1-1England: KS1 Y1 Plants

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Which part of the plant do we eat?.

  • 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: Parts of a plant

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

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

Warm-up · 5 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Parts of a plant). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which part holds the plant up and carries water to the leaves? (the flower / the petals / the stem / the roots) → the stemPrompt: It is like a straw and a pole at the same time.
  2. Plant parts: which statement is true? (Trees are not plants. / Leaves take in water from the soil. / Roots grow up towards the sky. / A tree trunk is a stem.) → A tree trunk is a stem.Prompt: Picture a plant from its roots to its flower.
  3. Which part of a plant makes seeds? (the stem / the roots / the flower / the leaves) → the flowerPrompt: Bees visit this colourful part.

Hook · 5 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: Which part of the plant do we eat?. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 10 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Which part of the plant is this food: cauliflower?
  • Step 1: These are bunches of tiny flower buds.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: flowers (flower buds)
  • Answer: flowers (flower buds)
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 10 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. Which part of the plant is this food: parsnip? (stem / root / leaves / seeds) → rootPrompt: Did it grow under the ground, hold the plant up, catch sunlight, bloom, or is it something you could plant to grow a new plant?
  2. Why are lettuce and spinach leaves usually green and thin? (Leaves are made to catch light and make food. / They grow underground. / They are not ripe yet. / They are full of seeds.) → Leaves are made to catch light and make food.Prompt: What job do leaves do for a plant?

You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 5 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. Three of these foods come from the same plant part: seeds. Which one does NOT? (peas / lentils / sunflower seeds / lettuce) → lettucePrompt: Name the plant part for each food.
  2. Why are lettuce and spinach leaves usually green and thin? (Leaves are made to catch light and make food. / They grow underground. / They are full of seeds. / They are not ripe yet.) → Leaves are made to catch light and make food.Prompt: What job do leaves do for a plant?

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: Parts of a plant.
  • 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

  • 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-1.

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

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Which part of the plant do we eat?

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Three of these foods come from the same plant part: fruit. Which one does NOT?

    • A. sunflower seeds
    • B. pepper
    • C. orange
    • D. apple

  2. Question 2

    Which part of the plant is this food: sugar cane?

    • A. flowers (flower buds)
    • B. stem
    • C. fruit (holds seeds)
    • D. seeds

  3. Question 3

    When you eat a carrot, which job did that part do for the plant?

    • A. caught sunlight
    • B. made seeds
    • C. took in water and stored food underground
    • D. attracted bees

  4. Question 4

    Three of these foods come from the same plant part: stem. Which one does NOT?

    • A. asparagus
    • B. lettuce
    • C. broccoli stalk
    • D. sugar cane

  5. Question 5

    Which part of the plant is this food: beetroot?

    • A. leaves
    • B. flowers (flower buds)
    • C. root
    • D. stem

  6. Question 6

    Which of these foods is a seed?

    • A. a lettuce leaf
    • B. a pea
    • C. a carrot
    • D. a stick of asparagus

  7. Question 7

    Which part of the plant is this food: asparagus?

    • A. seeds
    • B. fruit (holds seeds)
    • C. stem
    • D. leaves

  8. Question 8

    Why are lettuce and spinach leaves usually green and thin?

    • A. Leaves are made to catch light and make food.
    • B. They grow underground.
    • C. They are not ripe yet.
    • D. They are full of seeds.

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Answer key: Which part of the plant do we eat?

  1. 1. A. sunflower seeds

  2. 2. B. stem

  3. 3. C. took in water and stored food underground

  4. 4. B. lettuce

  5. 5. C. root

  6. 6. B. a pea

  7. 7. C. stem

  8. 8. A. Leaves are made to catch light and make food.