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Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 45 minutes

Plant growth experiments: read the results

Plants

CCSS NGSS.2-LS2-1CCSS NGSS.SEP 4England: KS1 Y2 PlantsEngland: KS1 Working scientifically

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Plant growth experiments: read the results.

  • 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; Test what a plant needs: light and water

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 (What plants need to grow; Test what a plant needs: light and water). 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? (light / sweets / loud music / darkness all day) → lightPrompt: What does a plant get from the Sun?
  2. To test if plants need light, what must be the SAME for both plants? (the amount of light / the water, the soil and the type of plant / only the colour of the pot matters / nothing, everything should be different) → the water, the soil and the type of plantPrompt: We only want to change one thing.
  3. What plants need: which statement is true? (Plants eat soil to get their food. / The more water you give a plant, the better it always grows. / Plants never need water. / Plants grow best at a suitable temperature, not too hot or too cold.) → Plants grow best at a suitable temperature, not too hot or too cold.Prompt: Think about what keeps a plant healthy.

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: Plant growth experiments: read the results. 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: A sunflower seedling was 3 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 17 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?
  • Step 1: 17 − 3 = 14
  • Step 2: So the answer is: 14 cm
  • Answer: 14 cm
  • 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. A bean plant was 6 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 14 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow? → 8 cmPrompt: Growth is the change in height.
  2. Why is it better to grow five plants in each group instead of just one? (Plants are lonely on their own. / More plants make the test faster. / It makes the chart more colourful. / One plant might be unusual; more plants give more reliable results.) → One plant might be unusual; more plants give more reliable results.Prompt: What if your only plant had a weak seed?

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. A plant kept in the dark grew tall, thin and pale. What do the results suggest? (Darkness is the best way to grow plants. / Pale plants are the healthiest. / It had too much light. / It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food.) → It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food.Prompt: Being tall is not the same as being healthy.
  2. A tomato seedling was 5 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 16 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow? → 11 cmPrompt: Growth is the change in height.

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

  • 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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Plant growth experiments: read the results

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Three bean plants were grown for two weeks in different conditions. The chart shows their heights in cm. Which plant grew best?

    Plant height after 2 weeks (cm)024681012141615light and water7water, no light1light, no water
    • A. light and water
    • B. water, no light
    • C. light, no water

  2. Question 2

    A tomato seedling was 6 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 18 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?

    Answercm

  3. Question 3

    Which is the best way to measure how much a plant has grown?

    • A. Weigh the pot only once.
    • B. Guess by looking at it.
    • C. Measure its height with a ruler at the start and the end.
    • D. Count its roots every day by digging it up.

  4. Question 4

    Three bean plants were grown for two weeks in different conditions. The chart shows their heights in cm. Which plant grew least?

    Plant height after 2 weeks (cm)02468101214161817light and water5water, no light4light, no water
    • A. light and water
    • B. water, no light
    • C. light, no water

  5. Question 5

    A bean plant was 3 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 10 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?

    Answercm

  6. Question 6

    A plant kept in the dark grew tall, thin and pale. What do the results suggest?

    • A. It had too much light.
    • B. It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food.
    • C. Darkness is the best way to grow plants.
    • D. Pale plants are the healthiest.

  7. Question 7

    A sunflower seedling was 2 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 11 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?

    Answercm

  8. Question 8

    Ana wants to test whether plants need water. She gives one plant water and one none. What else must she do?

    • A. Give the dry plant extra sunlight to make up for it.
    • B. Keep the light, soil, pot and type of plant the same.
    • C. Use a different type of plant for each.
    • D. Put the watered plant in a dark cupboard.

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Answer key: Plant growth experiments: read the results

  1. 1. A. light and water

  2. 2. 12 cm

  3. 3. C. Measure its height with a ruler at the start and the end.

  4. 4. C. light, no water

  5. 5. 7 cm

  6. 6. B. It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food.

  7. 7. 9 cm

  8. 8. B. Keep the light, soil, pot and type of plant the same.