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Science lesson plan · 2nd grade (Year 3 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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. A plant is not watered for a long time. What happens? (Its leaves turn blue. / It grows taller. / It wilts (droops) and may die. / It makes more flowers.) → It wilts (droops) and may die.Prompt: Plants need water to stay firm.
  2. To test if plants need light, what must be the SAME for both plants? (nothing, everything should be different / only the colour of the pot matters / the amount of light / the water, the soil and the type of plant) → 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 never need water. / Plants need light to grow well. / The more water you give a plant, the better it always grows. / Plants eat soil to get their food.) → Plants need light to grow well.Prompt: Think about what keeps a plant healthy.

Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 12 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 2 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 16 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow? → 14 cmPrompt: Growth is the change in height.
  2. A plant kept in the dark grew tall, thin and pale. What do the results suggest? (Pale plants are the healthiest. / Darkness is the best way to grow plants. / It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food. / It had too much light.) → It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food.Prompt: Being tall is not the same as being healthy.

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. A sunflower seedling was 4 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 8 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow? → 4 cmPrompt: Growth is the change in height.
  2. A plant kept in the dark grew tall, thin and pale. What do the results suggest? (Pale plants are the healthiest. / It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food. / It had too much light. / Darkness is the best way to grow plants.) → It was stretching to find light and could not make enough food.Prompt: Being tall is not the same as being healthy.

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 least?

    Plant height after 2 weeks (cm)02468101214161817light and water7water, no light1light, no water
    • A. light and water
    • B. water, no light
    • C. light, no water

  2. Question 2

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

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

  3. Question 3

    A sunflower seedling was 3 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 15 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?

    Answercm

  4. Question 4

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

    Answercm

  5. Question 5

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

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

  6. Question 6

    A tomato seedling was 4 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 8 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?

    Answercm

  7. Question 7

    Why is it better to grow five plants in each group instead of just one?

    • A. More plants make the test faster.
    • B. Plants are lonely on their own.
    • C. One plant might be unusual; more plants give more reliable results.
    • D. It makes the chart more colourful.

  8. Question 8

    A bean plant was 5 cm tall on Monday. Two weeks later it was 18 cm tall. How many centimetres did it grow?

    Answercm

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Answer key: Plant growth experiments: read the results

  1. 1. C. light, no water

  2. 2. D. Keep the light, soil, pot and type of plant the same.

  3. 3. 12 cm

  4. 4. 12 cm

  5. 5. D. Measure its height with a ruler at the start and the end.

  6. 6. 4 cm

  7. 7. C. One plant might be unusual; more plants give more reliable results.

  8. 8. 13 cm