• 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 of a plant makes food using sunlight? (the leaves / the stem / the roots / the seeds) → the leavesPrompt: Which part is usually green and flat to catch the light?
2. Plant parts: which statement is true? (Roots grow up towards the sky. / Leaves take in water from the soil. / Trees are not plants. / Leaves are usually green.) → Leaves are usually green.Prompt: Picture a plant from its roots to its flower.
3. Which part holds the plant up and carries water to the leaves? (the flower / the roots / the petals / the stem) → the stemPrompt: It is like a straw and a pole at the same time.

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

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Which of these does a plant need to grow well?
• Step 1: Plants need light, water, air and the right temperature.
• Step 2: So the answer is: light
• Answer: light
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• 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 plant is not watered for a long time. What happens? (It grows taller. / It makes more flowers. / Its leaves turn blue. / It wilts (droops) and may die.) → It wilts (droops) and may die.Prompt: Plants need water to stay firm.
2. What plants need: which statement is true? (Plants never need water. / Plants eat soil to get their food. / The more water you give a plant, the better it always grows. / Plants need air.) → Plants need air.Prompt: Think about what keeps a plant healthy.

• 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.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. What plants need: which statement is NOT true? (Plants need air. / The more water you give a plant, the better it always grows. / Plants need water. / Plants need light to grow well.) → The more water you give a plant, the better it always grows.Prompt: One sentence is a common mistake.
2. A plant is left in a dark cupboard for two weeks. What will probably happen? (Nothing changes. / It grows greener. / It grows flowers faster. / It turns pale and weak.) → It turns pale and weak.Prompt: What do leaves need to make food?

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.