SIOP Lesson Plan

STANDARDS:
SC.3.L.14.2: Investigate and describe how plants respond to stimuli (heat, light, gravity), such as the way plant
stems grow toward light and their roots grow downward in response to gravity.
THEME: Observe and identify the way plants respond to stimuli around them.
LESSON TOPIC:
How do plants respond to the world around them?

OBJECTIVES:
Content:
Students will observe and understand that plants
respond in different ways to the environment
around them.

Language:
Students will be able to verbally explain how
plants respond to stimuli using the targeted science
vocabulary.

LEARNING STRATEGIES:
Students will be able to watch 3 videos and identify different ways that plants respond to light and gravity.
KEY VOCABULARY:
Gravity, light, respond
MATERIALS:
Laptop, worksheets, science notebook, and projector
MOTIVATION/ANTICIPATORY SET (Building Background):
I will start the lesson with activating the students background knowledge about how plants need sunlight to
grow and produce their food. I will remind them of our failed science lab where we were going to test how
plant roots respond to gravity. Ask the students Do plants move? and have them write their answers on their
piece of paper.
Set the purpose: The students are going to watch 3 videos and take notes of new learning about how plants
respond to light and gravity.
PRESENTATION/INPUT/MODELING (Language & Content Objectives, comprehensible input, strategies,
interaction, feedback):

PRACTICE/APPLICATION (meaningful activities, interaction, strategies, feedback):

Video #1: Explain to students that in the video there are two corn seeds. The seed on the left was planted with
their roots pointed down and the seed on the right was planted with their seed sticking up. Instruct the students
to make an inference about with direction they think the root is going to grow on each seed. Play the video
and afterwards have students make notes about what happened to the roots and if their inference was correct or
not.

Video #2: Explain to students that the sunflower seed on the left was grown in complete darkness and the one
on the right was grown in the light. Tell them that after they watch the video they are going to make notes
about the differences in how the plants grow.
Video #4: Explain that the plant is lying on its side and the light source is above it. Have the students predict
what the plant is going to do. Play the video and then have students write notes about what happened in the
video and whether or not their prediction was correct.

REVIEW/ASSESSMENT (review objectives and vocabulary, assess learning):

At the bottom of their paper have students answer the question, How do plants react to light and gravity? Use
specific examples from your notice to justify your answer. This assessment will be used to determine whether
the students understand that plants respond to the environment.

EXTENSION:
Students will be planting their own third grade garden and observing the changes over an extended period of
time.