Lesson Four

I. General Information:
Grade Level: 2
Discipline: Science
Unit Topic: Plants
Time Frame: 30 minutes
Text: How a Plant Grows by Bobbie Kalman (this lesson will focus
on section four: Coming to Life)
Other Materials: bags with assorted seeds, marbles, pebbles,
etc., lima beans (soaked overnight in water, 1 per student),
kidney beans (soaked overnight in water, one per student),
magnifying glasses, science journals
II. Essential Understanding/Questions:
What is in a seed?
III. Standards/Indicators
RI5: Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold
print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes, electronic menus, icons)
to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently.
3.C.1.a: Investigate and describe that seeds change and grow
into plants.
IV. Lesson Objectives
Students will identify the parts of a seed.
Students will use text features to locate information.
V. Evaluation/Assessment:
Students will draw and label a picture of the inside of a bean in
their science notebook.
VI. Procedures:
Introduction
o With students sitting at their desks (in groups of 5), hand
out a bag of seeds, marbles, rocks, etc. and ask students to
sort the items into two piles: seeds and non-seeds. Discuss
which group will grow, and how they may change in to
plants (students can use their background knowledge from
the close reading lessons).
*Science activity from:
My Sci. (n.d.). How does a seed become a plant? Retreived from:
http://ediblegardenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HowDoes-a-Seed-Become-Plant.pdf

o Now pass out a kidney and lima bean to each student. Ask
students if they have ever eaten them before? Did they
know they were seeds?
o Ask students what they think the inside of the beans would
look like? Do they think all beans look alike inside?

Teaching/Activities
o Before students explore the inside of the beans, have them
come to a group meeting area.
o The teacher will read aloud section four of the book How a
Plant Grows (pp. 10 11). While reading, the teacher will
model using text features:
Key Words
Photographs
Diagrams with Labels
o After reading, each table group will get a copy of the book
to share. They will use the diagram on page 10 (a seed
with the seed leaf, shoot and seed coat labeled) to help
them as they explore the parts of a seed with their lima
beans.
o Students will record the following vocabulary in their
science journal and find the definitions using the glossary
in the text: germinate, seed leaf, shoot and seed coat.
o Students will draw and label a picture of the inside of a
bean in their science notebook.

Closure
o Students can share their drawings of the parts of a bean.

*Science activity from:

My Sci. (n.d.). How does a seed become a plant? Retreived from:
http://ediblegardenproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/HowDoes-a-Seed-Become-Plant.pdf