SCIENCE

Planning
Document
Primary & Secondary
University of
Notre Dame





English CONCEPT MAP Maths

- Write a recount describing the - Create a timeline of the growth

growth and life cycle of their Religious Education / Spiritual Education of your seed.
seed. (ACELY1671) - Identify a plant spoken about in the bible. - Measure the height of the
Research this plant, draw a picture of it and sprout every three days. Record

explain its life cycle. this as a bar graph. (ACMSP050)
- Compare the height of your
plant to someone else’s.
(ACMMG037)

Concept: Plant Life Cycle Term: 2 Week: 1-5

©The University of Notre Dame 2010 developed by C McGunnigle -
Science / Technology & Enterprise Health & Physical Education
- Create a PowerPoint presentation displaying the - Identify seeds/plants in which humans can consume.
findings from your experiment. (ACTDIP003) (ACPPS018)

Geography History The Arts
- Identify places in which - Research the Flora of Australia - Choose a stage of the plant life cycle
don’t get enough sun for and plants unique to Australia. to paint. (ACAVAM107)
these seeds to thrive. (ACHASSK044) - Choose a different stage to create a
(ACHASSK047) clay model. (ACAVAM108)

 FORWARD PLANNING DOCUMENT

TERM/WEEKS: T: 2 WKS: 1-5 YEAR LEVEL: 2 LEARNING AREA/TOPIC: Biological Sciences – Plant Life
Cycle
AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM
General Capabilities:
Literacy Numeracy ICT Critical and creative Ethical Behaviour Personal and social Intercultural Understanding
thinking Competence
Cross-curriculum priorities:
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and Cultures Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia Sustainability

5E’s- ENGAGE (1-2 lessons)

• To capture student interest and find out what they know about the life cycle of plants.
• To elicit students’ questions/ prior knowledge about the life cycle of plants.
• Diagnostic assessment used- in this lesson you will find out what the students already know about the life cycle of pltants. This will allow you to take account of students’ existing ideas when
planning learning experiences

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSON LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
(include learner diversity)
Science Science as a Science
Understand Human Inquiry
ing Endeavour Skills
Week ACSS ACSH N/A for Order elements of a DIAGNOSTIC Introduction
One U030) E035) this plant life cycle onto a Students will be Seeds
Lesson lesson. poster. • As a motivation, decorate the classroom with Who can tell me from
assessed via a 3 plants
One vines across some walls and various images of looking at our display
checklist
(attached). what our next science
plants on a display board with the title ‘Life
topic is?
Cycle of Plants’. On this display also have a
A: Correctly
places all container of seeds, and 3 plants at a different https://www.
elements. stage in their life cycle. youtube.com
• Watch the video ‘Peep and the Big Wide World: /watch?v=Yx
Tell your partner what
B: Correctly s7P7LWzDg
places at least Peep Plants a Seed’. you know about what
7/10 elements. • Student think, pair and share their knowledge happens when a seed
about what happens when you plant a seed. is planted. What do
C: Correctly they need to grow?
places at least Body
5/10 elements.
• Show students 3 posters of the life cycle of a
3 Life Cycle
D: Does not meet plant (only one is in the correct order). Place Posters –
the criteria of a C. Explain why you think
each in a different corner of the room and ask two in the
this life cycle is the
student to move to the one which they think is incorrect
correct order?
correct. order.
• Identify where the correct poster is and explain (Apdx 1)
the reason as to why that one is in the correct
 order. Use the seeds and 3 plants on the
display table to further explain this and order
them.
• Health and safety: students are not to touch the
seeds or plants on display.
• Students then create their own life cycle poster Life cycle
which will be used over the next few weeks poster
(seeds, shoot, leaves, flowers, seeds fall from worksheet
plant as plant starts to die). (Apdx 2)
• Health and safety: careful handling of scissors,
do not run with scissors, show proper way to
hold scissors.

*Enabling: students can use the life cycle poster in the

classroom as a guide.
*Extending: students can opt to write and draw the
stages instead of using the cut outs.

Conclusion https://www.t
• Students use their iPad and play a plant life urtlediary.co
cycle game. This game also emphasises m/game/stag
variables in which plants need to grow: sunlight es-of-plant-
life-cyle.html
and water.
• To conclude, students explain the life cycle of a
Explain the life cycle
plant to their partner and two things plants need
of a plant to your
to grow. Choose 4 students to share their partner.
responses.
Which two things do
plants need to grow?
 5E’s- EXPLORE (2-3 lessons)
• To provide hands on, shared experiences of XXXXX
• To support students to investigate and explore ideas about XXXXX
• Formative assessment

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSON LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
(include learner diversity)
Science Science as a Science
Understand Human Inquiry
ing Endeavour Skills
Week ACSS ACSH ACSIS Record predictions FORMATIVE Introduction
Two U030) E034) 037) on plants with Kahoot!
Lesson changing variables. • Students use their iPad to complete a Kahoot
Two Students will be Who can explain See appendix 3
ACSIS quiz based on information learnt/discussed in
assessed via a this answer to for pictures of
042) Record rubric (attached). the previous lesson.
observations/findings the class? Kahoot questions.
ACSIS on the plant. • Discuss each question as students complete it.
It will assess the
024 • On the interactive whiteboard, as a class Interactive plant
effectiveness of
Present the findings their predictions complete and interactive plant life cycle. Move life cycle puzzle.
ACSIS to the class via an and findings. the jigsaw pieces into the correct place.
212 oral presentation.

Body
• Students are split into four groups of mixed
Numbered cards
abilities and each group is given a number card.
1-4 with a
• Explain to the students that they are becoming
description and
investigative scientists and will be finding and clue on the back.
studying a plant which has been growing for a
week but each plant has been given different
things.
• The back of the card tells the group clues about
where to find their plant in the room as well as
what elements it has/hasn’t been given. (One
with sun and water, one with sun and no
water, one with no sun but with water, one
with no sun and no water)
• Before students go on their hunt to find their Where do you Investigation
plant, they fill in the prediction box on their think your plant worksheet: Apdx 4
worksheet and circle what elements the plant is in the life
has been getting. cycle? Write it
down.
 • Students find their plant in the classroom which 4 pot plants
has their corresponding number and investigate scattered around
the classroom.
it. They fill out their individual worksheets as a
group and help each other.
• Health and safety: do not run with the pot plant
in your hands, hold it carefully, do not tip it over,
don’t get soil on your hands or in your eyes.
• Students can use their life cycle poster from the Life cycle poster
previous lesson to identify where it is in the life from previous
cycle. lesson.

*Enabling: Use life cycle poster from previous lesson to

help. Differentiated easier worksheet where student can
circle the correct answer rather than writing.
*Extending: Allocate the presenter role for the person
who needs extending. Differentiated more difficult
worksheet where student cannot circle answers but
instead has to write and explain their thinking.

Conclusion
• One person in the group is allocated as the
presenter. What elements
• Each group gets up and presents their findings. did your plant
They explain which elements their plant receive?
received/didn’t receive (sun and water) and What has
present their findings on where it is in the life happened?
cycle/what has happened. Where is it in
• Think, pair, share with a partner the importance the life cycle?
of water and sunlight for plants.
 5E’s- EXPLAIN (1 lesson)
• To support students to develop explanations for experiences and make representations of developing conceptual understandings
• Formative assessment

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSON LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
(include learner diversity)
Science Science as a Science
Understand Human Inquiry
ing Endeavour Skills
Week ACSS ACSH ACSIS Record an accurate FORMATIVE Introduction
Three U030) E034) 042) explanation of the life
Lesson cycle of a plant on • Teacher to come dressed up as a scientist with
Three Do you think a Jack and The
iPads. Students’ video a lab coat as a motivation for this lesson.
and matching scientist wrote Beanstalk.
• Read the book ‘Jack and The Beanstalk’ to the this book?
Match seedling activity will be
vocabulary to assessed via a students. Relate this to thinking like a scientist. https://www.youtu
pictures via a sorting checklist • Watch the video ‘What is a Scientist’ by Barbara be.com/watch?v=
activity. (attached). G7ljR8ahPr8
Lehn.
• Go through the ‘Thinking Like a Scientist’
Thinking like a
PowerPoint (teachstart).
scientist PP.
Body
What are some
• As a class, create a brainstorm including
important words Butcher’s paper
important words for the topic we are exploring
we have for brainstorm.
(this will be displayed as a word wall for the next
discovered/know
lesson). for life cycles?
• Students are given back their life cycle poster Life cycle posters.
from the first lesson.
• They are to use photo booth on their iPads to
record a video of themselves ‘thinking like a
scientist’ and explaining the life cycle of a plant
as well as it’s needs. They can use their poster
to refer to.
Video checklist.
• Each student will receive a checklist of things to
include in their video. (other fun facts)

*Enabling: Students who need enabling will be given a Missing words

script with some missing words for them to fill in and script
then they can proceed to read off that.
*Extending: These students will be encouraged to Seedlings vocab
explain in more detail and add in any other facts that sorting activity.
they know. (Apdx 5)

Conclusion
• Students are offered the opportunity to share
their video to the class.
• To conclude, students complete a seedlings
vocabulary sorting activity.
 5E’s- ELABORATE (1-2 lessons)
• To challenge and extend students’ understandings in a new context or make connections to additional concepts through a student planned investigation
• To use investigative/ inquiry skills
• Summative assessment of science inquiry skills

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSON LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) QUESTIONS
EXPERIENCES

Science Science as a Science
(include learner diversity)
Understand Human Inquiry
ing Endeavour Skills
Week ACSS ACSH ACSIS Write a ‘life cycle of a SUMMATIVE- Introduction
Four U030) E034) 038) plant’ hypothesis in a
Lesson Science Inquiry • Word wall from the brainstorm in the previous
recording journal.
Four ACSIS Skills lesson will be displayed.
039)
• Have students’ science coats over their chair
Students’
ACSIS hypothesis and and ask them to put them on. Explain that today Who can
040) predicting skills they are going to become scientists and remember some
will be assessed conduct experiments. of the ways we
via a checklist.
• Brainstorm what it means to think like a can think like a
scientist: think of an idea to test (hypothesis), scientist?
Anecdotal notes
will be made on plan an experiment, conduct the experiment,
the process of
planting the seed. observe, report findings. This was covered in
the previous lesson in the PowerPoint. Think like a
(attached) • Go back over this slideshow to refresh students’ scientist
memory. PowerPoint.

Body
• Students are given a journal which they will use
to record their findings over the next week. Who remembers Recording
what a journals.
• As a class, discuss what a hypothesis is and
hypothesis is?
possible hypothesis’. Give an example: I think
Examples
that the more water I use, the better the plant
hypothesis’.
will grow. OR The higher up the seed the taller
the plant will grow. Give a few examples.
• Think, pair and share a possible hypothesis for
the life cycle of a plant.
• Each student comes up with a hypothesis and
writes this in their journal.
 • Explain that I will also be planting a seed and
my plant will be the ‘controlled
variable/experiment by which they can compare
the growth of their plant. Discuss this in detail.
• Students collect a cup with soil, seeds, gloves,
Materials/items
water, and a small shovel. They can begin their needed to plant
experiment by planting their seed. the seed.
• Health and safety: put your gloves on before
touching the seed/soil, ensure no latex allergies,
do not throw soil around, don’t get soil in your
eyes, don’t spill the water as this creates a
slipping hazard.

Conclusion
• Students choose where they would like to place
their cup and seed.
• In their journal, students record their predictions What do you
as to how tall and fast the seed will grow and think will
any other predictions they would like to make. happen? Record
• Students are given the opportunity to share their your predictions.

hypothesis and predictions with the group they

are sitting in.
• Students will observe their plant over the next
two weeks, photographing each stage and
recording observations in their journals.

*Enabling: These students can be given a hypothesis by

the teacher if they struggle to think of one. The teacher
can use prompts to elicit a prediction and scribe what is
said.

*Extending: These students will be told to come up with

their own hypothesis and not use one of the examples.
Their hypothesis should be detailed.
 5E’s- EVALUATE (1 lesson)
• To provide opportunities to review and reflect on their learning about XXXXX and represent what they know about XXXXX
• Summative assessment of science understanding

WEEK/ AUSTRALIAN CURRICULUM SPECIFIC LESSON ASSESSMENT TEACHING & LEARNING KEY RESOURCES
LESSON LINKS OBJECTIVE (what & how) EXPERIENCES QUESTIONS
(include learner diversity)
Science Science as a Science
Understandi Human Inquiry
ng Endeavour Skills
Week ACSSU ACSH ACSIS SUMMATIVE- Introduction
Six 030) E021 025 You have not Certified scientist
Lesson Science • Motivation: each student will have a certified
ACSIS completed the certificate.
Five 212 Understanding scientist certificate on their desk however it will
experiment yet, (Apdx 6)
ACSIS be missing a stamp.
026 This lesson allows what do we
the assessment of • Remind students that the last step is to always have to do when
the students’ report their findings. thinking
overall scientifically?
understanding of
the topic.
Body
They will be • Students will be given printed photos of each Photos, journal,
assessed directly stage of their plant, their recording journal and a timeline template.
via the SCSA
blank timeline.
judging
standards. • Students are to complete a timeline displaying
the life cycle of the seed they planted. They will
(attached) cut out (safety requirements), order and attach Was your
photos and write a description for each stage. hypothesis
• At the bottom of the sheet, they will need to correct?
write whether their hypothesis was true or not. Why/why not?

*Enabling: These students will have pre-written

descriptions of each stage so they don’t have to write a
description.

*Extending: These students will need to compare their

timeline to the poster they made in lesson one and
explain the similarities and differences. They will also be
asked to share their findings with the class.
Conclusion
• Revise lesson objectives. How confident
do you feel with
• Show of thumbs relating to how confident the
the life cycle of
children feel in the life cycle of plants.
plants?
• The students can transfer their plant into the
school garden.
• Health and safety: put your gloves on before
touching the seed/soil, ensure no latex allergies,
do not throw soil around, don’t get soil in your
eyes, don’t spill the water as this creates a
slipping hazard.
Lesson One Checklist
Lesson Two Rubric
Lesson Three Checklists
Lesson Four Checklists
Lesson Five Rubric
Lesson One: Appendix 1 – Correct Life Cycle Poster Appendix 2 – Correct Life Cycle Poster
Appendix 3 – Kahoot! Quiz Question Examples
Lesson Two: Appendix 4 – Investigation Worksheet Lesson Four: Appendix 5 – Seedlings Vocab Game
Lesson Five: Appendix 6 – Scientist Certificate
References

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (2012). The Western Australian Curriculum Science. Retrieved from
https://k10outline.scsa.wa.edu.au/home/assessment/judgingstandards/judging-standards-choose-a-year/year-2/science

Peep and the Big Wide World. (2011, April 5). Peep plants a seed. [Video file]. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxs7P7LWzDg

Primary Connections. (2012). Watch It Grow: Year 2 Biological Sciences. Retrieved from https://primaryconnections.org.au/curriculum-
resource/watch-it-grow

TeachStarter. (2013). Thinking Like a Scientist PowerPoint. Retrieved from https://www.teachstarter.com/au/teaching-resource/thinking-like-a-

scientist-powerpoint/

Turtle Diary. (2019). Life Cycle of Plants Game. Retrieved from https://www.turtlediary.com/game/stages-of-plant-life-cyle.html

Wichita Science Curriculum. (2018, July 24). What is a scientist by Barbara Lehn. [Video file]. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7ljR8ahPr8
 Sub-strands Content Descriptions Achievement Standard
Biological • Living things grow, change and have offspring similar to themselves (ACSSU030) By the end of Year 2, students
sciences describe changes to objects,
Science understanding

materials and living things. They

• Different materials can be combined, including by mixing, for a particular purpose (ACSSU031) identify that certain materials and
Chemical
sciences resources have different uses and
describe examples of where
Earth and space • Earth’s resources, including water, are used in a variety of ways (ACSSU032) science is used in people’s daily
sciences lives.

Physical • A push or a pull affects how an object moves or changes shape (ACSSU033) Students pose questions about
sciences their experiences and predict
outcomes of investigations. They
Nature and • Science involves asking questions about, and describing changes in, objects and events use informal measurements to
endeavour (Year 1-2)
Science as a human

development of (ACSHE021) make and compare observations.

science They follow instructions to record
and represent their observations
Use and • People use science in their daily lives, including when caring for their environment and living
and communicate their ideas to
influence of things (ACSHE022) others.
science

Questioning and • Respond to and pose questions, and make predictions about familiar objects and events
predicting (ACSIS024)
Science inquiry skills (Year 1-2)

Planning and • Participate in different types of guided investigations to explore and answer questions, such as
conducting manipulating materials, testing ideas, and accessing information sources (ACSIS025)
• Use informal measurements in the collection and recording of observations, with the assistance
of digital technologies as appropriate (ACSIS026)
Processing and • Use a range of methods to sort information, including drawings and provided tables (ACSIS027)
analysing data • Through discussion, compare observations with predictions (ACSIS212)
and information
Evaluating • Compare observations with those of others (ACSIS213)

Communicating • Represent and communicate observations and ideas in a variety of ways such as oral and written
language, drawing and role play (ACSIS029)
General Capabilities Cross Curriculum Priorities Notes:
• Literacy • Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
• Numeracy
histories and cultures
• Information and communication technology
(ICT) competence • Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
• Critical and creative thinking
• Sustainability
• Ethical behaviour
• Personal and social competence
• Intercultural understanding