1 of 11

The Arizona STEM Acceleration Project

Exploring the Life Cycle of a Bean Plant

2 of 11

Exploring the Life Cycle of a Bean Plant

A [K-2] Grade STEM Lesson

Eileen Alston-Conway

February 2023

3 of 11

Notes for Teachers

Context: This lesson takes place in a classroom for 45 minutes to one hour.
Students may work individually or collaborate in small groups of 2-3.
An emphasis is on the stages of a bean plant’s life cycle.
Facilitate student reflection on the importance of each stage in the growth of a bean plant.

List of Materials

For Each Student:

Lima beans
Cooked lima beans
Jelly beans
3 cotton balls (per student)
Ziplock bags
small pot or small cups
soil
Water
Tape
Pencils
Math problems
Notebook or journal
Picture book or Read aloud “From Seed to Plant” by Gail Gibbons Read Aloud Book | From seed to plant | Gail Gibbons |
Life cycle of a Bean- written by David M Life Cycle | Bean | Garden | Science | Preschool | Read Aloud | Story

4 of 11

Arizona Standards

ELA:

K.W.2 With guidance and support from adults, use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to compose informative/explanatory texts in which they name what they are writing about and supply some information about the topic.

Key Ideas and Details

K.RL.1 With prompting and support, ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

1.RI.2 Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.

1.RI.3 Describe the connection between two individuals, events, ideas, or pieces of information in a text using key details.

Life Science:

1.L.1U1.6: observe, describe, and predict life cycles of

animals and plants.

1.L2U2.7: Develop and use models about how living

things use resources to grow and survive; design and evaluate habitats for organisms using earth materials.

1.L.2U1.8: Construct an explanation describing how

organisms obtain resources from the environment including materials that are used again by other organisms.

Mathematical Practices:

1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.

5 of 11

Objective(s):

We will understand the stages of the bean life cycle from seed to plant.
We will learn the importance of each stage in the growth of a bean plant.
We will solve math problems.
We will predict the life cycles of plants.

6 of 11

Agenda (Three 45 minute lessons)

What is the life cycle of a bean plant?

What’s the purpose?

Life Cycle of a Bean

From Seed to Plant

Germination of the bean

Observation of the bean

Reflection/Journal writing

Planting of the beans

Reflection/Journal writing

7 of 11

What is a bean plant life cycle?

8 of 11

Hands-on Activity Instructions

Germination: Have each child wet the three cotton balls and put a few seeds on the cotton balls. Then, place beans with cotton balls in the ziplock bags. Make sure the cotton balls stays moist by adding water to the Ziploc bags as needed. Explain to the children that the seeds need water and warmth to start growing. Put the Ziploc bags near a window or attach them to the window with some sunlight.
Seedling: After a few days, have the children check their seeds. They should have started to sprout. Explain to the children that this is called germination, and the baby plant is called a seedling.
Transplanting: Once the seedlings have grown a few inches, they are ready to be planted in soil. Have each child fill a small pot with soil and then plant their seedling. Explain to the children that the seedling will continue to grow into a larger plant as it receives sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil.

Materials

Lima beans

Ziploc bags

cottons ball 3 per student

small water bottles

masking tape (if you want to display on windows)

clear small cups/one per student

small pots

Potting soil

Read alouds

Bean Entire Life Cycle Time Lapse

"A Bean's Life Cycle" Read Aloud

Procedure:

Introduction: Begin the lesson by asking the children if they know where vegetables come from. Explain that they come from plants, and plants grow from seeds. Show the children a few Lima bean seeds and ask if they have ever seen one before.

Germination: Have each child wet the three cotton balls and put a few seeds on the cotton balls. Then, place beans with cotton balls in the Ziplock bags. Make sure the cotton balls stays moist by adding water to the Ziploc bags as needed. Explain to the children that the seeds need water and warmth to start growing. Put the ziplock bags near a window or attach them to the window with some sunlight.
Seedling: After a few days, have the children check their seeds. They should have started to sprout. Explain to the children that this is called germination, and the baby plant is called a seedling.
Transplanting: Once the seedlings have grown a few inches, they are ready to be planted in soil. Have each child fill a small pot with soil and then plant their seedling. Explain to the children that the seedling will continue to grow into a larger plant as it receives sunlight, water, and nutrients from the soil.
Bean plant: After a few weeks, the children's seedlings will have grown into bean plants. Show them the bean cycle chart (if available) and explain the stages they have just witnessed. Discuss the importance of each stage in the growth of the bean plant.
Math problems related to the life cycle of a lima bean plant that can be used throughout the lesson
Conclusion: Conclude the lesson by having the children share what they learned about the bean life cycle. Ask them to explain why each stage is important and what they enjoyed most about the activity.

Extension:

Have the children draw pictures of the bean cycle in their journals.

Ask the children to describe the different parts of the bean plant (roots, stem, leaves, and beans).
Have the children taste some cooked Lima beans and talk about how they taste and what nutrients they provide.

9 of 11

Assessment

Review the different parts of a bean plant and their functions.
Ask students to share what they learned about the life cycle of a bean plant.
Encourage them to continue taking care of their bean plants at home and observe how they grow over time.

10 of 11

Differentiation

Teacher models The Life Cycle of a Bean activity in a small group for students who sometimes might have a difficult time following directions.

Make a step-by-step model of the germination process in a picture format for students to follow.

Students may work with a partner to answer the questions.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Once the bean plants have grown a few inches tall, students can observe and compare their plants to see how they differ in size and appearance.
You can also ask students to create a visual representation of the bean plant life cycle using materials such as construction paper, markers, and glue.

11 of 11

Math Word Problems

If it takes 7 days for a lima bean seed to sprout, and today is Monday, on which day will the lima bean sprout?
A lima bean plant has 6 leaves. If each leaf has 3 points, how many points are there in total on the lima bean plant’s leaves?
A lima bean plant grows 2 inches every week. If the plant is currently 6 inches tall, how tall will it be in 4 weeks?
A lima bean plant produces 10 pods. If each pod contains 5 seeds, how many seeds will the plant produce in total?
A lima bean plant takes 14 weeks to mature. If the plant was planted on January 1st, on which day will it be ready to harvest?

Enrichment

A lima bean plant is 12 inches tall. If it grows at a rate of 1.5 inches per week, how tall will it be in two month?