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What Do Plants Need?

A Kindergarten STEM Lesson

Jennifer Stretton

April 2023

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Notes for Teachers

This lesson will take place outside during a nature walk and inside the classroom.

There is flexibility to how you use technology during this lesson depending on what you have access to. Flip (formerly FlipGrid) is a platform suggestion for students to use.

List of Materials

Class Set: My Nature Walk worksheet.
Class Set: “What do plants need?” worksheet.
Class Set: clipboards
Class Set: pencils, markers, or colored pencils
Class Set: scissors
Access to technology

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Standards

Life Science:

K.L1U1.6: Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information about how organisms use different body parts for survival.

K.L1U1.7: Observe, ask questions, and explain how specialized structures found on a variety of plants and animals (including humans) help them sense and respond to their environment.

ELA:

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

Ed Technology

Creative Communicator

K-2.6.b. Students, with guidance, create original works using digital tools and resources.

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Objective(s):

Students will go on a nature walk, notice nature, and increase their observation skills.

Students will be able to identify different plant types and make connections to the plant’s needs: sunlight, soil, water, and air.

Students will use technology to capture their learning.

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Agenda (30-40 minutes)

Tell the students they are going to listen to a story to learn how to make a seed grow.
Read the story The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.
Ask students what a plant might need to survive.
On chart paper, record student responses.
After reading, explain that all plants need sunlight and water to grow. Different types of plants may need different amounts of water and sunlight, but they all need light and water to grow. Discuss why plants need soil and air.
Take the students on a nature walk. Discuss similarities and differences between the plants. Ask the students what types of plants they have at home. Students will use the My Nature Walk worksheet to record their plant observations.
Show the students a seed. Ask the students how they think a tiny little seed turns into a plant. Tell the students that they will learn what a seed needs to become a plant.
Have students complete “What do plants need?” worksheet.
Have students use technology to capture what they observe and/or learned.

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Intro

Watch the video.
Ask:

What do you notice?
What do wonder?

Let’s make a list of our wonders.

Bean Time-Lapse - 25 days | Soil cross section | https://youtu.be/w77zPAtVTuI

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