Indiana Wesleyan University

Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Student: Stephanie Winslow School: Northview Elementary

IWU Supervisor: Dr. Earl Co-op Teacher: Mrs. Head
Teaching Date: n/a Grade Level: 3rd

READINESS
I. Goal(s)/Objective(s)/Standard(s)
A. Goal–
 Students will understand the needs of plants to grow and function.

B. Objective(s) –
 Through discussion and observation, students will be able to accurately explain what conditions and needs are vital
to the growth of a plant.

C. Standard(s) –
IAS: 3.LS.2 Plan and conduct an investigation to determine the basic needs of plants to grow,
develop, and reproduce.
II. Materials & Management:

A. Materials:
a. 3 plants from room
b. Terms and pictures to put on board as example (attached)
c. Poster board
d. Magnets
e. Markers
B. Time:
a. 35-40 minutes
C. Space:
a. Anticipatory Set and Lesson Presentation will be at the front of room, whole group
b. Output will be spread out at tables in room in their groups
c. Closure, back at front of room
D. Behavior:
a. Students will be expected to be participating and engaged throughout lesson. Students should follow
expectations such as raising their hands to speak, keeping their hands to themselves, etc. “Caught being good”
tickets and creature system (Teacher’s implemented system) will be utilized throughout lesson.
E. Technology:
a. n/a

III. Anticipatory Set— 5 minutes

 For the past two weeks, we have been taking care of three different plants. One plant was on the window sill,
getting a good amount of water each day (plant A). Another plant was in the back of the room, getting a lot of
water each day (plant B). The third plant was on another window sill, but received no water for the past two weeks
(plant C).
 “So, we are finally going to see what all three of our plants look like after these two weeks. What do you think
plant A will look like?”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 “What about plant B?”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 “And lastly, who thinks they know what plant C looks like today?”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 I will now reveal all three plants to the class.
 “Yes, plant A is still green and growing! The other plants are withered and have died. I wonder why this is.”

IV. Purpose: “We are learning about the needs of a plant, because just as we choose what to put into our bodies to grow, we can
choose how to help give lives to plants and other living things by what we give them to grow.”
PLAN FOR INSTRUCTION

V. Adaptation:
A. Remediation – I will provide a hardcopy list of terms for students who struggle with spelling so they can still be involved in
the poster project
B. Enrichment – Creating a poster in this way allows students to take their information and utilize it in creative ways. The
previous inclusion of the plants allows students to hypothesize, and make accurate observations to support their
hypotheses.

VI. Lesson Presentation: 7 minutes

 “Okay, so we saw that Plant A looked the best after two weeks in our classroom. Well, all three plants were in our
classroom for the same amount of time. So what could have impacted plant A, making it look better and grow more than
the other two plants?”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 “One thing that plants especially need is the Sun! They need the warmth and light from the sun to grow and function. Okay,
so what? We had two plants in the sun, and one of them died! So what was the difference between these two plants??”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 “Exactly! We gave water to plant A, but we didn’t give any water to plant C, so it couldn’t grow. Now, why did plant B look
the way it did? Sure, it didn’t get much sun, but we did give it water!”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 “Yes. I think we gave plant B too much water. So, plants need a good mix of different things, right? You can’t only give a
plant water and expect it to live. So, let’s learn a little more about what plants need to grow. What in inside the pots we
planted our plants in? That’s right! There is soil. Plants need some type of soil so their roots can be put in the ground so
they don’t blow over! Now, what’s one more thing you can think of that a plant might need to grow?”
o Allow 2-3 students to answer
 “Food! Plants need food to grow, just like we do! Now, do you think plants go out and buy pizza, or a burger? No. Plants
have a different type of food than we do. Plants can actually get food from other plants that have already died. They can
use the nutrients from those plants to help themselves grow! Plants also need air to grow, just like we need air!”
 During this time, I will be putting pictures on the board of plants, the sun and soil for students to see a visual representation
of what we are discussing.

Checking Understanding –

 What could have impacted plant A, making it look better and grow more than the other two plants?
 We had two plants in the sun, but one died. What was the difference between these two plants?
 Why did plant B die even though we gave it water?
 What is one more thing you can think of that a plant might need to grow?

Guided Practice – 5 minutes

 “Okay, I am taking all these pictures off the board now, and putting some words on the board. I have a category
that says ‘Plants Need’ and a category that says ‘Plants Don’t Need.’ As a group, we are all going to sort these
into the correct category.”
o List of words:*materials*
 Air (need)
 Water (need)
 Soil (need)
 Pizza (don’t need)
 Burger (don’t need)
 Food (need)
 No water (don’t need)
  Sun (need)
 No sun (don’t need)
 Coats (for the winter) (don’t need)
 Animals (don’t need)
 A house (don’t need)
o I will call students who are being attentive and raising their hand to come sort the words which have
magnets on the back, into their respective category.

A. OUTPUT (15 minutes): “Now we are going to divide into five different groups. You will be provided with a poster board. On
this poster, I want you to draw and write what a plant needs to grow. I will put the pictures back up on the board, and leave
them there so you can check if you want to make sure you are being correct with spelling. Be creative with your drawings,
but I still want to be able to tell it is a plant.” Call groups up one at a time, give them poster board and markers, send to
desired area of the room.
a. Group 1: RJ, Lilly, Maddie H, Cormic
b. Group 2: Korbyn, Aubry, Tylor, Juliet
c. Group 3: Dalton, Daniel, Anabel, Dakota
d. Group 4: Dillon, Amya, Chloe, Trevor
e. Group 5: Brayde, Maddie M., Elexus, Raven, Aiyana

 During this time, I will walk around and make sure students are on task. If they are stuck, or forgot
something, I will remind them of what element to add, and make sure everyone is being involved.

Closure – 5 minutes

 I will pick one student from each group to come to the front of the room and hang their poster using magnets.
 “Wow, I love all of these posters. Let’s see. Do they all include what plants need to survive and grow? The sun,
soil, and water. Very good! We will continue to learn more about plants and what they need to grow, but for
now we know the basics, which is really good! And our test plants show us that it is important what we choose
to give our plants.”

PLAN FOR ASSESSMENT (ACEI 4.0)

Formative: Questions asked throughout lesson. Posters.

 What could have impacted plant A, making it look better and grow more than the other two plants?
 We had two plants in the sun, but one died. What was the difference between these two plants?
 Why did plant B die even though we gave it water?
 What is one more thing you can think of that a plant might need to grow?

REFLECTION AND POST-LESSON ANALYSIS

1. How many students achieved the lesson objective(s)? For those who did not, why not?
2. What were my strengths and weaknesses?
3. How should I alter this lesson?
4. How would I pace it differently?
5. Were all students actively participating? If not, why not?
6. What adjustments did I make to reach varied learning styles and ability levels?
a. Bloom’s Taxonomy
b. Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences
7. Did students grasp the four main needs for a plant?
8. Were posters inclusive yet unique?
Sun
Water
Food
Soil