Grow Plant, Grow!

Soil: Photo by Roman Synkevych on Unsplash

Alright my first grade friends, today for science we are going to be learning about the life cycle of plants. Just like people and animals, plants also have life cycles because they are alive! I am going to go over our learning targets which are, by the end of the lesson, we will be able to describe the life cycle of the plants and the nutrients plants need to survive.

Now, I want you all to look at the side by side photos above. Can anyone tell me what the pictures are and what they have in common? (Allow think time and call on students. Students should share that the photos are of a seed/spout and a tree and that seeds turn into plants, like trees.) Great! In order for a plant, such as a tree to form, they must begin with a seed. Now, seeds do not magically form into trees overnight. There is a process that plants must go through in order to reach their fully developed stage of life. Today we are going to learn about all the stages of life that a plant must go through in order to develop and survive.

Now we are going to take a look at a few images in order to understand the process that plants go through in order to go from a seed to a full grown plant.

Begin with Gallery Photo 1: In order to begin the life cycle, plants must begin with a seed. Inside the plant is a baby plant known as an embryo. Seeds need to be planted in dirt or soil and watered in order to begin the growing process! Once the seed has all the nutrients it needs to begin growing, it will begin to plant roots and start growing.

Flip to Gallery Photo 2: Once the seed has the right nutrients such as the right temperature, water, and a good location, they can begin growing. Seeds do not grow very rapidly, but they will continue to grow their roots downward into the soil and grow upwards out of the dirt.

Flip to Gallery Photo 3: After the seed has begun to sprout, they will begin seedling as seen in this photo. A seedling is a very young plant but in this stage of life, they begin growing leaves and growing even bigger than before. During this process, the plant begins growing upward toward the sunlight. In order to continue growing, the plant still needs nutrients such as sunlight, water, and the proper air/temperature to become more mature.

Flip to Gallery Photo 4: Once the plant continues to grow, it will begin to form buds, as seen in this photo. Inside the bud, a little flower begins to grow and form, but it does not open until it is completely ready, which is why it is still in a small circle form, as seen in the photo. The flower needs to be protected by the outer layer until it is ready to blossom.

Flip to Gallery Photo 5: Finally, once the plant is fully developed, it will open and it will blossom into a beautiful flower. For this example of flowers, once the flower blooms, insects, such as bees, can begin the pollination process in order to begin the plant life cycle all over again. For plants, such as trees, the life cycle process is very similar, except instead of blooming into a flower, the tree would just continue to grow and grow as long as its needs are met.

Now, we talked about a few different necessities that plants need to grow, so I want you to turn and talk with your partner for a couple minutes in order to brainstorm all the different nutrients that a plant needs to survive!

(Give students a couple minutes to chat with a partner and roam the room to facilitate and monitor discussions. Call on a few students and ask what they discussed with their partner. Answers should be along the lines of ‘sunlight/temperature, soil, water, etc.)

Awesome! (Flip to graphic below) Just like us, plants need different nutrients to survive such as sunlight, soil, and water!

Sun Photo: Photo by Ainsley Myles on Unsplash, Water Photo: Photo by David Ballew on Unsplash, Soil Photo: Photo by Roman Synkevych on Unsplash

Wonderful job today, my first grade scientists! Now, you will be able to recognize the different stages of plant life and identify plant nutrients in your everyday life! I challenge you to find a plant today after school and determine the stage of life the plant is in and what nutrients you see around it that might have helped its growth! We will have the chance to share this tomorrow!