5 Day Plant Life Cycle Lesson Plan (Grades 2-4)

If you are starting to plan out your lesson plan for plant life cycle, you need to read through this 5 day plan that I crated to make your life just a little easier! Each day is separted into 3 sections-Objective, Materials, and Activities. Once you complete this plan with your class, come back and tell me how it went! I would love to hear!

Day 1: Introduction to Plants and Their Importance

• Objective: Describe the significance of plants and their role in the environment.​

• Materials: Chart paper, markers, images of various plants, ziploc bags, bean seed for each student, and paper towels. (You can prepare the ziploc bags and paper towels prior to the lesson, or you can have your students do this.)

• Activities:

  • Engage with your students (5 min)

    • Begin with a class discussion on plants students are familiar with and their uses.​ Ask your students to name some plants that they see everyday? Where do you see these plants? What do you think plants are for? Do we eat plants? Do we eat all plants? What would happen if there were no plants in the world?

  • Discuss with your class (10 min)

    • Create a mind map on chart paper. Label it "Why are plants important?" (e.g., oxygen production, food source, habitat).​ Write down the different responses your students give

  • Explain the Plant Life Cycle (10 min)

    • Introduce the concept of the plant life cycle. Talk about how the plant life cycle starts with a seed. Give each student there seed.

    • Talk about what this little seed can grow into. Inform the students that you will look into this more as the week goes on.

  • Wrap-Up with planting (5-10 min)

    • This should not take long at all:) Students take a paper towel and put it in their ziplock bag, then they put their seed in the bag and pour some water in the bag. Then you tape them to your classroom windows.

    • Exit Ticket: As you do this with your class ask them how long they think it will take for the plant to sprout. How could this plant help us?

Day 2: Parts of a Plant

• Objective: Identify and describe the functions of different parts of a plant.​

• Materials: Real plant samples or diagrams, books about plants or tablets where students can research.

• Activities:

  • Engage with your students (5 min)

    • Show a real plant or a picture and ask: "Do you think each part of the plant has a purpose?" or "What do you think the purposes are?"

  • Explore plants (10 min)

    • Introduce the main parts of a plant:

      • Roots: Absorb water and nutrients.

      • Stem: Supports the plant and transports water.

      • Leaves: Make food using sunlight (photosynthesis).

      • Flower: Helps the plant reproduce.

      • Seeds: Grow into new plants.

    • Identify each part on the plant (or picture of a plant) itself!

  • Explore/Explain in small groups (10 min)

    • Separate your students into 5 small groups. Assign each group a part of a plant. The group dicussses and reasearches their part and then shares 1 or 2 thing they learned about their part of the plant.

  • Wrap-Up with a game (5min)

    • Ask questions like: Which part of the plant makes food? What part of the plant soaks up the water? How does a plant start?

    • Have students touch their head if it's the flower, their arms if it's the leaves, their stomach if it is the stem, their eyes if it is the seeds, and their toes if it is the roots.

    • Finish out the lesson by schecking on their seeds. Are they growing yet?

    
    

Day 3: The Plant Life Cycle

• Objective: Describe the stages of the plant life cycle.​

• Materials: Sequencing cards depicting stages of the plant life cycle, Life Cycle of a Plant Craft Collaborative Poster & Science Review Activity - coloring code worksheets for each student

• Activities:

  • Engage with your students (5 min)

    • Review game: Play "What Am I?" (Give clues about the purpose of a plants part , and students guess).

  • Explore the plant life cycle (10 min)

    •  Introduce the stages of the plant life cycle.

      • Seed ->Germination->Seedling->Adult Plant with Flower->New seed!

      • Use the sequencing cards that you made to review each stage.

  • Explain and Wrap Up (10-15 min)

    • This project will span over two days

    • You will need to print out the coloring code worksheets for each student.

    • First each student will answer the questions on the coloring code worksheet. This will help them coloring in their pieces of the big display.

  • Wrap Up (5 min)

    • Review the worksheet that your students completed. Make sure that all the students have answered correctly. This will determine the coloring code key, so it is important they have it all correct!

Day 4: The Plant Life Cycle (Cont.)

• Objective: Construct the stages of the plant life cycle.​

• Materials: Life Cycle of a Plant Craft Collaborative Poster & Science Review Activity, worksheets from yesterday - collaborative diagram coloring pieces

• Activities:

  • Engage and Review with your students (5-10 min)

    • Review game: Play "What Comes Next?" Give students a stage of the plant life cycle and have them act out what comes next! Seed -curled up in a ball. Germination-rolled into a ball with one leg sticking out. Seedling-standing with arms half stretched out. Adult Plant- standing with arms completely stretched.

  • Explore the plant life cycle (10-15 min)

    • Assign each student a section of the collaborative poster to color and decorate.​ They will use the worksheet they finished yesterday to color in their coloring pieces.

    • Once completed, assemble the pieces to form the full poster.​

    • Review the plant life cycle stages as depicted in the poster, encouraging students to explain their sections.​

      

      
      

  • Wrap Up (5 min)

    • Talk about this life cycle relates to other life cycles (butterfly, chicken, frog, human). What are some similarities and differences?

      
      

Day 5: Plant Study Review

• Objective: Review what

• Materials: Plant Study Review Collaborative Coloring Flower Science Activity, and coloring materials.​

• Activities:

  • Engage with your students (10 min)

    • Review game: Play "What Am I?" (Give clues about a plant part, and students guess). Ask questions like: Which part of the plant makes food? What part of the plant soaks up the water? How does a plant start? Have students touch their head if it's the flower, their arms if it's the leaves, their stomach if it is the stem, their eyes if it is the seeds, and their toes if it is the roots.

    • Review game: Play "What Comes Next?" Give students a stage of the plant life cycle and have them act out what comes next! Seed -curled up in a ball. Germination-rolled into a ball with one leg sticking out. Seedling-standing with arms half stretched out. Adult Plant- standing with arms completely stretched.

  • Explain (15-20 min)

    • Hand out flower diagram sections to students.

    • Each student colors a part of the flower and writes what they learned about plants.

    • Students put the flower display together. Now you should have a plant life cycle diagram AND a collaborative flower with all the things students learned about plants through the study.

      

      
      

  • Wrap-Up the study (5 min)

    • Ask: "What was your favorite part of learning about plants?"

    • Have students draw their own plant with labels.

    • Check on your plants again! Even though the lessons are done on the plant

      life cycle, you can continue to care for your plants!

I hope this helps with your plant unit! Even if you don't want to use the whole lesson plan, you can pick parts of my plan to integrate into your plan! I can't wait to hear all about it!

Happy Teaching!

Alyssa