David Knapp

TITLE: Using Nonfiction Childrens Literature to Gain Information: Plant Life Cycle
GRADE: 2nd
PRIMARY SUBJECT AREA: Reading/English Language Arts
STANDARDs: (Iowa Core Curriculum Standards.)
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate
understanding of key details in a text. (RI.2.1)
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in a text relevant to a grade 2 topic or subject area.
(RI.2.4)
Know and use various text features (e.g., captions, bold print, subheadings, glossaries, indexes,
electronic menus, icons) to locate key facts or information in a text efficiently. (RI.2.5)
Employ the full range of research-based comprehension strategies, including making
connections, determining importance, questioning, visualizing, making inferences, summarizing,
and monitoring for comprehension. (IA.1.)

OBJECTIVES:
Students will use nonfiction childrens literature to investigate, observe and describe how plants
grow and change through their life cycles.
Students will prepare to read nonfiction text(s) by building background knowledge and learning
key vocabulary.
Students will summarize that most plants develop from seeds and these seeds will grow to
resemble their parents.
MATERIALS:

SmartBoard, computers, document camera, student responders, large butcher paper, sticky notes
of different colors, pencils, markers
Childrens Literature book: From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, pictures of adult/young of
sunflower, oak tree, human, cat, dog, bear, penguin, frog, whale, insect, reptile
ENGAGE:
1. Using a Smart Board (Promethean, etc...) and pictures of adults and their young from a
mammal, fish, insect, reptile, and plants (specifically oak tree and sunflower). The students will
match the adults to the correct young of their species. (*Either by using responders to vote
individually or by drawing names to come up and drag/drop the pictures next to each other).
2. Students will use their responders to answer the following question into electronic survey
(using either Poll Everywhere, Edmodo, Survey Monkey, etc) which will provide instant
feedback and graph on Smartboard screen.
Question: Do you think that you know enough information to understand what a plant life cycle
is? Yes /No

VOCABULARY:
Life cycle
Seed
Pod
Sprout
Flower buds
Pollen
Pollination
Germination

PROCEDURE:

1. Given a display (using document camera and SmartBoard technology) of the cover of the
Childrens Literature book: From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons, students will write one thing
they Know about plant life cycles on a yellow sticky note and one thing they Want to know on a
blue sticky note.
2. Students will be given one minute to Partner Share (or could be a table discussion if classroom
set up permits). Students will post sticky notes in the appropriate column on a large classroom
KWL chart made of butcher paper (to be kept on display during unit).
3. After completing the K and W sections of the classroom KWL chart, using the
document camera to display the book pages - the teacher will read From Seed to Plant. (Key
vocabulary should be discussed as reading.)
4. After reading, shoulder partners will work together to write three facts that they learned from
the book (one fact per sticky note) and place each note in the appropriate place (Things I
Learned) on the large butcher paper K-W- L chart.
8. At the completion of the book, after a whole group discussion/review of the classroom KWL
chart, students will work with small group to summarize what they have learned by completing a
diagram of the life cycle of a plant.

EVALUATIONS:
1. Teacher will collect student K-W- L charts and summaries/diagrams (either in small group,
individual format or as part of Reader Response Journals).
2. Student poll (using electronic format such as Edmodo, Poll Everywhere, etc). Question:
Do you think that you learned enough information to understand what a life cycle is? Yes/ No

EXTENSIONS
See Student Reader Response Journals and Plant Life Cycle Learning Center (Create
activities)

Create a Song Lyric (to be sung to an existing song such as Row,

Row, Row Your Boat) about the stage of plant growth. (Musical
Intelligence)

Write a dialogue of a conversation between an older tree and a very

young one. Write a birth announcement for a sunflower. (Linguistic
Intelligence)

Interview someone who works with plants botanists, gardener,

farmer, etc. (Interpersonal Intelligence)

Measure the height of a plant as it grows over a period of two three

weeks (Logical/Math Intelligence)

Create a flower from tissue paper or egg carton or Styrofoam or ..

(Visual/Spatial Intelligence)

Design a chart that compares the life cycle of human to that of a plant.
(Naturalist Intelligence)

SOURCES:
Internet Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=plant+life+cycles+2nd+grade&oq=plant+life+cy
cles+2nd+grade&gs_l=youtube.12...1172.1172.0.3281.1.1.0.0.0.0.93.93.1.1.0...0.0...1ac.1.11.yo
utube.5Zw_OojrAdI -- YouTube Videos of Plant life cycles
http://www.picadome.fcps.net/lab/currl/plants/default.htm -- general information about plants;
time lapse video of blooming flower

Print:
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons

Teacher Resources:
FOSS curriculum, Delta Education http://www.deltaeducation.com/science/nyc/features.shtml