Unit Plan Template

A template based on Understanding by Design

All about plants

Grade 1

Title of Unit

Grade
Level
Science, language arts, health

Subject

education

6 lessons

Time
Frame

Katie Hebert

Developed By

Stage 1 Desired Results

Cross-curricular Competencies:
Science:
Demonstrate curiosity and a sense of wonder about the world.
Ask questions about familiar objects and events.
Make simple predictions about known objects and events.
Sort and classify data and information using methods such as drawings or provided tables.
Compare observations with predictions through discussion.
Compare observations with others.
Consider some consequences of their actions on the environment.
English Language Arts:
Use the writing process to create written forms.
Physical and health education:
Describe the benefits of physical activity, healthy eating, and other practices that contribute to health.

Unit Theme/Issue of Inquiry/Narrative

This unit uses plants and the start of spring as a way to introduce inquiry based scientific exploration of the natural
world. This unit allows students the freedom to explore the topic of plants through hands on projects, community
based field trips, and school wide projects.

Rationale: This unit is important as it incorporates science, ELA, and physical and health education in order to
foster interest in the natural world. This unit also promotes community building and encourages students to think
about sustainable local foods.

Understandings:

Essential Questions:

-The jobs of the various parts of the plant.

-what plants need to survive.
-How the change of seasons brings changes to the
environment. (i.e. flowers blooming, trees leaves)
-The importance of eating healthy locally grown foods.

-How do the parts of a plant help it survive?

-What do plants need to survive?
-How does the changing season effect plants (lifecycle)?
-What does it mean to eat locally?

Stage 2 Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks / Summative
Assessment:

Other Evidence of Student Progress:

-completed plant journal projects

-completed posters/video to share at assembly

-willingness to share observations.

-participation in the school wide community garden project.
-sharing during sharing circles

Key Performance Criteria:

Assessment Tool:

-participation in class discussion, willingness to

participate in activities/projects, participation in role
play, understanding of information on plants life cycle,
needs, parts, and locally grown foods.

-Photo based evidence

-completed journals

Stage 3 Learning Plan

Should be Differentiated
Potential Barriers to Success / Areas to Differentiate:
-reading/writing level, attention span, engagement, organization (especially while outside.
wiggle cushions, assign partners based on ability, allow students to share orally or written.

Introducing the Unit:

Hook: link unit to the change of seasons/spring break. Students plant their own seeds and will have to monitor their
growth over the next unit of study.

Sequence of Lessons: The basics of what you plan to do in each lesson of the unit.
#
1

Lesson
Title
Intro to
the
needs
of
plants

How the
parts of
a plant
help it
survive.

Lesson Activities (Learning Experiences)

Hook: Discussion on needs of plants: students work in pairs and
brainstorm 2 things they know about plants. The pair writes down
these ideas on post its and they are placed on the class list.
Listen to needs of plants song. Add any missing information to
class list.
Plant our own seeds in individual cups. Make predictions about
what our seeds will grow into.
Start seed journal. (take the time every few days to examine seeds
and add an entry to seed journal)
Closure: discussion what the students think plants need to
survive. What do you think we will need to do to make sure our
seeds grow? Sharing circle of what class thinks their seeds will
grow into.
Parts of a plant and their uses.
Read book on the different parts of a plant. Brainstorm as a class
the uses of each part of the plant and write on a chart.
Have the students label the parts of a plant on the smart board.
Outdoor activity: What do you think the roots of a plant do? Set up
a few outdoor stations- buckets with water and a sponge where
the sponge represents the roots. Let students explore the sponge.
Allow students the time to develop some questions about roots
(i.e. Where do you think the water goes once the roots soak it
up?) (stems)
Use green paper to represent stems. Have a student from each
group gently squeeze the sponge on the stem. What happens?
Give each student the opportunity to be the roots
Closure: discussion on the roots and stems of plants and their
functions.

Assessm
ent
teacher
observati
on,
complete
d class
brainstor
m chart,
writing in
seed
journal,
photo
evidence

Participa
tion,
discussio
n
contribut
ion,
teacher
observati
on, photo
evidence

Resource
s
Chart
paper,
post its,
needs of
plants
song,
seed
journals
(1 for
each
student),
soil,
seeds,
cups,
spray
bottle.
Book
about the
parts of a
plant,
smart
board,
chart
paper,
buckets,

Visit
commu
nity
gardens

What
happen
s to
plants
when
they
dont
receive
what
they
need to
survive

Hook: review the basic needs of a plant.

Discuss proper behaviour when travelling outside of the class.
Assign students to parent volunteers. Walk to the community
gardens.
Before going to garden write a chart of the students wonders
about plants and gardens. Also make a list of questions for the
guest speaker that will be joining us at the garden. While at the
community gardens ask students to look for plants that are
growing the best, and to make predictions about why they are
growing better than others. Students will document their
predictions in notebooks. Allow students the opportunity to
explore the garden in small groups with the parent helpers.
Reconvene as a class and share predictions/wonders.
Guest speaker from the community will now share the importance
of growing food locally and how it helps the environment. The
speaker will lead the students through the garden discussing the
health benefits of various locally grown foods.
Walk back to school.
Hook: Read the tiny seed
What happens when plants do not receive what they need to
survive?
Examine the four plants we will be using in our experiment. Make
predictions about what will happen to the plant when we dont
give it water, what will happen to the plant that receives no light
and what will happen to the plant that receives no air. (Write
predictions on smart board). There will be four plants at each
table group. Students will place one of the plants in a plastic bag
(no air), one in a cardboard box (no light), one will receive no
water, and the final one will receive everything it needs to survive.
Fill out worksheet with predictions on what will happen to each of
the flowers
*Each day during calendar we will examine the plants as a class
and chart their growth.
Closure: sharing circle: what are the four things plants need to
survive? What do you think will happen to the plant that gets no
water? The plant that gets no air? The plant that gets no light?
Finally, observe planted seeds and chart their growth in seed
journal.

Photo
evidence
(add
photos to
class
website),
sharing
of ideas
and
predictio
ns.

Parent
volunteer
s,
communit
y expert.

Discussio
n,
teacher
observati
on,
participa
tion in
singing
song,
workshee
t about
predictio
ns, seed
journal
writing

Book: the
tiny
seed,
Smart
board,
needs of
plants
song on
YouTube,
4 plants,
plastic
bag,
cardboar
d box,
workshee
t

Forestlife
cycle of
plants.

Discuss life cycle of plants.

Read book plant life.
Complete smart board activity in which the students label each
stage of the plant life cycle.
Take magnifying glasses outside and look for seeds in the various
stages of their lifecycle.
Closure: Create stages of a seed using bodies. ( seed- curled up in
a ball, sprout- slowly uncurl, plant- stand up tall with arms out)
Come back inside and fill in seed journal.

Start
school
garden

Hook: Ask kids now that we are experts on plants and what they
need to survive, what we could do to ensure that the students in
our school have the opportunity to learn the same things we
have? Guide students to thinking about the benefits of planting
our own garden (i.e. show others what plants need to grow,
educate others on the importance of eating healthy, locally grown
foods).
Students will plant the seeds in the new school garden.
They will then make posters and a video to share at the next
assembly encouraging the other classes to help tend the garden
and informing them about the benefits of eating locally grown
foods.

Participa
tion in
discussio
n, photo
evidence,
knowledg
e shown
during
body
represen
tations of
seeds,
seed
journal
Completi
on of
posters
and
video,
photo
evidence.

Book:
plant life,
smart
board,
magnifyin
g glasses.

Seeds,
poster
paper,
video
camera,
colouring
supplies.