6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan
Name: Sydney Sweitzer
Lesson Title: Exploring Plants
Date: April 4, 2016
Grade Level: Preschool
Circle one:
ECE
PKSN
Standard(s)/Guideline(s):
Cognition and general knowledge science science inquiry and application inquiry describe, compare, sort, classify, and order.
Language and literacy listening and speaking expressive language use language to communicate in a variety of ways with others to share
observations, ideas, and experiences; problem-solve, reason, predict, and seek new information.
Pre-assessment of current knowledge: Prior to this lesson, students will have had an introductory lesson on plants. During the introduction lesson, students
were asked what they know about plants in a large group setting and responses were recorded on poster paper. During small groups, we read a book about plants
that talked about how plants grow and the different parts of the plants. After reading this book, the students were able to explore different types of seeds such as
tomato, pumpkin, corn, and different beans. The students talked about the different sizes of the seeds as well as how they thought they grew to become a plant or
vegetable. During free choice time, the students were able to continue exploring the seeds and draw them at the art table. During this lesson, we took notes on
what the students were saying and what they thought about plants. Many of the students were familiar with plants and knew what they needed to grow and could
name some types of plants. This lesson is a continuation of exploring the parts of the plants through hands on experience. Students will use their previous
knowledge on how plants grow and the different parts of the plant to observe real plants.
Instructional Objectives (1-2)
One/Two Assessed Instructional
Objective(s): The student will be
able to...
Examine different plants
and their parts using their
senses.
Identify and name different
parts of the plants.
One Assessed Developmental
Skill:
Discuss and describe plant
observations with peers
and teachers.
Safety Considerations:
The teacher should be
aware if the students have
any allergies to soil or
certain plants.
The teacher should
especially be aware if

Assessment of Student Learning

Identify Evidence: (What will you collect or record as data
to demonstrate students have met your objective(s) and
skill?)
To record data and show whether students met the
objectives stated, we will create a checklist sheet that will
be used. The checklist will monitor whether each individual
student was able to meet the objectives. It will also provide
an area for teachers to make comments or write anecdotal
notes. We will also take pictures of the students during this
activity to use as evidence.
Program Monitoring: (How will you aggregate or compile
your evidence into a class or group view?)
To aggregate the results of each student, we will create a
whole class tracking sheet to show how many of the
students were able to accomplish the objectives and what
areas may need more focus in the upcoming lessons. This
tracking sheet would have some sort of chart to show what
percentage of students were able to complete the
objectives. It would also have an area where the teacher
could write down different areas that students excelled in
and what areas they struggled the most.

Learning Experience
Academic Language:
Plant
Root
Stem
Leaf
Soil
Grow
Describe
Observe
Examine
Procedural steps:
1. Prior to this lesson, our teacher informed us that the
beans and soil that we put into the sensory table
actually sprouted! So I created a lesson that we could
do with the students to explore and observe the
growth of the beans.
2. Before doing this lesson, I made a piece of paper that
showed how the bean grew from a seed to a sprout
so that students could examine and notice changes.
3. During morning introduction, we will tell students
what happened to the bean plants and ask them why
and how they think the plants grew. We will tell

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan
students have allergies to
beans.
4.

5.
6.
7.

8.
9.
10.

11.

students that we will be exploring them during small

group time.
During small group time, the class will be divided into
two smaller groups. During this time, the students will
be able to go to the sensory table and pick out a
bean sprout to observe.
The teacher should help students carefully remove
the bean sprout so that the roots do not break off.
Once the students each have their sprout, the
teacher should ask them to observe different parts of
the plant.
The teacher can also bring out the beans and talk
about how they grew from the bean to the sprout. The
teacher should use the sheet to show how the beans
grew and talk about changes that occurred along the
way.
After students discuss their observations and explore
their sprouts, they will put soil into a cup and
transport their sprout into their own cup.
Make sure students names are on the cup and have
them place them near the windowsill.
Another thing you can do as part of the experiment is
to place one of the cups far from a window or in a
closet. For the next lesson, we can talk about why
that sprout didnt grow.
To conclude, make sure students wash their hands
and any dirt is removed from the tables.

Authentic Materials: (Describe authentic real life, hands-on

materials.)
Soil, seeds, bean sprouts
Magnifying glass
Adult Roles:
During this lesson, the adults will help facilitate conversation
and record students observations and explanations.

Resources & References:

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan

Reflection: (What have you learned about your students? How will this inform future instruction?)
This lesson showed how excited and eager students were to explore real life material. When the students walked into the classroom and saw that the
beans sprouted they were very eager to explore them and investigate what happened. When we discussed with the class, they were able to talk about what
allowed the plants to grow. They were also able to notice different parts of the plant such as the roots and stem. This showed that they had used them schema and
prior experiences to connect to what they were observing. During the actual observation during small groups, the students were able to examine how the sprout
started as a bean and then grew. They talked about changed they saw including the size, texture, and shape of the bean throughout its life cycle. They were able
to use their senses in order to explain the changes in the bean. This lesson showed how excited students were and how much they were able to use their past
experiences to talk about the growth of the plant. For future instruction, we could have students keep track of their sprout and measure its growth. We could also
go further into what plants are used for in both humans and animals daily lives. I have attached pictures to the next page of this document to show the students
exploring the bean sprouts.

6/12/2013

Early Childhood Education

Learning Experience Plan