Grade 3 Science Lesson Plan: Plants — 4 Lessons with Investigations

Learning Objectives

• Name and label 6 parts of a flowering plant (roots, stem, leaves, flower, fruit, seeds) and say what each part does.
• Explain how water travels from the roots, up the stem, to the leaves, using the results of the Water Up the Stem investigation.
• Name 6 things plants need to grow well (light, water, air, nutrients, space and warmth) and explain that leaves make the plant's food using sunlight, water and air.
• Plan and carry out a simple fair test (change one thing, keep everything else the same), and use the results to say what plants need.
• Put the 6 stages of the life cycle of a flowering plant in order (seed, germination, seedling, adult plant, pollination, fruit and seeds) and explain pollination.
• Name the 3 parts inside a seed (seed coat, baby plant, food store) and say what a seed needs to germinate.
• Explain why seeds travel and sort seeds by how they travel: wind, water, animals or pop.

Lesson Procedure

• Read the plan once before Lesson 1: two investigations (celery in red water, and the 3-plant fair test) must start in Lesson 1 or 2, and beans must be soaked the night before Lesson 3. Each lesson table shows the time, stage, what the teacher does (with slide, flashcard and worksheet numbers) and what students do. Lesson 1: parts and jobs. Lesson 2: needs, leaves make food, the fair test. Lesson 3: inside a seed and the life cycle. Lesson 4: how seeds travel and the fair test results. Use the optional fifth lesson for review and the quiz or test.

Assessment

The plan shows where to observe with the Grading Rubric (investigations, games, exits) and where to use the Quick Quiz or Unit Test.

Differentiation

Support: Use the flashcards and a real plant for every new word, and keep the word bank on the board for the whole unit. Teach the 4 big parts first (roots, stem, leaves, flower), then add fruit and seeds. Accept short answers ("Stem — water!") and model the full sentence for the child to repeat ("The stem carries water to the leaves."). In Part E (fair test) and the life cycle, give the picture cards so children can move them before they write. Pair a weaker reader with a stronger reader for the investigations and let them draw results instead of writing.
Extension: Children explain the "why": why the plant in the dark grew tall (it is looking for light), why seeds travel (not enough light, water and space under the parent plant), and why a seed does not need light to germinate (it uses its food store). They learn the word photosynthesis and write the word equation: sunlight + water + air (carbon dioxide) → food (sugar) + oxygen. They design and test a new seed that travels by wind (paper helicopter or parachute), measure how long it takes to fall, and write a short report: "My seed fell in 3 seconds. I think bigger wings make it fall more slowly."

Classroom Activity Ideas

• Part Point: say a job ("I carry water to the leaves!") and students touch the matching body part.
• Life Cycle Line-Up: 6 students hold the life cycle cards and stand in order.
• Start each lesson by checking the investigation plants and cups.

Teacher Tips

Start two investigations in Lesson 1, because they need time. (1) Put a stick of celery (or a white flower, or a Chinese cabbage leaf) in a cup of water with red food colouring — next morning the red has climbed the stem and children can SEE that the stem carries water. (2) Soak 10 dry beans (mung, kidney or broad beans) in water overnight for Lesson 3: a soaked bean opens easily with a fingernail and children find the tiny baby plant inside. These two "wow" moments do more than any explanation. Also start the 3-plant fair test (light and water / no water / no light) at the end of Lesson 1 or 2 so the results are clear by Lesson 4 — the plant in the dark grows tall, thin and yellow, which surprises children who think "taller means healthier".

What's Included

• Lesson plan, 3 pages: objectives, target language, materials, board plan, 5 lesson tables, differentiation, assessment, checklist, teacher tip and pack overview (DOCX + PDF)

Additional Files

• Grade 3 Science Lesson Plan: Plants — 4 Lessons with Investigations (DOCX)

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