Lesson Idea | Traits of Plants

Details

Author: Out Teach
Subject: Life Science
Material Type: Lesson Plan
Level: Lower Primary, Upper Primary
Grade: 3

Standards

Texas.TEKS.Science.3.10.A
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science
Grade 3
Learning Domain: Organisms and environments
Standard: Explore how structures and functions of plants and animals allow them to survive in a particular environment.

Overview

Students will explore the garden/outdoor classroom for examples of different plant structures and determine how plants use these structures to meet their needs.

Background for Teachers

Students should move from describing individuals directly (she has blue eyes) to naming traits and classifying individuals with respect to those traits (eye color: blue). Students can be encouraged to keep lists of things that animals and plants get from their parents, things that they don't get, and things that the students are not sure about either way. This is also the time to start building the notion of a population whose members are alike in many ways but show some variation.

Key Vocabulary

• Structure
• Function
• Adaptation
• Inherited Trait
• Offspring

Guiding Question

What structures allow plants to survive in this ecosystem?
• Why do certain plants have unique traits?

Engage

Have students think about the different shapes of leaves.
Ask: Are they all the same?
Ask: What is a leaf's function? (a leaf functions to make food for the plant through photosynthesis)

Explore

Allow students to wander the outdoor classroom collecting samples of different types of leaves. Challenge individuals to collect at least 10 or more different types of leaves.
Management Note: Have students look for leaves that have fallen off a plant, do allow students to gently remove leaves from living plants if necessary.
Bring students back to a central location and divide them into groups of 3.
Ask students to sort their leaves according to common traits/characteristics.

Explain

After groups have had a chance to sort their leaves, invite groups to share and explain their categories (large, round, oval, spiked, skinny, etc.).
Ask students to think about whether or not the shapes of the leaves represent an inherited or learned trait from the "parent" plant.
Ask them to look back at the different traits they sorted and discuss how they think those different traits benefit the plant. (Ability to hold water, protection from consumers, ability to repel water during heavy rains, etc.)

Elaborate

Give students sorting mats and tell them they are going on a scavenger hunt to look for other structures on plants
Once students have found plant samples have them determine what function each structure serves

Evaluate

Review journals for student understanding of the concept taught.
Encourage students to write down questions and wonderings about the plant parts they collected and observed.

Extensions and Connections

Consider other plant traits - roots, stems, flowers/fruits and leaves

Career Connections

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