The Amazing World Of Plants
Learning Sequence
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Introduction
We will allow your children to not only be excited by the world of plants, but also allow them to demonstrate their knowledge and enthusiasm for nature by producing teaching materials and even planting their very own forest.
By the end of this course, we want children to understand the importance of photosynthesis for plant growth and survival. We want them to see plants as more than just decorative objects, but rather as living, breathing organisms that play a vital role in our ecosystem. We want to open up the world of botany and the wonders of nature by discovering the magic of photosynthesis!
Plants, trees and leaves are all around us and they play an important part in the way we live. But do we really know how they work and what would the world look like without them?
During this short course we will learn everything there is to know about plants, trees and birds.
We all know that birds love trees and that is because they have both lived on Earth together for millions of years. The objective of this short course is for you to understand more about plants, grow some of your own and then hopefully attract a new bird species to visit your community.
Let’s understand plants together and then grow our very own forest and see if a bird will pop in for a visit.
Weekly Keywords
Introduce the spelling word list and choose from this list of tasks that can be repeated and expanded upon if necessary.
Copy the words into a spelling list/vocabulary book for later reference.
Put each of the new words into a sentence and underline the new vocabulary in red pencil
Place the words in alphabetical order in a list.
Use a dictionary to define each of the words and place them into a vocabulary book.
Try to represent each of the words using a picture or a symbol and play the guessing game. (which image is matched to which word)
Write a paragraph containing all of the new vocabulary.
Make a vocabulary wall containing all of the new words.
Use a thesaurus to find synonyms for the words and create a synonym list.
These words will help you during this course. You may already know some of these words however practice makes perfect!
First, read the words and then try to define them as simply as possible.
An example has been completed for you. You can write these into your books, and draw a picture to match or simply complete the task card.
Watch and Discuss - ‘Weekly Warm-Up Activity'
Watch the video on how trees communicate which will allow us to get our creative juices flowing and start to understand how we can use the information we have just gained to make a difference in the world.
. This week, as an introduction to this short course, your students will watch a video clip on how trees communicate within nature. They will then answer a series of questions based on the knowledge they have just gained and use this information to help them connect with the people around them and think about how their community is connected to the wider world.
This will enable our students to utilise their community and the connections beyond, once we start to engage with community outreach programmes in the coming weeks.
Watch the following clip on how trees communicate and take care of each other within a forest setting and answer the following questions with your partner, your group, or individually, and record your answers in your book.
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If you’re not looking carefully, what might you miss in a forest?
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What chemicals do trees inhale when they breathe?
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Name five ways in which carbon dioxide is produced by humans.
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Tell me three things about a mother tree.
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How many organisms can a tree be home to?
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How do trees get resources to each other under the ground?
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In 1997, what did trees do that amazed everybody in the scientific world?
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Why do leaves turn orange during autumn?
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What is the meaning of deforestation?
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When a plague of insects arrives to attack a forest, what do the trees do?
Parts of a Plant
During this activity we want students to start using technical vocabulary with reference to plants and organisms.
First, ask the children to label the simple diagram of a tomato plant and then they can walk into the garden and find a plan to study on their own.
Once they have chosen their plant, they are requested to draw a diagram of it and label all of the various parts according to their examination of the tomato plant earlier.
There are an estimated 320,000 different plant species on Earth. Today we are going to study one of them.
Plants are all around us and they are very important for many reasons. Take a look at the diagram of this tomato plant and write the correct labels in the correct places.
Once you have finished, head into the garden or the playground, find a plant and study it. Once you have decided on which plant you wish to study, you may wish to draw your own plant and label it to place on the classroom wall. The more plants we study, the more we will learn.
Remember there are many other plants to choose from.
Read and Discuss - Types of Trees
During this activity we want your class to read together and start to understand the different types of trees, we may find in a forest.
Once they have understood that there are a variety of tree types, your children must then take a look at the trees in your school community and spot similar features. Take your class outside on a tree-spotting mission.
Trees come in all shapes and sizes but before we can really understand what goes on inside a plant we must first get to know the basics.
Read the following task card with your teacher or in a group and take notes of the important information.
Following this, take a look at your school community and try to decide if you can see any of the features you have just discovered in this activity. For example: Are the trees in your playground deciduous or evergreen?
Who Needs a Forest? - Leadership Activity
This leadership activity is all about habitats. Introduce the children to the world habitat and discuss the habitat of the forest.
Allow the children to use the task card provided to introduce the world of forests to a younger child, or a younger group of children. Once discussed the group can cut out the animals that live inside the forest.
They can do this activity in pairs and discuss each animal as they cut them out.
Forests and trees are so important for all living things on Earth. But did you know how many creatures call the forest a home? During this activity, we want you to use the template opposite to teach a younger child about the importance of forests.
Take a look at the task card opposite. Cut out all the creatures that use the forest as home and with a younger child or younger group of students, carefully stick them in the forest where they will be safe.
You can work with a partner to complete this task. Have a discussion about each o the animals with your group and talk about what would happen to them if the forest was not there!
How Humans Use Plants - What We Eat
This activity requires our children to use their knowledge of food to start to understand the vital role that plants play in our daily diet.
Ask the children to work in groups to complete the task card and discuss the foods that they eat. When complete the children may wish to take a look at the food they may be having for lunch and examine what the source of their food is!
For generations, human beings have relied on plants as a source of food. These amazing organisms help keep us healthy and strong.
But what parts of the plant do we eat? Let’s investigate!
Use the task card to research the different parts of various plants that we eat. There are many types of plants in the world and they are all very useful.
When finished take a look inside your lunch boxes today and discuss which foods actually come from plants – you will be amazed!
What is Photosynthesis? - ‘Watch and Create’
Watch the following video with your students and discuss the operations of the leaf. You may wish to have some leaves in the classroom that the children can touch, feel and smell as you are watching the video.
Once complete, ask the children to make their very own diagram of the factory within the leaf. The children can use the video as a reference to help them note down all of the chemical names and processes.
Plants are also called ‘Producers’ because they have the amazing ability to create their own energy.
They use carbon dioxide, water, sunlight and chlorophyll to create their own energy. This is called Photosynthesis, but how does it work?
Watch the video to find out and once finished try to draw a diagram describing how photosynthesis works.
Be creative and remember, you can always watch the video again to help.
Remember you can use the Canva template below to help you create your photosynthesis diagram
Outdoor Activity - Nature Scavenger Hunt
This activity allows students to bring nature to life.
The children can do this activity during their lunchtime, you can take them on a nature walk or this can be sent home over the weekend to allow children to find the various areas of nature in the local environment.
As you walk home from school today or during the weekend, take this nature scavenger hunt with you. When you spot something from the task card, place a circle around it until you’ve found all 13. (It’s just like bingo)
If you have a camera with you, you may wish to take a photo and do some more research on each of them when you get home.
You could even make a nature booklet and send this to somebody as a gift.
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Extension Activity - Becoming a Botany Teacher!
Students will use Canva and their knowledge to design a series of flashcards that will allow them to teach a group of younger children about the various parts of a plant.
These cards can also be donated to other schools that have limited resources to give out children a sense of service learning.
One of your final tasks is to teach somebody else about the power of plants, trees and the process of photosynthesis.
You can use the knowledge you have just gained to create a series of flashcards to help explain the knowledge you have gained about plants.
Once your design is ready, use it to teach somebody else about the power of plants. You can teach a younger child, a class of students, your father or post your resource to a school far away. Sharing your knowledge is free, but the impacts will last forever!
Remember – The more people know about these amazing organisms, the more people will want to protect and cultivate the natural environment. You can use the template button below to get started!
Grow Your Own Seedlings - Giving a Gift!
This activity gives children a chance to reuse and recycle their old egg cartons and grow some seedlings of their own. The egg cartons can be painted and gifted to the people within your community to allow them to start growing their very own animal and insect habitat!
Now that you understand exactly how seeds grow and how important they are for the world, it may be time for you to give somebody a plant of their own.
Follow the instructions on the task card opposite and give somebody the greatest gift ever – A Plant
Be creative and remember that this gift may just be the home for an insect or an animal. – You never know how big your gift will grow!
Community Action! - Planting a Forest
This task is a very big one and may take the whole school to come together to create such a mission to be successful.
A mass planting can be something that can bring a whole school together to create a space for insects and birds to thrive.
Use this extension activity to create an ongoing movement within your school where the children understand that the success of their work is much bigger than grades, points, or scores. The success of this activity will be when the first bird arrives.
Teachers may wish to set up a daily birdwatching club to help look out for the first bird that arrives.
Once it does arrive, try to find out the species of the bird and why it arrived in your sanctuary.
Birds play such a crucial role in the ecosystems of the world, that we need as many of them as possible in our local environment. They not only fertilise the soil and pollinate plants, but they also make up a huge part of the global food chain and help our planet to sustain balance.
Your task this week is to attempt to attract a bird into your local community.
Your task is very specific and will involve a lot of time and patience. It may take several weeks until the first bird arrives, but when it does, you know that you have succeeded in helping the world become a better place for everyone.
Are you ready to take on the challenge?
If so, then watch the video below and follow the task card opposite, and keep an eye out for the first feathery visitor to your school community.
They Planted a Forest - Watch a Discuss
You may think that planting a forest in your community is almost impossible. Think again! These school children from Delhi in India had the same idea as you. They wanted to plant a forest and with the power of determination and community spirit, they did just that.
Watch the video opposite and think about when you will begin planting your very own forest too!