Room 506 started our new school year off with a fun lesson about plants. We began with an introduction to the vocabulary presented in our Epic Book, Plants Are Living Things. Students read the book aloud on the SMART board and enjoyed the challenge of the end of book quiz. Then we used the colossal sunflower from the Midland School Garden to identify each of the parts of a plant. The huge leaves, stem, flower, and roots were fun to look at and feel. Parts of the plant were very prickly to the touch, and we tried to guess why this might be. Who would want to nibble on these prickly parts?
We incorporated our math skills to measure the length of our entire sunflower. At 6 feet 5 inches it was taller than anyone in our class. The biggest attraction for the students was the plant’s flower. We learned that flowers make seeds, and our sunflower had many to observe.
Everyone had a chance to pick out seeds and observe them. We opened the outer shells to find the seeds. Of course, grocery sunflower store seeds are easier and plumper to eat so we all had a chance to eat them. We googled the nutritious value of our sunflower seeds to find that they offer minerals and vitamins that help your immune system.
The lesson ended with presenting a coconut seed, one of the biggest of all seeds. Students were excited to examine it, feel the husk, and shake it to hear the water inside. We cracked it open and the students had a chance to drink the sweet water inside. After this lesson, I think room 506 got a greater appreciation of what plants have to offer.
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