What are the parts of a plant?
What does each part do?
Background
This lesson uses the K-W-L strategy to teach the parts of the plant and what the function of each part is. The K-W-L strategy helps students identify what they already KNOW, what they WANT to know and what they have LEARNED about a certain topic. Students begin by identifying what they know about a subject and then list it in the KNOW column of the K-W-L chart. Then they generate questions about what they would like to know and list those in the WANT TO KNOW column of the K-W-L chart. After the lesson has been taught then the students record what was learned in the LEARNED column of the K-W-L chart.
Example
*Students will work collaboratively to fill out a K-W-L chart (like the one you can find here) on what they know about the parts of a plant charting what they KNOW and what they WANT TO KNOW. The last column of the chart is completed by the student after the lesson and research is complete.
*The teacher will show the image found at http://secondgradeplantsunit.wikispaces.com/Parts+of+Plant to teach about the parts of a plant.
*The teacher will then show a video that will teach the students a song that will help them remember the parts of a plant. The link to the video is http://www.watchknowlearn.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=23078&CategoryID=6302. Discuss with the students what the parts of a plant are.
*The teacher will then show the following video which can be found at http://www.makemegenius.com/science-videos/grade_13/plant-parts-and-functions-for-kids to reinforce the parts of a plant and the function of each part. Discuss with the students what they learned from this video reinforcing the parts of the plant and what the functions of each part is.
*The teacher will have the kids play the "really hard" level of the game found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks1/science/growing_plants/play/ which will reinforce the parts of the plant.
*Students now complete the K-W-L Chart by writing what they have Learned about plant parts and what the function of the parts is.
Challenge
Educators are encouraged to use the K-W-L educational strategy with any topic they want their students to really grasp. Students, through the K-W-L strategy, process and comprehend new information and are able to write what they have learned. This is also a great assessment tool after a lesson has been taught. Teachers can look at the LEARNED column to see if their students learned what the teacher wanted them to learn.
*Have students write what they Know and what they want to know on a K-W-L chart.
*Teacher uses many resources and formats to teach the information.
*After information has been reviewed in many formats, student fills in the L column of the chart to show what they have learned.
*Teacher uses the chart to assess if the students have learned the material or not.
Citations
K-W-L Chart image was retrieved from http://www.polk.k12.ga.us/userfiles/788/Classes/30568/kwl-template-copy1.jpg
Plant parts image was retrieved from http://secondgradeplantsunit.wikispaces.com/Parts+of+Plant
Steps for K-W-L process can be found at http://www.nea.org/tools/k-w-l-know-want-to-know-learned.html