Plants and Seeds 

 
 
 
A 1st Grade Unit on Plants, Seeds, and 
How They Survive and Grow 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rebekah Courtney and Rachel Vos 
 
 Standards and Objec ves

Summary Statement:

In the standards for first grade, the emphasis in studying plants and seeds is placed on
learning how plants get the things they need to survive and grow. In our unit, we wanted to
focus on this by star ng with the anatomy of plants and seeds, then talking about what plants
and seeds need to survive, and then moving into how plants and seeds use their different parts
to get the things they need to grow.

Objec ves: Content

Students will be able to:
1 - Observe the different parts of a seed
- Iden fy internal and external parts of a seed
- Create their own seed model using the proper es of seeds

2 - Observe the different parts of a plant

- Iden fy internal and external parts of a plant
- Create their own plant model using the proper es of plants

3 - Iden fy what a seed needs to grow

- Plant seeds using variables they think are important
- Create a drama with a group about the needs of a seed

4 - Make a class list of things they (the students) need to survive and grow
- Iden fy what a plant needs to grow
- Create a drama with a group about the needs of a plant

5 - Ask and answer ques ons about seeds

- Create a list of things that are important to know about seeds
- Create a book about seeds and how they grow
- Describe how the different parts of a seed help it grow

6 - Ask and answer ques ons about plants

- Create a list of things that are important to know about plants
- Create a book about plants and how they grow
- Describe how the different parts of a plant help it grow

2
Objec ves: Process Skills
Students will be able to:
1/2 - Observe how plants are similar and different
3/4 - Classify plants and seeds according to their similari es and differences
3/4 - Demonstrate how plants grow to their classmates

Vocabulary

Endosperm The inside of the seed that provides energy for the seed to germinate

Seed Coat The outer shell of the seed that protects the seed and dissolves in water to
allow the seed to grow

Embryo The part of the seed that grows into a plant

Roots The part of a plant that is underground and anchors the plant in the soil
and provides a way for the plant to get water to grow

Stem The part of a plant that grows from the roots and holds the plant up, it
also carries nutrients and water from the roots to the leaves

Leaves The part of the plant that does photosynthesis and makes food for the rest
of the plant

Photosynthesis The process by which plants make their own food by conver ng water and
sunlight into energy and oxygen

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 Lesson Breakdowns

Lesson 1: Seed Anatomy

Objec ves - Observe the different parts of a seed

- Iden fy internal and external parts of a seed
- Create their own seed model using the proper es of seeds

Standards LS1.A: Structure and Func on: All organisms have external parts… plants
also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help
them survive and grow.
LS3.B: Varia on of Traits: Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal
are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways

Vocabulary Seed Coat, Endosperm, Embryo

Lesson 2: Plant Anatomy

Objec ves - Observe the different parts of a plant

- Iden fy internal and external parts of a plant
- Create their own seed model using the proper es of plants

Standards LS1.A: Structure and Func on: All organisms have external parts… plants
also have different parts (roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help
them survive and grow.
LS3.B: Varia on of Traits: Individuals of the same kind of plant or animal
are recognizable as similar but can also vary in many ways

Vocabulary Roots, Stems, Leaves

4
Lesson 3: What Seeds Need

Objec ves - Iden fy what a seed needs to grow

- Plant seeds using the variables they think are important
- Create a drama with a group about how a seed grows
*This es into our process objec ve of demonstra ng how seeds
grow to their classmates*

Standards LS1.D: Informa on Processing: Animals have body parts that capture and
convey different kinds of informa on needed for survival and growth.
ANimals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive.
Plants also respond to some external inputs.
ETS1.B: Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical
models. These representa ons are useful in communica ng ideas for a
problem’s solu ons to other people.

Vocabulary Seed Coat, Endosperm, Embryo

Lesson 4: What Plants Need

Objec ves - Make a class list of things they need to survive and grow
- Iden fy what a plant needs to grow
- Create a drama with a group about how a plant grows
*This es into our process objec ve of demonstra ng how plants
grow to their classmates*

Standards LS1.D: Informa on Processing: Animals have body parts that capture and
convey different kinds of informa on needed for survival and growth.
ANimals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive.
Plants also respond to some external inputs.
ETS1.B: Designs can be conveyed through sketches, drawings, or physical
models. These representa ons are useful in communica ng ideas for a
problem’s solu ons to other people.

Vocabulary Roots, Stem, Leaves

5
Lesson 5: How Seeds Survive and Grow

Objec ves - Ask and answer ques ons about seeds

- Create a list of things that are important to know about seeds
- Create a book about seeds and how they grow
- Describe how the different parts of a seed help it grow

Standards LS1.A: All organisms have external parts … Plants also have different parts
(roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
LS1.D: Informa on Processing: Animals have body parts that capture and
convey different kinds of informa on needed for survival and growth.
ANimals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive.
Plants also respond to some external inputs.

Vocabulary Seed Coat, Endosperm, Embryo

Lesson 6: How Plants Survive and Grow

Objec ves - Ask and answer ques ons about plants

- Create a list of things that are important to know about plants
- Create a book about plants and how they grow
- Describe how the different parts of a plant help it grow

Standards LS1.A: All organisms have external parts … Plants also have different parts
(roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits) that help them survive and grow.
LS1.D: Informa on Processing: Animals have body parts that capture and
convey different kinds of informa on needed for survival and growth.
ANimals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive.
Plants also respond to some external inputs.

Vocabulary Roots, Stem, Leaves, Photosynthesis

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 Materials

SB237 Materials Seeds (both wet and dry)

Paper towels
Small plant
Pre-planted seeds
One bag in the freezer, one bag in room temperature, one bag
in the light, one bag in the dark, one bag with no water, and
one bag with too much water

Borrowed/Ours Flashlights (6)

Strands of string lights (3 working, 1 burnt out)
Two plants
One that was not watered and one that was watered properly
Water
Squeezy water bo les
Plant books for each student (a cover, 8 sheets of paper inside)
Two KWL charts on poster paper: one for seeds and one for plants
Seed handout (see lesson 1)
Plant handout (see lesson 2)

Store/AV Lab Seed model materials:

- A set of two paper circles taped together to form a “seed
coat” for each student
- Green ssue paper
- Green pipe cleaners
Plant model materials:
- Pipe cleaners twisted to look like roots
- Pipe cleaners twisted to look like stems
- Pipe cleaners twisted to look like leaves
Plas c Ziploc bags (15)

* See attached materials for each lesson *

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 Unit Lesson Plans

The following pages are all of the lessons we have included in our unit about
plants and seeds. There are 6 total lesson plans that are a ached. We had the
opportunity to teach 3 mes to a class of 1st grade students. For these three
lessons, we created “lesson combina ons” so that the students would obtain all
of the informa on they needed about both plants and seeds. We combined the
following lesson pairs to create cohesive lessons for the teaching experiences:

● Lessons 1 & 2 were combined to create a lesson about plant and seed
anatomy
● Lessons 3 & 4 were combined to create a lesson about what plants and
seeds need to grow
● Lessons 5 & 6 were combined to create a lesson about how plants and
seeds use their parts to survive and grow

The order in which you will see our lessons and reflections presented are as
follows:
Lesson 1 Seed anatomy

Lesson 2 Plant anatomy

Reflection on Teaching Experience 1 (lessons 1 & 2 combined) about

plant/seed anatomy

Lesson 3 What seeds need to grow

Lesson 4 What plants need to grow

Reflection on Teaching Experience 2 (lessons 3 & 4 combined) about what

seeds/plants need to grow

Lesson 5 How seeds use their parts to survive and grow

Lesson 6 How plants use their parts to survive and grow

Reflection on Teaching Experience 3 (lessons 5 & 6 combined) about how

both plants and seeds use their parts to survive and grow