Plant Discovery Box

The purpose of this discovery box is to help students explore and learn more about the different components of a plant.

 These are the three books that I have chosen to include in this discovery box.

From Seed to Plant by Allan Fowler helps to provide students with vocabulary about plants, along with both real life and drawn pictures of the different plant parts. From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons provides information about the plant life cycle in simple terms for children. Eyewitness Books: Plant provides students with more in-depth vocabulary and plant information. These books can be used to help build knowledge of plants and to help students complete the activites in the discovery box.

Activity One: Plant Parts Matching Game
 

 The first activity I would include in this discovery box would be a matching game based off of the parts of plants. The students would be able to use the books as guidance to help them match the plant parts if needed. I would also include other important plant parts such as seeds and pods in this matching game. The picture and the words would be placed in separate Ziploc bags, and the students would match the picture with the appropriate word. Students would take a picture of the completed matches so the teacher  could check for understanding at a later time.

Activity Two: Seed Sorting

For this activity, the student will have a bag containing four different common types of seeds: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, and apple seeds. The student will have a graphic organizer divided into four sections. In each section, the student will draw and then describe each of the different seeds. The student will then try to identify which seed is which by comparing the seeds to pictures of the four types, and the student will write this information on the graphic organizer as well.

 

Activity Three: Build A Flower

For this activity, the student will have a choice of drawing their own flower or creating one using a template. The student will draw the flower on construction paper or cut out a template and paste it on construction paper. The student will make sure that the drawing includes the four important parts of a flower: the roots, stem, leaves, and the flower/petals. The student can decorate the flower however they wish using the materials provided, and will then label the different parts of the flower.

Additional Resources

I would also choose to include the books The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle and How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan to allow children to further explore reading about plants if interested. The Tiny Seed also provides a fictional view of flowers and seeds that may be of interest to some students.
 

 

I would include these two charts that show the process of photosynthesis and what plants require to grow as well. Students who wish to further explore plants may find these to be interesting and could further explore these concepts that are important to plants.

 











 I would also include stuffed flowers in the discovery box as a 3D model of what flowers look like, and the students could interact with them as they wish.

 

Literature List

 From Seed to Plant by Allan Fowler
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Eyewitness Books: Plant by David Burnie
The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
How a Seed Grows by Helene Jordan

All images from google.com