Life Cycle of a Plant
Objective
Students will model the life cycle of a plant through dance.
Students will learn the parts of a plant by demonstrating the plant life cycle.
Students will learn what a plant needs to live and grow.
STEAM Connections & Kentucky Academic Standards
NGSS
Life Sciences - Growth and Development of Organisms, Structure and Function, Ecosystems - K-LS1-1, 1-LS1-1, 1-LS3-1, 2-LS2-2, 3-LS1-1
Art
Dance
ELA
Reading - From Seed to Plant By Gail Gibbons
Background
A life cycle is a series of stages a living thing goes through during its life. All plants and animals go through life cycles.
Plants start as seeds. When a seed starts to grow we call that germination. When a plant is mature, it produces flowers. Flowers are fertilized, sometimes by animals like honeybees or sometimes by wind. After a flower is fertilized, most plants make seeds in the form of fruit. The seed inside the fruit can be planted and grow into a new plant, and the cycle starts over again.
Seeds germinate which means roots and stems come out of the seed. When plants first start to grow leaves, they are called seedlings. Seedlings slowly grow larger and produce flowers. If the flowers are pollinated—usually by insects—they produce more seeds. The plant reaches the end of its life cycle and dies. The seeds created by the plant are germinated and the cycle starts all over again.
Materials
Book - From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
Introduction
Begin by asking students to name some plants. Hopefully they will name lots of plants, such as grass, flowers, trees, and garden plants. Introduce the class to the topic of the lesson, the life cycle of a plant. Explain that the life cycle of most plants begin with a seed and then ends with a fully-grown plant.
Engage students in a discussion about what they know about plants. Some great discussion questions include: What are some examples of plants we might see? Where do we see plants? What are some things that plants need in order to grow? Do you eat parts of some plants?
Allow time for students to share what they know.
Tell the class that plants need water, soil, and sun in order to grow. Write these words on the board or flipchart.
Read the book, From Seed to Plant to the class. Depending on the age of the students, some of the detailed material about plant reproduction may be above their level of understanding, but the basics will make sense even to young students.
Prompt students to discuss the story. Sample questions for the class could include: Where do we find plants? What do we do with plants? Ask if they can think of plants we eat when the seed pods grow. (Beans, peas) How do seeds travel? What happens to plants after they flower and produce fruits or vegetables? (The plants die and break down to become part of the soil.) What would we need to plant a garden?
Once you’ve discussed the book as a class, challenge students to draw each of the life cycle phases on a sheet of paper. Be sure they draw and label seed, sprout, seedling, plant, flower, and fruit.
Plant Life Cycle Worksheet - Apple Life Cycle
Plant Life Cycle Game
Description: Students act out the life cycle of a plant.
Time Required: 5-10 minutes
Preparation: Find a space indoors or outdoors where children can spread out.
Procedures:
Ask students to spread out into a circle. Tell them that during this activity, they will be acting out the life cycle of a plant. Ask one student in the group about his or her favorite fruit (remind students that tomatoes could be fruit). Tailor the activity to that particular fruit or vegetable.
Begin by asking students to curl up into tight ball. You’re a seed!
Pretend to be a rain cloud and rain on the little seeds (students) underneath the soil.
Tell students to uncurl and kneel. They’ve sprouted out of their seed coat!
Slowly uncurl feet, staying low to the ground. You’ve grown roots.
Stick up arms like a little sprout. You’ve sprouted out of the ground.
Open your hands palms up, and wiggle your fingers. You’ve grown baby leaves.
Wiggle your toes. You’ve grown lots of little roots (rootlets).
Grow a little taller and spread arms and hands out wider. You’ve grown bigger leaves. Tell students that their leaves are soaking up the sun and making food for the plant.
Stand up (feet together). Your stem has grown taller.
‘Slurp, slurp.’ Your roots drink up water from the ground.
Spread your fingers wide and surround your face. Your flowers are blooming.
Pretend to be a bee or butterfly and fly around the room pollinating the little flowers (or ask a student to help you).
Interlock your fingers and make a circle over your head. You’ve produced a juicy, ripe fruit—it is a tomato (or other fruit or vegetable).
Tell the students that for some reason, in this garden, this one little fruit or vegetable was forgotten by the garden. You sway back and forth, and suddenly…
‘Splat!’ The tomato (or other vegetable) falls off the stem and breaks on the ground.
Little bugs and insects help the tomato break down, and suddenly, you are left with a tiny seed.
Start the activity over, but have the students move through the actions more quickly.
Check out the plant life cycle dance by the Earl Soham Primary School in Suffolk, England: