O UR L ITTLE G ARDEN By Leah Lamphear

W E N EED T O K NOW ! Why do we need plants? What would happen if there were no plants? How long is a plant’s life cycle? What do plants need to grow? What would happen if plants didn’t get sunlight? How do we use plants everyday? How much can a plant grow in a week? Essential QuestionUnit Questions

T.E.K.S. § Science, Grade 2 (6) Science concepts. The student knows that systems have parts and are composed of organisms and objects. The student is expected to: (C) observe and record the functions of plant parts § Mathematics, Grade 2. (2.9) Measurement. The student directly compares the attributes of length, area, weight/mass, and capacity, and uses comparative language to solve problems and answer questions. The student selects and uses nonstandard units to describe length, area, capacity, and weight/mass. The student recognizes and uses models that approximate standard units ( from both SI, also known as metric, and customary systems) of length, weight/mass, capacity, and time. The student is expected to: (A) identify concrete models that approximate standard units of length and use them to measure length; (B) select a non-standard unit of measure such as square tiles to determine the area of a two-dimensional surface

H OW L ONG D O T HEY L IVE ? The Life Cycle The life cycle of a plant is how long it takes for a plant to grow, give up its seeds, and die There are three types of life cycles for plants Annual Perennial Biennial

A NNUAL Completes it whole life cycle within one growing season Examples of annuals include: Tomatoes Marigolds Petunias

P ERENNIAL Plants that can live for three or more years The part of the plant that is underground can grow new stems and leaves each growing season Examples include: Daisies Trees

B IENNIAL These plants need two growing seasons to complete their life cycle The first growing season the plant grows leaves and the next season it grows flowers Examples include: Carrots

W HAT D O T HEY N EED ? Plants need a few things to be able to grow. They need: Sunlight Water And Soil (though some plants do live in just water!)

A CTIVITY ! What happens if plants don’t get sunlight? For this activity we will have two identical plants sitting in our classroom windowsill. We will give each plant the same amount of water, but one plant will be placed under a box to block all the sunlight. The students will compare the plants’ growth over the coming weeks.

P LANTS, W HAT A RE T HEY G OOD F OR ? We use plants everyday. All of our fruits and veggies that we eat are plants. Also, plants help make the are that we breath. Plus plants are fun to take care of, which is always a good thing.

A CTIVITY ! How much can a plant grow in a week? For this activity we will have a young sunflower plant. At the beginning of this activity we will how tall the plant is using a ruler, we will also measure it with non-standard forms of measurement such as counting cubes and paper clips. We will let the plant grow for a week and measure it again.

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