Mara Monroy

ELED 3221
11/12/15
edTPA Indirect Instruction Lesson Plan Template
Plant Survival
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Central Focus/Big Idea: Plants
Subject of this lesson: Basic needs for plants survival
Grade Level: First Grade
NC Essential Standard(s): 1.L.2. Summarize the basic needs of a variety of different plants
(including air, water, nutrients, and light) for energy and growth.
Next Generation Science Standard(s): 1-LS1-1. Use materials to design a solution to a human
problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive,
grow, and meet their needs.
21st Century Skills: Creativity and Innovation: I chose this word because students will be
drawing pictures of plants and the things that a plants need to survive.
Flexibility and Adaptability: I chose this because I will be pulling the students over by groups,
so they will be interrupted on their plants while doing the exploration part of the class. They will
have to be flexible while planting there plants and be able to adapt to go back into their
individual work and do that quietly while I work with the other groups.
Academic Language Demand
Language Function: In the table below highlight the one most important language
function for your lesson. Explain why you chose this one.
Analyze
Argue
Categorize
Compare/contrast Describe
Explain
Interpret
Predict
Question
Retell
Summarize
I chose the word describe, because the students should be able to describe the different things
that a plant needs for survival by the end of the lesson.

Scientific Vocabulary: Plant, sun, water, air, soil, survive/survival, needs, space,
competition.

Instructional Objective: By the end of the lesson students will be able to identify what the five
things are the plants need to survive. Students will be able to identify and draw at least 7 out 10
on the work sheet given which asks them to identify and then draw the different things a plant
needs to survive.

Prior Knowledge (student): Students should know what a plant is.

Content Knowledge (teacher): The teacher should know that a plant needs the following for
plant survival: water, soil, sunlight, space, air. They should also know that the reason plants need
space is so the plants do not need to compete with other plants to grow.
Accommodations for special needs (individual and/or small group): Work with students in
small groups during the hands on part to help individuals that need more hands on help. Place
students with special needs closer to where you are doing the small groups so you can monitor
their progress during the planting portion of the lesson.
Materials and Technology requirements: What materials do you (as teacher) and students
need? What resources will be used? If materials are exotic, where can they be found? You
need to be specific with the amount of stuff you will need.
Bag of soil
Two cups per student
At least two/three seeds per student
Spray bottle of water
Roll of clear packing tape
Work sheet (see attached at bottom)
Total Estimated Time: 45 minutes
Source of lesson:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUBIQ1fTRzI
Ag in the Class
Safety considerations: How will you make sure students are safe in your lesson?
I will precut pieces of tape so the students do not cut themselves doing that.

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

In your procedure, be sure to include all of the following 5 Es. Your procedure should be
detailed enough for a colleague to follow. If you will be relying on technology (e.g., a YouTube
video), describe your back up plan thoroughly. Imagine your most novice colleague needing to
teach from your plan. Dont just answer the questions. Additionally, I expect you to include
possible questions you could ask for each section. This needs to include higher-order questions.
Engage:
I will bring in an actual plant to show the class.
I will ask them the following questions:
-Does anyone know what this is?
-What is it?
-How do you know that it is a plant?
-What kind of features does this have that makes you think it is a plant?
-What are some characteristics of a plant?
-Create more questions from the answers they give that really make them think about what a
plant is.
Explore:
Have the students make their own plants in a green house.
I will set up a station or assembly line where the students can assemble there greenhouse with
little to no help. I will first demonstrate what they will do in each part of the assembly line. They
will first grab one cup fill the cup up about of the way with soil. They will then grab three
seeds and place them in the opposite edges of the cup so they can see the seed. Next they will do
10 sprays of water. Finally they will bring the cup to me and I will tape it together for them as
they hold the cup for me. When they finish the assembly line I will have them draw a picture of
what they expect their plant to look like when it is grown into a plant.
Questions to ask during assembly line:
-Why do we have to put soil in the cup?
-Why are spreading all the seeds out equally?
-Why are we spraying water on the soil?
-Why are we taping a cup on top of our plants?
-Do you think the plant will survive forever if we keep the cup on top forever?
Explanation: How will you structure student sharing from exploration? How will you facilitate
students conceptual development? How will you help students connect explanations back to
their experience? How will you build on student explanations to help students use appropriate
vocabulary to label concepts and ideas? Be sure to include the science content in this section as
well.
Once all of the green houses are made, we will have a class discussion on what their plants will
actually need to survive.
Now that we have all made plants we want them to grow, and most importantly we want them
to survive so you can have your very own plant that you all planted yourselves. The question is
how can we make sure they survive?
*Give the students 10 seconds to think about that question.

I have a youtube video to help explain what exactly plants need to survive and its a song so Im
hoping this will help it stick with you and you can better remember it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUBIQ1fTRzI
So who can raise their hand and tell me what does a plant need to survive?
Lets talk about how your plants are getting what they need in the greenhouses that we made.
Questions to ask to check for understanding:
-What was the first thing we put in the cup?
-Why did we do that?
-How do we put the seeds in?
-Did we put them in right next to each other or did we give it the seeds space to grow?
-Why do you think it is important to give the seeds/plants space?
-What did we do next to ensure that the plants will grow?
-Can we stop watering the plants now that its in the greenhouse?
-When do we know to take the top cup off?
-What kinds of things does the plant need when it is too big for the green house?
-Why did it not need water and sunlight when it was first growing?

Elaborate: What opportunities will there be for students to apply newly learned ideas, concepts,
and skills? (Another activity is ideal)
Pass out blank white paper.
Instruct the students to draw a plant-any kind of plant. Tell them that they need to draw
everything that the plant needs to survive and label each thing that the plants need. Remind them
to think about the song if they get stuck.
Questions to ask during circulation:
-What did the song we listen to say that plants need to survive?
-What are some different ways for plants to get water?
-How do plants get light?
-When we were planting the seeds, what did we smush the seed into?
-How did we arrange the seeds? Why?
Evaluate: Students will be given a worksheet as the summative assessment for homework.
Formative assessment will be given through questioning during each section of the
lesson
Worksheet:
See next page for attached worksheet

What do plants need to survive?

What do plants need to survive?

Picture of what plants need to survive