STEM LESSON

By
Denedra Shepherd
April 7, 2016

1. Activity Name:
Build a Terrarium
2. Purpose of Activity and Objectives:
The purpose of this activity is to learn about a great way to recycle plastic and learn what it takes to
make an ecosystem work. One misconception students tend to have about plants is that they do not need
both sunlight and water to grow.
Lesson Goals and Objectives:
Students will learn that it is, in fact, very important for plants to have both water and sunlight to grow.
Students will also learn that plants turn water and sunlight into energy in a process called
'photosynthesis" and students will create a mini plant habitat to answer the following question: "What is
the best way to make an ecosystem work?"
3. Target Learning Group:
This activity is appropriate for students at the 2nd grade level.
4. Approximate Time Involved: 3 hours and 5 minutes
Teacher preparation: 1 hour and 10 minutes
1 hour to gather all of the items students will use during the lesson, to set up the computer for watching
the YouTube video, and 10 minutes to build a terrarium to show and to provide students with a concrete
tangible of what they will be creating during the exploration part of the lesson
Student involvement: 1 hour and 55 minutes
Engage: 20 minutes
Explore: 35 minutes
Explain: 15 minutes
Elaborate: 20 minutes
Evaluate: 25 minutes
Science Content Background Information for Teacher with Reference(s):
It is important for plants to have water and sunlight to grow. Plants turn water and sunlight into energy in a
process called "photosynthesis." The terrarium is a mini landscape like you would find in nature, but the
missing parts are rain clouds and sunshine so we have to add those parts. Because we have a lid on the
terrarium, it retains a lot of humidity so it will not need watering very often. The terrarium must be turned
every once in a while to give the plant equal sunlight on all sides.

Education.com (2012, May). Educational Activities For Kids-2nd grade: Build A Terrarium. Retrieved
April 4, 2016 from:
http://www.education.com/activity/article/Build_Terrarium/
Vocabulary:
Photosynthesis The process in green plants and certain other organisms by which carbohydrates are synthesized from
carbon dioxide and a source of hydrogen (usually water), using light as an energy source. Most forms of
photosynthesis release oxygen as a byproduct.
Terrarium A small enclosure or closed container in which selected living plants and sometimes small land animals,
such as turtles and lizards, are kept.
1

NGSS Performance Expectation Involved:

Engineering Design
K-2ETS1-1. Ask questions, make observations, and gather information about a situation people
want to change to define a simple problem that can be solved through the development of a new
or improved object or tool.
K-2-ETS1-2. Develop a simple sketch, drawing, or physical model to illustrate how the shape of
an object helps it function as needed to solve a given problem.
ELA/Literacy
W.2.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to
answer a question.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ETS1.A: Defining and Delimiting Engineering Problems
A Situation that people want to change or create can be approached as a problem to be solved
through engineering. (K-2-ETS1-1)
Common Core: Mathematics
MP.2 Reason abstractly and quantitatively
5. Materials and Advance Preparation:
These items are needed for each group, 5 groups that consist of 4 people, that makes a class of 20
students total.

Plastic container with air opening

Scissors (1 pair)
Soil (2 cups)
Small plant that likes humidity
Pebbles (1 cup)
2 small plastic animals
Bits of bark
Masking tape (1 roll)
4 goggles

6. Lesson References:
Education.com (2012, May). Educational Activities For Kids-2nd grade: Build A Terrarium. Retrieved
April 4, 2016 from:

http://www.education.com/activity/article/Build_Terrarium/
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Inc. (2011, September). The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language: Terrarium. Retrieved on April 4, 2016 from:
https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=terrarium
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Inc. (2011, September). The American Heritage Dictionary of the English
Language: Photosynthesis. Retrieved on April 4, 2016 from:
https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=photosynthesis
7. Safety Considerations:
All students will need to wear goggles to protect their eyes from the soil and students must be monitored closely
when handling the scissors. Make sure students are staying on task and not playing with the supplies. Do this by
circulating around the classroom as students are working.
STEM ACTIVITY
Pre-assessment
Students will walk around the school building and make observations about different kinds of plants and
write about what they think these plants need to grow. Then they will return to class and share their
observations with the class. How will students make observations? They will write down in their science
note books, using words and/or pictures, what they noticed about the plants and what they think the plants
need to grow. How will students share their observations? Tell students to turn and talk to someone about
their observations and ideas. "Please partner talk with someone at your table about your observations and
what you think plants need in order to grow." While students are talking, walk around the classroom and
assess them. Listen to what they're saying and look at the pictures that they drew and the words that they
wrote down to explain their thinking. Check for what students know about plants.
Procedures:
Engage:
Take a nature walk around the school building and tell students to make observations about different kinds
of plants. Ask students to share their observations. Show Students a video of beautiful different kinds of
plants.
YouTube: Relaxing video: beautiful plants
Explore:
Tell students that today they will create a mini plant habitat and learn what it takes to make an ecosystem
work. The terminology, ecosystem and habitat, were both explored in the previous week of class. So
students have a strong foundation of what an ecosystem is and what a habitat is. Show students the terrarium
that you created during your prepping time of the lesson and tell them that they will be creating one of their
own. Pass it around and allow each group to hold it for a few seconds and pass it on to the next group. While
students are doing this, tell them that they will be providing the water and sun for the little world they're
making- its survival is in their hands!
Show students the supplies that they will use to build a terrarium. Tell them that they will be working at
their table in their group of four people. Ask them to choose two people from their table to come up and get
the supplies for the activity. Tell students to first draw in their science notebooks a design of what they plan
to create. Tell them to include all of the supplies that they plan to use for the activity, including the amounts
of each they will need, and to think about why those items are important. Also, tell them to think about how

they might go about creating and building the terrarium to make their drawing and design come to life.
Then, they may began building it.
Explain:
Congratulate students on recycling plastic and tell them that they built a terrarium and explain what a
terrarium is. (The previous class was on recycling) Say to the class, "Students congratulations on recycling
plastic today! There is a name for what we have built today using this recyclable, plastic, and it is terrarium,
everyone say it with me..terrarium." "A terrarium is a small enclosure or closed container in which selected
living plants and sometimes small land animals, such as turtles and lizards, are kept. There is a process that
will take place within it and it also has a name, that is, photosynthesis,.. boys and girls say it with me,
photosynthesis." Say to students, "It is important for plants to have water and sunlight to grow. Plants turn
water and sunlight into energy in a process called "photosynthesis." We will explore photosynthesis more in
the coming lessons on earth systems. The terrarium is a mini landscape like you would find in nature, but
the missing parts are rain clouds and sunshine so we added those parts. Because we have a lid on the
terrarium, it retains a lot of humidity so it will not need watering very often. Very important, the terrarium
must be turned every once in a while to give the plant equal sunlight on all sides. We want to have strong
and healthy plants. So, each day we come to class, we need to visit our terrariums (keep them by the
window) and turn them so that they can get enough sunlight to grow."
Expand/Elaborate:
Have students modify their terrariums to improve them. Tell students, "We have new knowledge about
plants, like what they need to grow, and we have seen our classmates terrariums, so now turn and talk with
your group members about how you can improve your terrarium. Ask questions, make observations about
other terrariums and what makes them better. Then decide on what changes you will make and use them to
improve your terrarium."
Evaluate:
Have students share how they improved their terrarium and why those modifications made them better.
Have each group present one at a time to the class and share how they made sure plants got everything that
they needed to grow. Tell students to make sure each person in the group have something to say during the
presentation, talk about what plants need to grow strong and healthy, and tell what is the best way to make a
ecosystem work. Listen for students to say something about plants needing both sunlight and water to grow.
Real-World Connections:
This lesson directly relates to the real world because plants are all around us and are a part of the beauty of
our environment and sunlight and water are natural resources that we need just as much as plants does.
Post-assessment
The post-assessment is the "Evaluate" section of the lesson. Please read that portion of the lesson for this
component.