ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 1

Name: Amber Stewart and Lea Bowden

Grade: Third

Standard Domain: Life Science

Standard:
SCI.3.3 2010 - Life Science
Observe, describe and ask questions about plant growth and development.

VA.3.7.4 Visual Arts
Identify, control, and use a balance of two-dimensional and three-dimensional
media, techniques, and processes to effectively communicate ideas, experiences,
and stories.

Objective: Learners will exhibit respect for all people in the class while they
create three dimensional plants in the various stages of growth to demonstrate
their knowledge of plant growth and development.

Materials/Media/Technology: Ten magazines, fifteen pairs of scissors, forty-
five sheets of painted construction paper, forty-five green pipe cleaners, one
quart of buttons, one frame, fifteen whole pieces of felt and three sets of five felt
cut-outs, fifteen glue sticks for students, one glue gun, one pack of glue gun
sticks, two hole punches, markers, one vase, one folding instructions poster, one
sample seedling, one sample bud, and two flower artwork samples

For extension activities/centers: six different types of seeds for exploring and
five packets of sunflower seeds for planting, alfalfa sprouts, bouquet of flowers,
fifteen peat pots, one bag of soil, five spoons

Books:
1. Lesson:
a. From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
b. How a Seed Grows by Helene J. Jordan
c. The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
2. Eric Carle artwork samples:
a. A House for Hermit Crab by Eric Carle
b. Little Cloud by Eric Carle
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 2

c. Roosters Off to See the World by Eric Carle
d. Slowly, Slowly, Slowly, said the Sloth by Eric Carle
3. Extension reading center:
a. A Flower Grows by Ken Robbins
b. The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
c. Wildflowers Around the Year by Hope Ryden
d. Plants with Seeds by Elaine Pascoe
e. Starting with Nature Plant Book by Pamela Hickman
f. A Childs Book of Wildflowers by M.A. Kelly
g. Eyewitness Explorers: Flowers by David Burnie
h. The Science Book of Things that Grow by Neil Ardley
i. Plants that Never Ever Bloom by Ruth Heller
j. Seeds and More Seeds by Millicent E. Selsam

Resources: http://splishsplashsplatterart.blogspot.com/2011/03/recycled-
magazine-flowers.html

http://prezi.com/yhvwdeagvbcl/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc
=ex0share

https://springpad.com/#!/lbowden2/notebooks/plantgrowthlesson/blocks
____________________________________________________________

I. MOTIVATION: Teacher will present information about plants using the
books, From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons and How a Seed Grows by Helene
J. Jordan, supplementing information in the books by drawing and labeling the
stages of plant development on the board.
At the end of this instruction, students will listen to The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.
Dialogue: Hello everyone! I am Mrs. Bowden and I am Ms. Stewart. We are
here to have some fun learning about plants so that we can create some art for
the art auction! First we will talk about plants and look at pictures. Next, we will
read a story by Eric Carle. Then we will explore the different parts of plants.
Eventually we will know everything we need to know to create our artwork. If
everyone is very good and stays on task we might have time at the end to plant
our very own sunflowers to take home! Before we get started, I want to remind
everyone that we need to be quiet and respectful while we learn. While we read
these books, Mrs. Bowden and Ms. Stewart will be asking questions about
plants. This is our speaking flower. We can only hear the student who is holding
this flower. If you think you know the answers to the questions, please raise
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 3

your hand and we will pass the flower to you. Please remember to raise your
hand and do not call out until you are holding the speaking flower. Now let us
get started!
GOAL FOR LEARNER: Students will learn how plants grow and
develop. Students will be able to create artwork that shows plants in various
stages of growth to demonstrate their understanding of the content. Students will
also be able to identify seeds, roots, stems, leaves, buds, and flowers.

II. PROCEDURE:
1. Introduce ourselves to the students and set guidelines for
participation
2. Start instruction using From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons and/or
drawings on the board
3. Discuss the information presented
4. Read The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle
5. Discuss the story
6. Divide students into pairs and distribute felt manipulatives to each
group
7. Discuss and complete the guided practice activity
8. Put felt pieces away
9. Explain the art project and show students examples of finished
project
10. Distribute buttons, green papers, and pipe cleaners
11. Instruct on folding and cutting leaves (Folding: Step one)
12. Attach leaves to stems to create seedlings
13. Distribute one green paper and one colored sheet of paper
14. Instruct on folding and cutting buds (Folding: Step two)
15. Attach buds to stems
16. Split students into groups to choose colored paper or magazine
pages
17. Instruct on folding and cutting flowers (Folding: Step three)
18. Instruct on how to glue flower pieces together
19. Split students into groups
20. Group one will work with the teacher to glue flowers into
framed artwork.
21. Group two will choose a plant related book to read and/or look
at pictures in the reading area
22. Group three will explore seeds, seedlings, and flowers in live
plant center
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 4

23. Rotate groups until all flowers have been glued
24. Students use buttons, seedlings, and buds to create vase
artwork
25. Clean up and put supplies away
26. If time allows, complete extension activity at planting center
27. Thank students for their hard work

NEW INFORMATION:
Plants are grown from seeds.
Plants need soil, sunlight, air, and water to grow.
Seeds are planted in the soil and watered.
When it is ready, a seedling cracks out of the seed shell and grows up
through the soil. It grows up through the dark soil because it needs
nutrients from the sunlight to grow bigger.
Once the seedling takes in more nutrients from the soil, water, air, and
sun, it grows bigger and grows leaves.
The seedling will continue to grow bigger and will grow a bud at the very
top of the stem.
At the last stage the bud will bloom into a flower with petals and more
seeds to grow new flowers.
The parts of a plant are the roots, stem, leaves, bud, flower, petals, seeds.

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING: Teacher and students will
have a guided discussion about the information presented in the two books.
Dialogue: Plants are one of my favorite things! When they grow and bloom into
flowers, they are pretty to look at and smell good. I also like plants because
some of them are yummy to eat! Can anyone think of the names of any plants?
(Allow students to think about the question and pass the flower to a student who
has his or her hand raised.) Great job! There are so many different plants! Trees,
bushes, flowers, grass, and weeds are all plants. The fruits and vegetables that
we eat come from plants too! Does anyone know what a plant starts as? (Allow
students to think about the question and pass the flower to a student who has his
or her hand raised.) That is right! Almost all plants start as a seed. (Show
students the seed samples.) Seeds are usually very small and come in all
different sizes, colors and shapes. For a seed to start growing into a plant, it
needs four different items. Does anyone know what these four items could be?
Fantastic! You are so smart! Plants need sunlight, water, air, and soil/dirt to
grow. (Draw a sun, raindrop, swirls for air, and dirt on the board.) When a plant
has all four of these items, the shell of the seed will crack open and a seedling
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 5

will sprout and start to push its way up through the dirt. (Draw a seedling on the
board.) Why do you think the seedling does this? That is right! The seedling
pushes up through the dirt to get more sunlight. The seedling keeps gathering
the things it needs for food from the dirt, sun, water, and air to keep growing
bigger and bigger, eventually growing a bud at the very top of the stem. It will
keep doing this until it has enough energy to bloom! Raise your hand if you
know what the bud will become when it blooms? Right! The bud will bloom
into a flower! (Draw a flower on the board.) Now we know how a seed changes
and grows to become a flower. Does anyone know the names of the different
parts of a flower? Raise your hand if you do. Good job! Starting at the bottom
and going to the top there are the roots, stem, leaves, and the flower. (Label
these parts on the board.) Does anyone know any names for the different parts
of the flower? Great! The flower has petals and once it is pollinated by bees,
more seeds will grow right in the center. Before that happens, there are other
parts of the flower. If we have time, we have some activities to learn about those
parts too! Now that we know some parts of a plant and how plants grow, we
will read the book, The Tiny Seed and hear about one seeds journey to become a
giant flower! As we read, pay attention to the artwork in the pictures and think
about what the illustrator might have used to make the pictures. (Read book.)
What happened in this story? What happened to the different seeds that stopped
them from growing? Right! One seed got too close to the sun and burnt up! One
seed fell in the water and drowned! Some seeds were eaten by animals! Even
some of the seeds that made it into the dirt and started to grow had problems
growing into tall flowers! People picked them or stepped on them! What do you
think we need to do to make sure plants grow big and tall? Yes! We have to
give them the right amount of water and not drown them. We have to protect
them from being eaten or picked. We have to make sure they do not get too hot
or cold. Great job everyone! I think you could all be very good gardeners and
farmers. Remember when I asked you to pay attention to the pictures in this
book? Do any of you think you can guess what kind of supplies Eric Carle used
to make the pictures in the story? Eric Carle paints different colors on paper and
then cuts that paper into shapes to make his pictures! We are going to pretend
that we are Eric Carle today and use different kinds of papers to make plants for
our art project! But first we are going to study to make sure we know the
different parts of a plant and how plants grow!

MODELING: During the guided practice, the teacher will show students
how to place the felt manipulatives on the felt sheet in the four stages of plant
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 6

growth. Teacher will also explain and show students how to label the parts of
their plant growth scene.
During the practice session, the teacher will show students how to fold
their papers and cut them in different ways to make different shaped flowers.
Teacher will also model how to glue each layer together. Samples will also be
available for students to examine.

GUIDED PRACTICE: Students will be paired up and given the supplies
to make one plant growth scene together. Each pair of students will be given felt
manipulatives to create a picture that shows plant growth from seed to flower.
Each piece will have a corresponding label that students will use to match each
plant part to its name. Teacher will help the students create their own labeled
plant growth scene.
Dialogue: Now we are going to create a plant growth scene to help us remember
everything we need to create our art project. (Teacher will divide students into
pairs and distribute the supplies needed for each pair.) First, lay your big felt
sheet in front of you. This piece is going to be our little garden. What do you
think we need in our garden to get it ready for our plants? Raise your hand if
you think you know one thing we need. Great! We need a sun, water, dirt, and
air. Look through your felt pieces and pick the ones that you think should
represent each of those items. There are round yellow pieces for suns, brown
pieces for dirt, and blue water drops for water. Why do you think there are no
pieces to show air? That is right! It is because we cannot really see air, even
though it is everywhere around us. Now that you have all the items we need to
get our garden ready, take out your labels and place those on the items. For
example, I am going to place the word air right here in the middle. Then I am
going to place the word dirt down here on my brown piece. Great job! Now our
garden is ready! What do you think we should do first? Right! Plant a seed! In
the first section on the left, plant your seed in the dirt and label it. What do you
think will happen in the next section? Raise your hand if you know. Fantastic!
That is where our seedling will go. Place those pieces in your garden and label
them. Who can guess what will come next? Yes! You are such smart gardeners!
The seedling will grow taller and a bud will grow right on top. Place those
pieces in the third section and label them. Now we are to the last part. Who
knows what will go here? Great job! The flower grows and blooms! Place those
pieces and label them.

ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 7

CHECKING FOR UNDERSTANDING: To check the learners
understanding I will ask open ended questions regarding plant development and
growth.
Dialogue: What do plants need to grow? What are the parts of a plant? Where
can you find plants? Do you ever give flowers to someone? Can plants grow
anywhere like in a can or shoe, as long as they have the four things they need?

PRACTICE: As a class students will create three dimensional images of
the four stages of plant growth covered that we will later place in a frame and
vase. Both art pieces will be auctioned off. Students will use buttons, pipe
cleaners, and paper to create seedlings, buds, and flowers in bloom.
Dialogue: You did such a great job showing how a seed grows into a flower! I
think we are ready to get started on our art project now! I need all eyes and ears
up here. You can see that I have several different art supplies here on the desk. I
have different colors of painted paper, magazines, buttons, and pipe cleaners. Of
these items, what do you think would be good to show what seeds are?
Remember that seeds are small and usually round, but come in all shapes, sizes,
and colors. If you think you know what we should use, raise your hand. Right!
These buttons are going to be our pretend seeds. Does anyone know what we
will make after the seed? Great job! We will make the seedling. What does a
seedling look like? Yes! Seedlings are green, long and skinny, and have leaves
at the top. What item or items do you think would work for making a seedling?
Right! We will use the green paper to cut out leaves and attach them to the top
of our stem/pipe cleaners. (Show students the sample seedling.) Can anyone
guess what we will make next? Great job! Next we will make a bud! We used
pipe cleaners to make our stem for the seedling; do you think that would work
for our bud too? Yes, we will be using the pipe cleaners again for the stem of
our buds and then we will cut the bud from our colorful paper and attach it to
the top. (Show students the sample bud.) I think everyone knows what comes
last, right? Everyone say the last part together at the count of three. One, two,
three, flowers! (Show students the sample flowers.) Can everyone see what I
used to make the flower? Right! I used painted paper and magazine pages for
the flower petals, and a pipe cleaner for the stem. Can anyone see what is right
in the middle of this flower? Yes! There is a button right in the middle. Now
why would I put a button there? I thought the buttons were supposed to be our
seeds. Great job! I put a button in the middle because that is where seeds will
form and when the flower dies, the seeds that grew in the middle of the flower
will begin their journey just like the tiny seed in the story! Okay, now we will
start making our seeds, seedlings, and buds. Once we are all finished making
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 8

those, we will learn how we will make our flowers. I need some helpers to begin
passing out art supplies. Each student can pick two buttons. When you get your
buttons, push them to the middle of the table, we will not need those for a little
while. (Instruct helpers to give each student two buttons, three pipe cleaners and
four small sheets of green paper.) Push your pipe cleaners to the middle of the
table with your buttons and grab one of your pieces of green paper. I need all
eyes and ears up here so we can learn how to cut our leaves. Take your piece of
green paper and fold it down the middle. On our folding instructions poster, we
will only be doing step one. Your paper should look like this. (Show students a
sample.) When your paper is folded in half, you will use your scissors to cut on
the folded edge like this. (Model cutting the folded paper) Start at one of the
corners of the folded edge, cut towards the middle of the paper and curve
around back to the other side of the folded edge. The way that we are cutting
our leaves is sort of like cutting out a paper heart. Have any of you made hearts
like this? Good! You should all be very good at it then. When you are done
cutting, unfold your paper and it will look like this. (Show students the sample
leaf.) If you need help, raise your hand and Ms. Stewart, Mrs. Bowden, or one
of our helpers will come help you. Also, if you already know how to do this and
you see your neighbor is having trouble, help them. I want you to cut all four of
your green papers into leaves and when you are done, write your name, in your
best artist signature on the front. When you have your name on all four leaves,
bring them to Ms. Stewart or Mrs. Bowden and we will show you how to use a
hole punch to make a hole right by the bottom so that we can attach them to our
pipe cleaners. When you have holes at the bottoms of your leaves, put two of
them together, painted sides facing, line up the holes and put your pipe cleaners
through the holes. Now bend the pipe cleaner in half and twist one side around
the other. (Model how to bend and twist the pipe cleaner.) When you are done, I
want you to hold your seedling above your head, that way we will know who is
done and who still needs help. Great job everyone! Now let us get started on our
buds. This part is going to be a little bit harder, but it will help us when we start
to make our flowers. I need another helper. For this part, we will need one small
piece of green paper and one other colored sheet of paper. You can pick
whichever color you would like. (Wait until everyone has their sheets of paper
to begin instruction.) Grab your colored sheet of paper with both hands. This
part will be sort of like how we made our leaves, but we will take it one step
further. For this part, we will be doing steps one and two on the poster. First,
fold your paper in half, just like you did to make the leaf, taking the left side to
the right side. Next, turn your paper so that the folded line is at the bottom, and
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 9

you have your left hand on the left side of the paper and your right hand on the
right side. Now fold it in half again. Now you should have a folded edge at the
bottom and a folded edge on the left side. If you do not have two folded edges
like this, raise your hand. You can also look at this poster that shows the
instructions for folding. When you made your first fold, does it look like the
paper at step one? After your second fold, does it look like the paper at step
two? If so, you are done with folding. If not, raise your hand and we will come
to help you. (Wait until all students have their paper folded.) Now we can start
cutting our bud. You will have one corner of your paper that is all folded edges.
Hold that corner between your thumb and finger. We do not want to cut that
edge. Instead, we will cut from the right edge to the left edge at the top. (Model
how to cut from edge to edge.) We will cut a rounded line from edge to edge
and when we are done it will look sort of like our leaves. Do not unfold this
piece yet. Leave it folded up. Once you are done cutting this paper, I want you
to fold and cut your other sheet of paper, just like we folded and cut this sheet.
Please remember to raise your hand if you need help or look at the folding
instructions poster. When you have both of your bud pieces cut, bring them to
Ms. Stewart or Mrs. Bowden and we will use the hole punch to make a little
hole to fit our stem through, just like we did for our leaves. When you have
holes in your bud, grab your leaf and line up the holes on both your leaf and
your bud, place the pipe cleaner through the hole, bend it in half and twist it
around just like we did for the seedling. When your bud is done, hold it above
your head. (Wait until all students are done to start on the final part.) I think we
are ready to put all of our folding instructions together to make our flower! Now
we are going to split up into two different groups. Group one, come to the front
with me and pick two sheets of paper in two different colors and group two, go
to the magazine station and look through the magazines to find two pages to use
for your flowers. Group two, you can use colorful pages or pages with writing.
It is up to you. Once you find the pages you want to use, tear out the whole
page. Group one, we are going to use all three folding steps to make our
flowers. First we will fold our paper in half like step one. Then we will fold it
again like step two shows. Last, we will fold it diagonally like step three shows.
(Model these folding steps simultaneously while instructing.) Once we have our
three folds, we want to hold it down at the pointed corner that has all folded
edges. Just like with our buds, we do not want to cut this corner. We will make
our cut along the top edge in whatever design we want. If you want rounded
petals, you will cut a round line at the top, if you want pointed petals, you will
cut like this. You want your first piece to be as big as this circle. (Show students
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 10

a pre cut circle sizer.) This first sheet will be the back piece of your flower and
it will be the most important piece because it will help you decide the size of the
pieces that will go on top of it. You will have four layers of flower petals total.
You want every piece to be a little smaller than the piece under it so that each
layer shows through. (Model cutting and show samples of different cuts students
can make and how each cut looks when unfolded. Once both groups are
finished, students will switch stations. Repeat this instruction to group two and
instruct group one to pick two magazines and fold each page in the same way he
or she folded his or her colored sheets and then cut the petals in the design each
student wants. Once all students have all four of their flower pieces cut, begin
instructing on how to arrange and glue them.) Place your largest flower on the
table in front of you. Now arrange your other pieces on top of that one from
biggest to smallest. When you have them in order, glue them all together. You
just need to rub a little bit of your glue stick in the middle of each piece and
press the next piece on top. (Once the pieces are glued together, split the class
into three groups to hot glue buttons and participate in extension activities.)
Group one, bring your flowers and your center button to the front with me so
that I can glue them into our flower garden. Group two, leave your flowers at
your table and go back to the reading area and pick a book to read quietly.
Group three, leave your flowers at your table and go to the plant center to
explore real seeds, seedlings, buds, and flowers. You may open the bags of
seeds to get a closer look and touch them, but please be careful to not spill any.
(Rotate groups until all flowers are glued onto the picture backing.) Now that
our garden is complete, let us start back at the beginning to go through each step
our flower went through to bloom. What does a flower start as? Right! A flower
starts as a seed! Everyone grab your button seed and come up here to place your
seeds in our container. What does the seed grow to be next? Great! The seed
grows into a seedling! Everyone bring your seedlings to the front of the class
and place them into our container on top of the seeds. What does the seedling
grow into next? Good job! The seedling grows a bud! Bring your buds and place
them into our container. What do we have next, after our bud? Fantastic! We
have our beautiful flowers blooming in our flower garden! Great job everyone!

ASSESSMENT: Teacher will use the process of creating artwork that
represents the various stages of plant growth and development to assess the
students understanding of plant development and growth. Students should not
only be able to create artwork in these stages, but also answer questions to
determine the sequence of each stage of development.

ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 11

EXTENSION: Centers will be available for students to learn about plants
in different and more in depth ways. The reading center will contain books
about plants. The sensory center will contain various seeds, seedlings, and
flowers for students to explore.

If there is time at the end of the lesson, students will be able to plant a
seed in the planting center to take home.

CLOSURE: Congratulations class you have created a wonderful piece of
art. It was a pleasure working with you. I love how respectful you were towards
each other as you worked. We learned a lot about plants today! We learned
about the different parts of plants, what they need to grow, and how they grow
from tiny little seeds into big blooming flowers! I was very impressed with your
ideas and how much you knew about plants. I hope that you enjoyed our lesson
and creating the art piece for your auction. Now it is time to go home, but before
you can leave, I need you to tell me one thing you learned about plants today.
Everyone needs to know one different fact in order to leave the class, so if you
do not have anything to share, go look through the books for one unique fact
about plants.

III. EVALUATION

Plant Growth

Teacher Name: Ms. Stewart and Mrs. Bowden

Student Name: ________________________________________


Category 1 2 3 4
Parts
Identified leaf,
stem, flower, and
root.
Identified one part
of the plant, and
three others with
help.
Identified two
parts of the
plant, and two
with help.
Identified three
parts of a plant
and one with
help.
Identified four
parts of a plant.
Function
Describes the
functions of the
leaf, stem, root,
and flower.
Described the
function of only 1
part of the plant.

Described the
function of 2
parts of the
plant.
Described the
function of 3
parts of a plant.
Described the
function of all 4
parts of a plant.
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 12

Seed to Plant
Describes the
growth of a plant
from seed to adult
plant.
Describes at least
one part of the
process and gets at
least two more with
help.
Describes at least
two parts of the
process, but gets
the others with
help.
Describes three
parts of the
process, but
gets the others
with help.
Describes
entire process
of seed
breaking open,
sprout
emerging and
young plant
growing to full
plant.
Comprehension of
what students are
being taught and
read.
Student has trouble
understanding or
remembering most
parts of the story.
Student
understands
some parts of the
story and
accurately
answers 1
question related
to the story.
Student seems
to understand
most of the
story and
accurately
answers 2
questions
related to the
story.
Student seems
to understand
entire story and
accurately
answers 3
questions
related to the
story.
Respects others
while being read
to and taught new
information.
Student interrupts
often by
whispering, making
comments or noises
that distract others
OR moves around
in ways that distract
others.
Student
interrupts once
or twice, but
comments are
relevant. Stays in
assigned place
without
distracting
movements.

Student listens
quietly and
does not
interrupt.
Moves a couple
of times, but
does not
distract others.
Student listens
quietly, does
not interrupt,
and stays in
assigned place
without
distracting
fidgeting.















ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 13

References
Ardley, N. (1991). The science book of things that grow. New York, NY: HBJ.
Bowden, L. (2014, March 16). How do flowers grow? Retrieved March 24, 2014, from
http://prezi.com/yhvwdeagvbcl/how-do-flowers-
grow/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy
Burnie, D. (1992). Eyewitness explorers: Flowers. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley.
Carle, E. (1972). Rooster's off to see the world. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks.
Carle, E. (1987). A house for hermit crab. Saxonville, MA: Picture Books Studio.
Carle, E. (1996). Little cloud. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Carle, E. (2007). "Slowly, slowly, slowly," said the sloth. New York, NY: Puffin.
Carle, E. (2009). The tiny seed (Reprint ed.). New York, NY: Little Simon.
Gibbons, G. (1993). From seed to plant (Reprint ed.). New York, NY: Holiday House.
Heller, R. (1984). Plants that never ever bloom. New York, NY: Scholastic.
Heller, R. (1999). The reason for a flower (Reissue ed.). New York, NY: Puffin.
Hickman, P. (1996). Starting with nature plant book (H. Collins, Illustrator). Kids Can Press.
Indiana Department of Education. (n.d.). Indiana standards. Retrieved April 5,
2014, from https://learningconnection.doe.in.gov/Standards/Standards.aspx?st=&sub=-
1&gl=5&c=0&stid=0
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 14

Jordan, H. J. (2000). How a seed grows (Rev. ed.) (L. Krupinski, Illustrator). New York, NY:
HarperCollins.
Keller, R. (2011, March 7). Recycled magazine flowers. Retrieved March 24, 2014,
from http://splishsplashsplatterart.blogspot.com/2011/03/ recycled-magazine-flowers.html
Kelly, M. A. (1992). A child's book of wildflowers (J. Powzyk, Illustrator). New
York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
Pascoe, E. (2003). Plants with seeds. New York, NY: Rosen.
Robbins, K. (1990). A flower grows. New York, NY: Dial Books.
Ryden, H. (2001). Wildflowers around the year. New York, NY: Clarion Books.
Selsam, M. E. (1959). Seeds and more seeds. New York, NY: Harper & Row.








ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 15

Reflection
After implementing this lesson plan, there are a few things that I would change. I was
very proud of the amount of planning and effort that I put into this lesson, but the actual
implementation did not go as smoothly as I had expected. I learned that I should not make
assumptions about students level of ability, motivation, or previous knowledge. I learned that
even when you think you have put everything you think you possibly can into a lesson, there is
always something more you wish you had added.
The first thing I would change would be to either allow more time for the folding
instructions and practice, or to split students into smaller groups for those instructions. Going in,
I anticipated that making the three folds would be the hardest part of making this artwork, which
is why I created the folding instruction poster and split the class in half for this instruction. I just
did not anticipate how much of a struggle this part would be. I thought the older students might
be able to pick it up quickly and help the younger students. In reality, some of the older students
struggled more than the younger students.
The second thing I would change would be to add an inquiry based aspect to the
extension activity of planting seeds. I would also make this activity a larger part of the lesson
instead of being an extension. This was the part of the lesson most students were excited about.
They were very disappointed that we did not have time at the end of the lesson to plant seeds.
Instead of having one type of seed and instructing the students on what that particular seed
needed to grow, I would have a variety of seeds for students to choose from. Once each student
had chosen a particular plant variety, it would be up to him or her to research planting depth,
sunlight exposure, water needs, germination time, etc. We would keep these plants in the
ART AUCTION LESSON PLAN 16

classroom to observe. If a students seed did not sprout, I could help the student hypothesize
about what may have gone wrong, and the student could start the process from the beginning and
try to conclude what could be done differently to ensure growth. We could also have another
inquiry based learning activity with these seeds by planting several of the same types of seeds
and exposing them to different conditions. For example, one seed would be given soil and water,
but no sunlight, and another could be given soil and sunlight, but no water. Students could create
hypotheses about the outcome of each scenario and watch as they were proven right or wrong.
Another aspect I would add would be an inquiry based activity about the plants
themselves. Many of the students already knew the basics of plant growth and development. For
these students and for the students who were not yet familiar with plant growth, I could have
allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the objective by adding in an activity that
involved inquiry based learning. If I could go back and get a do over for this lesson, I would add
a short field trip outside to search for plants or flowers. When each student had selected a plant,
we could take them back to the classroom and research. Using plant identification guides,
students could identify the plants common and scientific name. Once identification was
complete, students could research where each plant grows in the wild and what types of weather
conditions each plant needed to survive. There is no end to the activities we could incorporate
into this lesson. Students could compile their research into a report on each type of plant or
create a collage or drawing to illustrate what the plant looks like from seed to bloom or create
flower growth maps based on climate zones, etc. The class could even build terrariums for plants
to experiment with creating an ecosystem with each plants ideal conditions.