Skip Navigation
Search

Plant Needs

Plant Needs

TEKS Objective

The student is expected to identify the basic needs of plants and animals.


Essential Understanding

The student knows that living organisms have basic needs that must be met for them to survive within their environment.

Science Background

Growing Plants Indoors: University of Illinois Extension (website) - Discover how all plants need room to grow, the right temperature, light, water, air, nutrients, and time.

Growing Plants Indoors
University of Illinois Extension, Urban Programs Resource Network, urbanext.illinois.edu

Starting to Grow: Missouri Botanical Garden (website) - Basic information about what seeds need to begin to grow.

Starting to Grow
Missouri Botanical Garden, www.mbgnet.net

Signature Lesson

Needs of Plants: BioEd Online (website) - Student grow radishes from seed and learn to identify the basic needs of plants.

Needs of Plants
BioEd Online, www.bioedonline.org

Supporting Lessons

How to Grow Beans in Plastic Bags: Green Education Foundation (website) - Students identify the basic needs of bean seeds by growing bean seeds in plastic sandwich bags.

How to Grow Beans in Plastic Bags
Green Education Foundation, www.greeneducationfoundation.org

New Plants - New Plants Module: FOSSWEB (website) - Investigate properties, growth and structures of plants as your class propagates them from seeds, bulbs, stems and roots.  Use the reproducible sheets on pages 2-24.

New Plants - New Plants Module
FOSSWEB, www.fossweb.com

Elaboration Lessons and Extensions

Plants in Space: BioEd Online (website) - Be part of an exciting investigation conducted on the International Space Station and on Earth! Examine plant root growth in microgravity and compare “space plants” with similar plants grown in your classroom. Includes a free, downloadable teacher’s guide and supplemental materials (registration required).

Plants in Space
BioEd Online, www.bioedonline.org

Growing Plants Have Needs: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (PDF) - Use Lesson 3 (Growing Plants Have Needs”) on page 17 to identify the basic needs of a plant and discover what happens if those needs are not met.

Growing Plants Have Needs
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, www.wildflower.org

Inside a Seed: A to Z Teacher Stuff (website) - Look inside a seed to discover the beginning of a plant, and discuss elements that plants need to grow.

Inside a Seed
A to Z Teacher Stuff, atozteacherstuff.com

Assessment Ideas

How Does a Flower Grow? Education.com (PDF) - Assess students’ understanding of a flowering plant’s basic needs by having them complete this worksheet.

How Does a Flower Grow?
Education.com

Literature Connections

From Seed to Plant. Gibbons, Gail (ISBN-13: 978-0823410255)

Basic Needs. Feldman, Jean (ISBN-13: 978-1615902132)

How a Seed Grows. Jordan, Helene (ISBN-13: 978-0064451079)

The Life Cycle of a Bean. Tagliaferro, Linda (ISBN-13: 978-0736867139)

Related Science TEKS

(2.1A) Science Safety
The student is expected to identify and demonstrate safe practices as described in the Texas Safety Standards during classroom and outdoor investigations, including wearing safety goggles, washing hands, and using materials appropriately.

(2.1B) Importance of Safe Practices
The student is expected to describe the importance of safe practices.

(2.2A) Ask Questions
The student is expected to ask questions about organisms, objects, and events during observations and investigations.

(2.2B) Plan and Conduct Descriptive Investigation
The student is expected to plan and conduct descriptive investigations such as how organisms grow.

(2.2C) Collect Data
The student is expected to collect data from observations using simple equipment such as hand lenses, primary balances, thermometers, and non-standard measurement tools.

(2.2D) Record and Organize Data & Observations
The student is expected to record and organize data using pictures, numbers, and words.

(2.2E) Communicate and Justify Explanations
The student is expected to communicate observations and justify explanations using student-generated data from simple descriptive investigations.

(2.2F) Comparing Results of Investigations
The student is expected to compare results of investigations with what students and scientists know about the world.

(2.3A) Identify, Explain and Propose a Solution to a Problem
The student is expected to identify and explain a problem in his/her own words and propose a task and solution for the problem such as lack of water in a habitat.

(2.3B) Make Predictions
The student is expected to make predictions based on observable patterns.

(2.3C) Explore Scientists
The student is expected to identify what a scientist is and explore what different scientists do.

(2.4A) Tools for Collecting and Analyzing Information
The student is expected to collect, record, and compare information using tools, including computers, hand lenses, rulers, primary balances, plastic beakers, magnets, collecting nets, notebooks, and safety goggles; timing devices, including clocks and stopwatches; weather instruments such as thermometers, wind vanes, and rain gauges; and materials to support observations of habitats of organisms such as terrariums and aquariums.

Related Math TEKS

2.11A  The student is expected to construct picture graphs and bar-type graphs.

2.11B   The student is expected to draw conclusions and answer questions based on picture graphs and bar-type graphs.

2.12B   The student is expected to solve problems with guidance that incorporates the processes of understanding the problem, making a plan, carrying out the plan, and evaluating the solution for reasonableness.

2.12D  The student is expected to use tools such as real objects, manipulatives, and technology to solve problems.

2.13A  The student is expected to explain and record observations using objects, words, pictures, numbers, and technology.

Additional Resources

Why School Gardening? Kids Gardening (website) - Links to programs, grants and other resources that can be used to help you create a school gardening area.

Why School Gardening?
Kids Gardening, www.kidsgardening.org

Close Comments Button

Comments

Post a Comment
Close Comments Button