Plant Life Cycles
TEKS Objective
Explore, illustrate, and compare life cycles in living organisms such as butterflies, beetles, radishes, or lima beans.
Essential Understanding
The student knows that organisms undergo similar life processes and have structures that help them survive within their environment.
Science Background
Flowering Plant Life Cycle: Pima Community College (website) - Descriptive overview of the life cycle of flowering plants.
Flowering Plant Life Cycle
Pima Community College, www.pima.edu
Plant Life Cycles: Annenberg Learner (website) - Learn about seeds, pollination, and the stages in a flowering plant’s life cycle; compare plant and animal life cycles. (You will need to complete the free registration process before being able to view the video.)
Plant Life Cycles
Anneberg Learner, www.learner.org
Fast Plants Life Cycle: University of Wisconsin (website) - Description and interactive illustrations of the entire 40-day life cycle of the Fast Plant, with links to videos and a downloadable teacher guide.
Fast Plants Life Cycle
University of Wisconsin, www.fastplants.org
Signature Lesson
Do Plants Need Light? BioEd Online (website) - Students study bean seeds to explore the life cycle of bean plants, while also illustrating and comparing the growth and of bean plants under different conditions. Ultimately, they discover that light is necessary for the production of new plant material.
- Supporting Lessons
- Extensions
- Assessment Ideas
- Literature Connections
- Related
TEKS - Additional Resources
Supporting Lessons
Here We Grow! Plant Life Cycle: Vermillion Parish Curriculum Site (website) - Students plant one lima bean seed each week for eight weeks, making detailed observations, illustrations and comparisons of their plants as they develop.
Here We Grow! Plant Life Cycle
Vermillion Parish Curriculum Site, www.vrml.k12.la.us
Structures of Life Unit: FOSSWEB (website) - Investigate the life cycle of plants, starting from seed. Use the reproducible sheets on pages 2-10.
Elaboration Lessons and Extensions
The Seed Challenge: Wisconsin Fast Plants (PDF) - Complete unit on the plant life cycle using Fast Plants, which produce flowers in two weeks and seeds in four weeks. Students care for their own plants and observe and record their findings about plant development. Order seeds from Carolina Biological Supply Company (http:www.carolina.com) or Nasco (http://www.enasco.com).
The Seed Challenge
Wisconsin Fast Plants, www.fastplants.org
Assessment Ideas
Have students illustrate and describe in writing the major life cycle stages of the bean plants they observed as part of the signature lesson.
Literature Connections
How a Seed Grows. Jordan, Helene (ISBN-13: 978-0064451079)
The Tiny Seed. Carle, Eric (ISBN-13: 978-0689842443)
From Seed to Plant. Gibbons, Gail (ISBN-13: 978-0823410255)
Plant. Burnie, David (ISBN-13: 978-0756607159)
TEKS Navigation
Grade 4
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