Adopt a Plant

COLLECTION

PRIMARY ELEMENTARY  |  SCIENCE

Adopt a Plant

Students will compare and contrast the life cycles of seasonal crops to trees, closely observing the growth of those plants in the schoolyard garden.

Concepts: Plant Life Cycles

Essential Questions

• How can we describe the full life cycle of a plant?
• How can we describe the full life cycle of a tree?
• How does a tree change through the seasons?

Standards Addressed

Focus

• S2L1b. Students will relate seasonal changes to observations of how a tree changes throughout a school year.
• S2L1c. Students will investigate the life cycle of a plant by growing a plant from a seed and by recording changes over a period of time.

Explorations in this Collection

Adopting a Tree

seasons / trees

Adopting a Seasonal Plant

life cycle / plants / seasons

Making Seed Necklaces

germination / life cycle / plants

Recommended Resources

Online

• Journey North
• Tulip Project
• The Monarch Project
• Differences between annual and perennial trees: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/whats-the-difference-between-annuals-and-perennials/

Children’s Literature

• A Tree for All Seasons by Robin Bernard
• A Tree is Nice by Janie May Udry
• The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown