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Goal 1: 2-LS2-1.	Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

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Goal 1: 2-LS2-1.	Plan and conduct an investigation to determine if plants need sunlight and water to grow.

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Students identify and describe* the phenomenon and purpose of the investigation, which include answering a question about whether plants need sunlight and water to grow. Students will also learn about the life cycle of a plant and its concepts through exercising and doing hands on work with real gardening.

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Goal 2: 2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

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Goal 2: 2-LS2-2. Develop a simple model that mimics the function of dispersing seeds or pollinating plants.

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Students will get a filled out diagram from the lesson and then they will have to copy, cut and paste their own life cycle of a plant in their journals. Then students will get to plant their own plants by using natural materials and creative art. They will get to practice slow looking and use play based creative learning through growing our own garden. Then they will get to take their own little garden home.

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-Growth
-Sunlight
-Water
-Energy
-Germination
-Seeding
-Pollination

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1. Why do plants need sunlight and water to grow?

2. What do plants need to grow and survive?

3. Where do plants come from?

4. Why do seeds need warmth and water to germinate?

5. Why is pollination so important when it comes to plants?

6. What are the stages of the life cycle of a plant?

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The science journals will be used throughout this lesson/project. Students will first write in their journals about what they think a plant is, where they come from and how they grow. After writing their initial thoughts, we will then talk about the life cycle of a plant, where they come from and how they grow. Then after we look at the diagram provided from the lesson, students will get their own diagram to fill out from cutting and pasting. After cutting and pasting their diagrams they will have to color each part of the cycle and then paste it into their journals. Finally, they will grow their own plants, after two weeks of the plants growing, they will then write a reflection in their journals about the whole journey.

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This is the diagram that will be provided during the lesson about the life cycle of a plant. This diagram will show how the students should fill out their own diagram and it will be up on the board for the next two weeks. Students are welcomed to look at it and use it as a model or guide for when they are cutting and pasting their own diagrams for their journals.

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Cut and paste in Plant Life Cycle Diagram

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Cut and paste in Plant Life Cycle Diagram

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This is the worksheet that the students will be cutting and pasting for their science journals. The students will then use their own diagram as a guide or even a time chart for when they are growing their own plants. Students can also color their diagrams to make it their own.

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Music will help the concepts and cycle stick with the students a lot more than just having a diagram. Students will get to listen to this song shortly after the lesson has been delivered. The song is very catchy and they are welcomed to sing along. They can also sing this song while we are gardening and planting our own plants together!

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Literature is a great tool/resource to use when teaching this type of lesson. The Little Gardener book is more of an optional resource for the children. It is highly encouraged for the students to read the book but it is not mandatory. This book will help the students understand how to plant things through another point of view. It can give them something to relate to while they are planting on their own.

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For this part of the lesson, the students will get to go outside and create their own garden! Every student gets to have one square of the garden. When we go outside to the class garden students will see that I already started one of my plants. They will get to experience slow looking and observe the life of a plant first hand.

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First thing we do when it comes to the life cycle of a plant is that we start off with our seeds. Seeds are one of our natural materials. Each student will get 2-3 seeds, they will place the seeds wherever they want to in their individual square.

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Our second natural material is soil. We learned that plants need soil to grow and germinate. Every student will be provided with a bag of soil for their garden square. They will pat the soil over their seeds to where it is nice and even.

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Our final step is water and sunlight, this is another natural material that we will use. Water and sunlight are very important when it comes to growing our plants. It is a key concept and element to the life cycle of a plant. Students will share pitchers full of water and they will get to water their own plants every day for two weeks. Since we will be outside, the sun will already be provided for us.

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Incorporating art into this lesson would be a fun way to end things off. Every student in the class will get a small pot for plants. Each student will get to paint their own pots to show off their individuality. After painting the pots, the students will go outside and transfer their square garden to their pot. Finally, students will get to take their own little garden home with them!

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On the last day of this project/lesson students will have to write a small reflection about what they learned. Some of the questions that they will have to answer in their reflections are; What was the most interesting thing you learned about our garden in the past two weeks and why? What do you want to know more about? Describe what you saw while watching your plants grow through slow looking. Finally, what did growing our own garden teach you?

This will show not only their understanding of the concepts of this lesson but it will also show their growth in learning! They will see how giving/putting their energy into something takes time and patience, after practicing slow looking they will understand that great things always come to those who wait!

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This is a blog from a K-6 teacher and she had a lesson plan that was similar to mine. She started off with reading a book about the growth of plants and then they moved to the assignment. The kids got worksheets about the cycle of a plant and how it grows, they got to color their worksheets and make it their own. I really liked how she went the extra step and got them to think about the parts of the plant that we can eat.  She even had them taste some of the parts of the plants and they got to record everything. Her blog nurtures creativity because she got the students to do to everything hands on, it engaged them and fostered their independence! They also got to use majority of their 5 senses while doing this lesson!

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plants science / STEM / STEAM unit for kindergarten, first grade, and second grade

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This is another great blog that I found that talks about how it can be tricky when trying to incorporate science in a special education classroom. As a special education major, this resource really stood out to me and helped me see what I could do in my future classroom. In the blog they talked about how this lesson could be used for both younger and older audiences. For a younger audience, it gives them the chance to actually dig up the dirt and then practice slow looking while watching their plants grow. For an older audience, they talked about how this lesson could be incorporated into vocational skills in working in a nursery or even a greenhouse. This resource nurtures so much creativity for all ages because you can alter the lesson when needed for each audience. In the blog they also give you even more resources for hands on activities. They also give you many ways to deliver the lesson and how to do it in the most effective way!

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I'm back today with another post of science in the special education classroom. The next unit up is the plant life cycle. With spring finally beginning in most areas of the country and alternative standards focusing on plants, this is the perfect time of year to teach about plants and plant facts. Like my butterfly life cycle unit, this one has lots of options and work products that are already differentiate for students to demonstrate their knowledge. So I wanted to share with you what's included and how I would use the different materials to meet a diverse range of needs.
And make sure you stick to the end, because I've got a free plant life cycle activity from this set for you!

One of the tricky parts about teaching science in a special education classroom, particularly one that includes students with developmental disabilities, is that typically it's hard to figure out what to include and what you might be able to leave out. For instance, is it important to have all the students understand all the vocabulary of the life cycle of a plant like photosynthesis, or do you want them to have more time to experience how plants grow and adapt to changing conditions? How much time you have for this instruction plays a role as well. Often science gets taught as an afterthought to meet the alternate curriculum standards and may not be part of the everyday curriculum. Also, because it's part of the alternate curriculum, many students have IEP goals related to the science units, so you need some way to reliably measure their mastery of the material. And finally, there is always the issue that all of the students in the classroom are significantly different in their skill level so there is a good bit of differentiation involved.

So, let's talk about the plant life cycle. The plant life cycle is a fun unit to teach because it's great for hands-on activities, the students can learn about how things grow and how we can grow the food we eat. For young student it can give them a chance to dig in the dirt, plant things, and watch them grow. For older students, it can also be incorporated into vocational skills of working in a nursery or a greenhouse. Or a leisure skill of just planting their own garden. So, if you look at it with these goals in mind, you can make some decisions based on the needs and skills of the student how important different parts of the unit are.

Hands-On Science in the Special Education Classroom

There are so many hands-on activities you can do with plants that I like to include gardening or some type in all classrooms regardless of age.

You can work on following directions to plant seeds.

Students whose independence skills are at the stage of put-in tasks can fill the peat pots or containers with the dirt for planting.

Students who are working on math skills of measuring, graphing, and simple data collection can plant flowers or plants and then measure them each day or week, recording their height or how many blades of grass have grown.

Students who are counting can plant seeds, counting how many they have planted and then counting how many turned into seedlings.

Students who are working on understanding the scientific method can put a plant in the light and another plant in a dark place and record which grows faster. Or they can water one and not the other and compare them. This can also be worked into a writing or journaling activity.

Students could plant a vegetable garden and harvest fast-growing vegetables, like beans and squash, and then cook them (I love cooking in the classroom) or take them home to show families.

Hands-On Science Activities from Around the Web

If you are looking for other ideas and directions, here are some science activities from around the web that might be useful.

To supplement these activities and assure you are teaching the cycle of plant life, you can share information and practice sequencing the life cycle. This is great practice for students working on sequencing to tell a story as well as meeting science objectives. To that end, I created the Science in the Special Education Classroom: Plant Life Cycle Unit. It provides what you need to supplement the hands-on activities to teach about the plant life cycle and facts about plants through a presentation, hands-on materials, cut-and-paste sequencing and worksheets / tests for demonstrating mastery.

Materials to Introduce the Unit and the Steps

Slide Show / Presentation: Students are exposed to the life cycle and facts about plants in a PowerPoint you can show with a projector or on a computer. Students can also read it on a tablet.

Interactive book (can be printed in 2 sizes).

20 Picture Vocabulary Cards: Photographs and words of key terms for a word wall or picture dictionary.

Mini-Book: Black and White for students to color; Color version for teacher example

How You Can Implement the Plant Life Cycle Unit in the Classroom

Clearly you can choose how to use your materials, but here are some ways I would use it and reasons I designed it the way I did.

▪ Introduce the unit with the presentation on a projector, computer or tablet. Edit the slides to remove slides you don't need for your class (e.g., if your students don't need to learn "germinate").
▪ Read the interactive book to the morning meeting or during another group time. Have students find the pictures to match to the page. Review the book 2 or 3 times during the week. Alternate with the presentation as appropriate for your students.
▪ If you have a student who needs to hold his/her own book with pieces, print out the smaller version of the book to read during the group.
▪ During art or small group instruction have the students color the mini-books. Again customize them by removing pages you don't need your students to review.
▪ While reviewing the mini-books, slideshow or interactive books, have students go to the word wall or word ring for the picture cards to find the vocabulary words. Have them identify them in the presentation or books with a definition.

Work Product / Documentation

Data on a daily basis is hard enough for all the other skills the student is learning, so I made this unit to create work products you can grade or assess to provide proof of students' mastery of the material.

Included for doing this are:

Sequencing Sheets: 18 versions for students to sequence the life cycle of plants including one you can laminate with color pictures, a black and white version for cut and paste and versions students write on with and without pictures. Includes general life cycle, bean life cycle, sunflower life cycle, and apple life cycle.

3 Worksheets - Tests: Versions with symbols to assist in reading, with symbols for answering or simply written and fill-in-the blank for students who can read and write more successfully.

The Way I Would Use Them

▪ Have the students practice with the various life cycles for general plants, sunflower, beans, and apples. Each life cycle cut and paste activity is offered in black and white and color.
▪ Students working on the basic level can do the general, sunflower, and apple tree cycles with 4 steps. More advanced students can do the 9 steps of the sunflower or bean life cycle.
▪ Have the students answer the questions on the worksheets or tests. There are symbol supported options and written options.
▪ Have advanced students write the steps of the life cycle with graphic organizers.
▪ Use the written work to provide permanent product for meeting curriculum goals.

I've tried to give you everything you need, other than the hands-on experiments, to learn about the life cycle of plants and then demonstrate the knowledge and mastery of the concepts. You can check the unit out in my TPT Store by clicking the picture below. If you have science you units you would like me to create materials for, let me know. Happy Spring!

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Science in the Special Education Classroom: Plant Life Cycle

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I'm back today with another post of science in the special education classroom. The next unit up is the plant life cycle. With spring finally beginning in most areas of the country and alternative standards focusing on plants, this is the perfect time of year to teach about plants and plant facts.

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In this science video, it talks about the different seeds that we might see/eat every day. It really went into depth and how we can plant these different seeds for many different things. The video goes more into depth about how to plant seeds. The break down each part and they give great similes/metaphors. I think this video nurtures creativity because it helps children understand their surroundings and they can incorporate what they are learning with their everyday lives. This video will stick with them long enough for them to start noticing things in the outside world. An example of that would be going home after this lesson and passing by a cornfield in the car. They will know the process of how that cornfield started and how they grew into the corn we eat! This video expands children's learning and thinking!

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How Does A Seed Become A Plant? | Backyard Science | SciShow Kids

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Article about how using nature helps children release stress.

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Article about how using nature helps children release stress.

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In this article, they talk about how we as teachers have a responsibility to provide children with resources that can benefit them in many ways. A great resource that they talk about is how nature can reduce the stress level in children. Giving children the opportunities to go outside and explore can help mitigate the negative effects of stress and boost resilience across one's lifespan. This is a great article that can help teachers provide natural materials or environments that can benefit the child indoors or out, and at home or away.

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All children experience stress at one time or another, and there are people, strategies, and systems in place to guide them through stressful situations and emotions. As adults working in the field of early childhood education, we have the responsibility to help children develop positive ways to manage a variety of emotions, including stress. To do so, we can think both widely and creatively to tap into and share tools and resources, including in nature.

Contact with nature can help mitigate the negative effects of stress and can help boost resilience across one's lifespan. Through nature-based encounters, we can provide children with strategies to use while they are in our care and beyond. Indeed, by using readily available natural materials or environments, these techniques have the added benefit of being accessible indoors or out, at home or away, and within or outside of early learning programs.

In this article, we share several scenarios depicting children experiencing stress in two different classroom settings. After each one, we describe nature-based strategies that an early childhood educator used to offer support and encourage resilience in those children.

Stressful Situations and Nature-Based Supports

Three-year-old Lenny wants to play with Sandeep. He chooses a spot to play near Sandeep, looks over at him several times, and offers toys to Sandeep three times. Sandeep does not return any of Lenny's social overtures. When asked by his teacher, Mr. Ortega, if he wants to play with Lenny, Sandeep shouts no. When Lenny hears this, he becomes increasingly anxious and desperate for the attention of his classmate and begins to shout, loudly "No! No! No!"

Lenny was trying, unsuccessfully, to connect with another child. Although each of his and Sandeep's behaviors were appropriate given the situation, Lenny experienced stress. Lenny became overwhelmed with his "big" emotions and needed the support of his teacher to help him cope with them. To support Lenny, Mr. Ortega took several steps, including incorporating natural objects into the support he offered.

First, Mr. Ortega offered Lenny the responsibility of a "very important classroom job." That job was to feed the class pet, a fish, and to check that the water pump was still running. They also observed the aquatic plants that were anchored underneath the rocks, which grew upward and swayed with the movement of the water. Then, Lenny and Mr. Ortega used the class camera to take as many photos of the fish as Lenny liked. Later, he chose one to print.

Throughout, Mr. Ortega was careful to encourage Lenny's independence while giving him the time and space he needed to feel better. For example, Mr. Ortega verbally described Lenny's feelings and actions, so he could begin to do the same. He said "Lenny, you are upset. You were yelling when Sandeep did not want to play with you. That must have felt very hard to hear. I can help you find a way to feel better. I remember that you like the fish. Would you like to come take pictures with the camera for our art wall?" This allowed Lenny the opportunity to begin to normalize his upset feelings, to know that they are okay to have, and to understand that he could find another way to express them and start to feel better.

Ultimately, feeding, observing, and photographing the class fish helped Lenny to focus on something other than the attention he was not receiving from his classmate. It redirected his energy to another task, and it helped mitigate his feelings of disappointment or anxiety by fostering his sense of independence. Over time, and with similar supports, Lenny will be able to redirect his energy more efficiently when he is feeling stressed.

Four-year-old Fabiola misses her family when she is at school. She stays near her teacher, Ms. Paul; her voice shakes; and she is often close to tears. She does not play. Instead, she primarily watches the other children play and engage in activities as she clings to Ms. Paul.

Fabiola was struggling with separating from her family and the feelings of missing them throughout the day. Ms. Paul noticed that when she became involved in a specific task, especially one with concrete objects, Fabiola demonstrated fewer anxious emotions and behaviors. Ms. Paul started to plan nature-based activities to offer Fabiola upon her arrival each morning.

For example, Ms. Paul began with a nature-based scavenger hunt for Fabiola to complete. The scavenger hunt included items that Fabiola could find on the playground or around the school building. Fabiola then presented the items to her family at pick-up time. Ms. Paul made sure to include a variety of natural objects with different characteristics: some were soft plants like lambs-ears and pussy willows; some were spiky like pinecones, burdocks, and cacti; some were aromatic like roses, mint, and lavender; and some even liked to hide in cracks like mosses and lichens. Several days after Ms. Paul implemented this technique, she noticed Fabiola making scavenger hunts for other children.

Fabiola's introduction to natural materials and her ensuing fascination with finding them helped to reduce her stress and to demonstrate resilience. She took on a leadership role in the classroom while sharing one of her passions with other children. Building these positive connections with others, through her own nature connection, aided Fabiola in feeling more in control of herself and her environment.

Five-year-old Maya becomes angry several times a day while attending her early learning program. For example, over the past year, if her parents do not pack her favorite face mask, she refuses to wear one altogether. This causes her to have to play in one-person spots because her school requires social distancing when children do not wear masks, which frustrates Maya further.

Maya's teacher, Mr. Ortega, noticed that several children needed mask breaks throughout the day. Wearing masks has been challenging for some children, and the requirement to wear them has caused stress for both children and teachers. To alleviate the isolation of the one-person play spots, Mr. Ortega created a classroom garden just outside the class door, where mask breaks were allowed. Although the area outside the school was mostly paved, the teacher brought in large pots and potting soil for children to use for gardening. Mr. Ortega planned several adult-directed planting activities that ensured the plants would grow, but Maya's favorite part of outdoor gardening was the independent garden pots. There, children planted and nurtured whatever they liked in their own pots. Just last week, Maya planted morning glories and sunflowers, which have grown quickly. Maya's frustration and anger eased because she had a task that helped her redirect her focus and feel more independent while connecting with nature, a pastime that she could access at home, at school, and in most other environments.

Outside on the playground, 4-year-old Rosalie struggles with body coordination during play. She slides down the large slide headfirst, bumping into other children who are near her. The other children decide to leave their play with Rosalie and play somewhere else. This is not the first time; Rosalie often crashes her scooter into the shed and fence as she rides. Other children try to play with her, but when she starts to get "too crashy," they seek other activities without her. Rosalie expresses stress and hurt feelings when they do.

Rosalie loved to climb. Although the trees around them were not conducive to safe climbing, Ms. Paul recommended that she try to "grip and hold" a tree in their playground area. In this activity, Rosalie put her arms around a large tree, like a hug. Then she (magically!) lifted her feet off the ground. The other children were impressed and wanted to try too. Rosalie found an activity that helped her feel more in control of her body, that was easily accessible, and that other children could do with her. This helped Rosalie feel more accepting of her own abilities and acknowledge the limits set for her at school.

Conclusion

NAEYC's 2020 position statement on developmentally appropriate practice states, "Early childhood educators . . . support all children's learning by recognizing each child as a unique individual with assets and strengths to contribute to the early childhood education learning environment." Teachers can use nature contact to connect each child's strengths to build their recognition and regulation of the stressful feelings they may experience in a moment and over time. These stress management strategies do not require special materials that can only be found in the classroom. Rather, they make use of natural materials that children can access in most environments. This is a critical feature of helping children develop coping strategies that can be internalized and accessed throughout their lives, no matter the environments and situations in which they find themselves.

Photographs: © Getty Images; courtesy of the authors.
Copyright © 2021 National Association for the Education of Young Children. See permissions and reprints online at NAEYC.org/resources/permissions.

This article supports the following NAEYC Early Learning Programs standards and topics
Standard 1: Relationships
1F: Promoting Self-Regulation
Standard 2: Curriculum
2B: Social and Emotional Development

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Using Nature Contact to Support Children Under Stress

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Contact with nature can help mitigate the negative effects of stress. Through nature-based encounters, we can provide children with strategies to use while they are in our care and beyond.

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For my own experience, I provided a picture of my own plants that I have been growing at home. At first, I use to think that growing plants was a waste of time. I never saw or understood the benefits of nature based materials until I actually gave it a try. I would always buy fake plants for my home so I wouldn't have to take care of them or put in any work. Now, after growing my first plant, I think that nature based materials have really provided me with a type of creativity that I never knew I had! It has helped me with my stress levels and it has given me something to look forward to every day. The article by NAEYC, Using Nature Contact to Support Children Under Stress, relates so well to how I feel about my plants! Growing or planting something gives you that feeling of accomplishment, and it gives you so many life lessons in the end. Here are some great quotes that stick with me every time I tend to my plants:

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." -Og Mandino

"Plants possess the ability to adapt to changing seasons and this helps them to thrive. They accept the challenge in front of them and adjust themselves accordingly. One of life’s inevitabilities is that circumstances change. When we are inflexible, our well-being suffers. Peace is often found when we have an open mind. " -Click and Grow