If you want to sprout some plant knowledge into your classroom activities, you’ve come to the right place! [See what I did there? ]Today, I’m excited to share some wonderful plant activities you can add to your kindergarten lessons.
I have collected some great books to add to your collection, even a few life cycle videos, reading comprehension activities, math and literacy ideas, and ways to explore the parts of a plant. You will even find a plant free download pdf at the end of this blog post. So let’s get started!
(NOTE: This blog post contains affiliate links where I earn a small commission. But the ideas are my own.)
A Seed is Silent, written by Dianna Hutts Aston and gorgeously illustrated by Sylvia Long, is a nonfiction book that reveals the wonders of seeds. I love all the different colors of these seeds!
A Seed is Silent highlights how various seeds are uniquely equipped to thrive, disperse, and blossom into incredible plants. The writing is poetic, and the botanical illustrations are stunning and intricate. I’ve never thought much about the marvels of seeds, but this book will change my perspective!
In an interactive read-aloud in a kindergarten or first grade classroom, the teacher decodes the text, reading aloud with expression and clarity. This approach allows the young learners to focus solely on comprehending the story. They engage with the text by listening to and discussing it with their peers. This method is a perfect way to help build students’ listening comprehension skills and introduce them to new vocabulary. By handling the reading, the teacher can guide discussions, ask probing questions, and encourage predictions, fostering a deeper understanding and connection to the material. This interactively enhances their cognitive abilities. Plus, kids LOVE it!
Schema building in reading comprehension involves connecting new information from a text to what we already know. This strategy is crucial because it helps children make sense of new stories and facts by linking them to their existing knowledge, making reading a more meaningful and engaging experience.
Prior to reading the book, we talked about what the students already knew about seeds and plant life cycles. As we read, we adjust our understanding on this anchor chart.
I was attending a conference where I heard Doug Fisher talk about this idea of addressing misconceptions. In a nutshell, he stated that research has found that unless you explicitly draw the learner’s attention to misconceptions, they will often continue to hold their previous beliefs. I found that fascinating. I am also very glad we continue to include misconceptions in our lesson plans.
Young children then take a moment to discuss what they learned with their partners. These teaching slides are very helpful for guiding the conversations.
Kindergarten students then complete their own response page on what they learned about seeds.
This book is filled with fascinating facts. I love all the various plant life cycles that are included on this one page!
You can also see how the illustrator provided a gorgeous close-up of the different parts of a seed. We used this image to complete our own seed labeling page.
First, we use this teaching slide to label the seed.
Then, the students completed their own parts of a seed page.
Students were asked to talk to their partners about the most interesting thing they learned about seeds. This teaching slide supports their conversation.
Then, once again, students responded to the writing prompt.
As with every book, we incorporate sentence study activities each week.
Here is the gorgeous plant craft that is included in our Engaging Readers lesson plans.
The students had so much fun adding the tissue paper petals to their construction paper flowers.
You can find all of the lesson plans and activities above in our Engaging Readers Reading Comprehension unit.
Here are a few videos that I think your students will enjoy. Let’s start off with the plant book I have already talked so much about.
This video also explores how seeds become plants.
Perhaps planting seeds is not something you can do in your classroom. This video lesson is pretty awesome.
Looking at the inside of a bean seed, the host talks about the function of each part of the seed.
There are also instructions for a seed germination experiment. Your students can do this at home or in your classroom. You will need:
This little research project takes a few days, but your students will be able to see the seed sprout within a few days this way.
Planting in a pot of soil takes a bit longer (and I always forgot to water the poor plants.)
