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What will a baby plant look like when it grows up?
Plant Superpowers Unit | Lesson 1 of 3

What will a baby plant look like when it grows up?

Plant Superpowers Unit | Lesson 1 of 3
Lesson narration:
Scroll for prep
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Discuss:
What’s DIFFERENT about these three plants?
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Discuss:
Which is the best spot for the pumpkin? Which is the best spot for the geranium?
Which is the best spot for the sunflower?
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Discuss:
Look closely at this leaf.
Come up with as many different words as you can to describe it.
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01/16
For this activity, you’ll work with a partner.
You and your partner will share ideas.
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02/16
Get your supplies.
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Here are my three seedlings. Look at them carefully. It’s up to you to
figure out which of these will grow into a pumpkin plant! Discuss:
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The biggest difference is the shape of the leaves. When you are
trying to figure out which plant is which, the shape of the leaves is an
important clue.
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Let’s look at the leaves of the seedlings side by side. One of these
leaves is a really different shape from the other two. Discuss:
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The leaves of Seedling 2 are kind of roundish with a point at one end.
They’re very different from the leaves of Seedlings 1 and 3. Let’s see
if Seedling 2’s leaves can tell us what it will be when it grows up.
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Get your Look for Clues Worksheet. Look at the pictures of all three
seedlings when they’ve grown. Compare the leaves on the adult
plants to the leaves on Seedling 2. Discuss:
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The sunflower plant has leaves that look like the leaves on Seedling 2!
On your worksheet, write 2 by the sunflower plant. Color the picture
of the sunflower on your worksheet.
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The pumpkin plant that you’re looking for is either Seedling 1 or
Seedling 3. But the leaves of these seedlings are close to the same
shape! To find the pumpkin plant, you need more clues. Discuss:
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Discuss:
Take a look at the STEMS on this sunflower, geranium, and pumpkin.
What looks the SAME? What looks DIFFERENT?
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Watch how the stems of these three seedlings change as they grow.
Compare the stems of the seedlings with the stem of the sunflower
plant on your worksheet. Discuss:
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Seedling 2 has a straight stem—just like a sunflower. That, plus the
leaves, makes us feel sure that Seedling 2 is a sunflower. Now let’s
look for clues to help us find the pumpkin plant. Discuss:
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The stem of Seedling 3 bends to the side. It also has curls growing
from it. The stem of Seedling 1 grows straight up. Compare the stem
of Seedling 1 to the adult plants on your worksheet. Discuss:
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Three clues tell you Seedling 1 is a geranium. It has leaves like a
geranium, a straight stem, and no curls. Write 1 by the geranium on
your worksheet. Color the picture on your worksheet.
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You’ve probably guessed that Seedling 3 is a pumpkin plant since
that’s the only plant left! But scientists don’t just guess. Compare
Seedling 3 with the pictures on your worksheet. Discuss:
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Seedling 3 has a stem that bends to the side, curls growing from its
stem, and leaves like the pumpkin plant. On the worksheet, write 3 by
the pumpkin plant. Color the plant.
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Congratulations! You did a great job figuring out which plant is which
by looking at the leaves and stems. But adult plants have more than
leaves and stems. Discuss:
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🎉 That’s it for this lesson! How did it go?
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# Extensions
Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity and exploration you just completed.
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# Activity: Go for a Leaf Walk

To figure out which seedling was which, your students looked at the shapes of leaves. Take a nature walk to extend that lesson and discover more about leaves.

Before the walk, tell students that you won’t be picking leaves. You can examine fallen leaves or leaves that are still on the plant. Encourage students to use all their senses when they consider a leaf. Do all the leaves feel the same? Do they all smell the same? How many different kinds of leaves can you spot?

Make sure you and your students know how to identify and avoid plants like poison ivy and poison oak before the walk!

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# Readings

These online books tell simple stories in words and pictures. Narration in English is available for each book.

The Life of a Seed – The story of a seed in words and photos.

Garden Giants — Watch a sunflower grow from a tiny seed to a towering giant.

Pick a Pumpkin — Come along on a visit to a pumpkin patch.

Look! — Examples of how scientists learn by looking!

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# Activity: Mystery Seedlings

You can recreate Esther's dilemma in your classroom and have your students observe seedlings to guess what adult plants they'll grow up to be!

All you need are some seeds, paper towels, cups, and water. Print-out and follow our instructions here.

You can repeat this challenge multiple times throughout the year to provide your students with multiple opportunities to practice their observation skills!

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plant


1 of 10

a living thing that doesn't need to eat other living things
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seed


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a part of a plant that can grow into a baby plant
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seedling


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a young plant that grows from a seed
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root


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a part of a plant that is usually under the ground
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stem


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a part of a plant, usually above ground, that has leaves, flowers, and fruits connected to it
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leaf


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a part of a plant that is often flat and green
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flower


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a part of a plant that is usually brightly colored
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observe


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to pay close attention to something
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shape


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how something looks, such as a circle, square, or triangle
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size


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how big or small something is
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Lesson narration:

Grade 1

Plant Traits & Survival

Plant Traits & Offspring

1-LS3-1

Activity Prep

Print Prep

In this lesson, students identify the pattern that young plants are similar to their parent plants. In the activity, Mixed-up Plants, students observe three seedlings and three adult plants and use their observations to match each seedling to its adult counterpart.

Preview activity

Exploration

10 mins

Wrap-Up

5 mins

Grade 1

Plant Traits & Survival

Plant Traits & Offspring

1-LS3-1

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