Day Four - Parts of the Plant as Food
Objective:
Become aware that some plants are edible and that different parts of certain plants are eaten.
Materials:
Either real food or pictures (sunflower and pumpkin seeds, carrots and radishes, apples and tomatoes, lettuce and spinach leaves, celery and asparagus, and cereal or other processed food)
Pictures of each food still on the plant
Parts of a Plant worksheet (link to printable versions below)
Lesson:
In order to continue talking about parts of a plant in a way that keeps kids interested and ties the school lessons to the every day, this lesson will focus on foods and how we eat most parts of the plant. You can either bring in real food, or if you don't want the hassle of real food you can use pictures. Provide for each group sunflower and pumpkin seeds, carrots and radishes, apples and tomatoes, lettuce and spinach leaves, and celery and asparagus either in real or picture form. Tell students that all of these foods are parts of plants. Have students discuss in their groups which part of the plant each food might be.
Once groups have made guesses on their own, have them share with the class. Then pull out pictures of each of the foods still a part of the plant and see if that helps students be more confident in the right answer. Show the class how the sunflower and pumpkin seeds are the seeds of plants, the carrots and radishes are roots, the apples and tomatoes are fruits, the lettuce and spinach leaves are leaves, and the celery and asparagus are stems. Then facilitate discussion to see if students can think of other foods that are each part of the plant.
Now bring out a box of cereal or other processed foods and see if students think these food items are still made from plants (they are not in the exact form that they are found on the plant anymore, but they are still made from plant products). Explain to students how plants and plant parts, such as corn or flour, can be used to make more complex foods like cereals and processed foods.
Once the class has discussed how foods come from plants, hand out the Parts of a Plant worksheet found below. Have students (on their own) label the main parts and give an example of an edible food that is each part of the plant. Students may have a hard time coming up with foods from the flower, but let kids know that there are flowers, such as chamomile, that are used in foods.
Differentiation:
Give suggestive ideas to students who need more help in the production of examples and explanations during class discussion.
Assessment:
The Parts of a Plant worksheet can be collected and used as an assessment to test the understanding of the basic parts of a plant and how they can be eaten.
Homework:
Look in your kitchen and find 10 foods that come from plants and try to name the part of the plant you eat.
References:
Edible Plants and Where They Come From
http://voices.yahoo.com/science-lesson-plan-edible-plants-where-they-come-8831421.html?cat=32
Label the Parts of a Plant Worksheets
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/Parts-of-a-plant-worksheet.pdf
Resources:
Worksheet (link above to original):
Become aware that some plants are edible and that different parts of certain plants are eaten.
Materials:
Either real food or pictures (sunflower and pumpkin seeds, carrots and radishes, apples and tomatoes, lettuce and spinach leaves, celery and asparagus, and cereal or other processed food)
Pictures of each food still on the plant
Parts of a Plant worksheet (link to printable versions below)
Lesson:
In order to continue talking about parts of a plant in a way that keeps kids interested and ties the school lessons to the every day, this lesson will focus on foods and how we eat most parts of the plant. You can either bring in real food, or if you don't want the hassle of real food you can use pictures. Provide for each group sunflower and pumpkin seeds, carrots and radishes, apples and tomatoes, lettuce and spinach leaves, and celery and asparagus either in real or picture form. Tell students that all of these foods are parts of plants. Have students discuss in their groups which part of the plant each food might be.
Once groups have made guesses on their own, have them share with the class. Then pull out pictures of each of the foods still a part of the plant and see if that helps students be more confident in the right answer. Show the class how the sunflower and pumpkin seeds are the seeds of plants, the carrots and radishes are roots, the apples and tomatoes are fruits, the lettuce and spinach leaves are leaves, and the celery and asparagus are stems. Then facilitate discussion to see if students can think of other foods that are each part of the plant.
Now bring out a box of cereal or other processed foods and see if students think these food items are still made from plants (they are not in the exact form that they are found on the plant anymore, but they are still made from plant products). Explain to students how plants and plant parts, such as corn or flour, can be used to make more complex foods like cereals and processed foods.
Once the class has discussed how foods come from plants, hand out the Parts of a Plant worksheet found below. Have students (on their own) label the main parts and give an example of an edible food that is each part of the plant. Students may have a hard time coming up with foods from the flower, but let kids know that there are flowers, such as chamomile, that are used in foods.
Differentiation:
Give suggestive ideas to students who need more help in the production of examples and explanations during class discussion.
Assessment:
The Parts of a Plant worksheet can be collected and used as an assessment to test the understanding of the basic parts of a plant and how they can be eaten.
Homework:
Look in your kitchen and find 10 foods that come from plants and try to name the part of the plant you eat.
References:
Edible Plants and Where They Come From
http://voices.yahoo.com/science-lesson-plan-edible-plants-where-they-come-8831421.html?cat=32
Label the Parts of a Plant Worksheets
http://worksheetplace.com/mf/Parts-of-a-plant-worksheet.pdf
Resources:
Worksheet (link above to original):