LP6 Unit Planning Overview

Age group: School-agers

Unit planning approach: Thematic Unit Lesson Plan Approach
Theme: Having fun with Soil, Seeds, and Sun
Rationale: I chose this topic because as we enter spring the children have been noticing the new plants popping through the soil. I think that this is a
great opportunity to learn about plants and what they need to grow.
Introduction: Introduce the theme by placing a bulb in the center of the circle and asking the children what they think it is.
KWL chart:
What do you KNOW?
I know that flowers are plants

What do you WANT to learn?

How do plants grow?

I know that plants need water to

grow

How many plants are there?

I know that plants grow in dirt

I know that some plants are tall and
some plants are short

What are the different parts of a

plant?
What do they eat?
Can you eat them?

I know that it grows from a seed

Do plants sleep?

Big Ideas:
Plants are living things that need water, light, nutrients, and air to survive, and can move, grow, and reproduce.
Plants have different parts, each with special functions.
There are many different types of plants
Plants provide people with food, shelter, and other products

WEB of ideas and activities:

Shelter
Shelter

Botanical
Botanical gardens
gardens

Vocabulary

Food
Food

Trips

What do
you use
plants for?
Air
Air
(Breathing)
(Breathing)

Water
Water

Light
Light

Roots
Roots

Parts of
the
plant

Plants

Nutrition
Nutrition

Plant
nutrition

Air
Air

Green
Green House
House

Different
types of
plants

Trees
Trees
Flowers
Flowers
Bushes
Bushes

Grass
Grass

Stems
Stems
Leaves
Leaves

WEB of curriculum areas/developmental domains and activities:

Math
Measuring plants
Counting, sorting seeds
Creating Vegetable Chart

Trips
The Botanical Gardens
Greenhouse

Science

Social Studies

Sprout a bean seed

Exploring flowers
How water moves up a stem

Discussion about
occupations associated
with plants (botanist,
etc.)

Plants are living things

that need water, light,
nutrients, and air to
survive, and can move,
grow, and reproduce.

Plants have different

parts, each with
special functions.

Family Involvement
Report to family have
children make a display of
what they learned about
plants

Outdoor Activities
Plant search
Tree exploration

Plants
Music and Movement
The seed song
Making musical
instruments with seeds

There are many

different types of
plants

Plants provide
people with food,
shelter, and other
products

Literature
Fiction and nonfiction
books about plants
Poems on plants

Art
Chlorophyll rubbings
Flower stamping
Pine branch painting
Seed collage

Dramatic Play
Gardening gloves,
shovels, buckets, hoe,
rake.

Literacy
Science log
Food diary what plant
foods have I eaten this
week?

Language
Discussion: What
do you know about
plants?
Discussion: What
did you learn?

Weekly Planning and Observation Form

Individual Goals / Child Initials:

Teacher(s) __Liliana Charles_________________
Week of April 30th, 2015____________________

J.R. To collaborate with others about topic during

group activities.
L.C. To persist with activities for more than 10
minutes independently.

Observation Focus: Soil, Seeds, and Sun.

J.B. To talk what he has learned and apply it to his
exploration and problem solving.

Group Goals:
Area / Goal / WMELS Sub-Domain/Performance
Standards
Large group time: for the children to use language to
effectively express feelings and thoughts, describe
experiences and observations, interact with others, and
communicate effectively in group activities and
discussions.
Speaking and Communicating: B. EL. 2c Uses
vocalizations and spoken language to communicate.
Area / Goal / WMELS Sub-Domain/Performance
Standards
Throughout the day: for the children to make comparisons
between objects that have been collected or observed.
Scientific Thinking: C.EL. 3 Hypothesizes and makes
predictions.

Planning for Interactions and Routines

Monday
Large Group Time Discussion about bulbs
and seeds place bulb in
the center of the circle
and ask the children if
they know what it is.
Special Small
Seed collage activity
Group Activities
Outdoor
Activities

Self-Care &
Other Daily
Routines

Tuesday
Discuss the parts of the
flower roots, stem, and
leaves.
Read the book One
bean
Planting bean seeds

Wednesday
Discussion about what a
plant needs to stay alive.

Thursday
Discussion: what plants
do we eat?

Friday
Discussion: What kind of
people work with plants?

How does the stem

work activity putting
daisies in food coloring.

Vegetable and fruit chart

using cut out magazine
clippings

Make charts in small

groups about what you
learned this week.

Plant scavenger hunt

Field trip to Botanical

gardens.

Field trip to a
Greenhouse

Explore the bean sprouts

planted earlier in the
week.

Remind the children to

wash their hands well
after handling plants and
soil.

Remind the children to

dress appropriately for
our special field trip!

Explore and compare the

areas of plants that dont
get sun, and the areas that
do. How do they look
different?
Talk to the children and
compare the needs that
plants have, to the needs
that we have.

Talk about the

importance of fruits and
vegetables in a healthy
diet.

Discuss with the children

what the bean sprouts
needed to start growing,
and compare it to what we
need.

Planning for the Environment: Child Initiated Choices / Center Activities

Dramatic Play
Sensory Table
Library / Writing / Listening
Gardening tools, plastic
fruits and vegetables, seed
packets, watering cans,
gardening pots.
Music

Dirt, shovel, gloves, fake

flowers/fruit/vegetables.

Art

Journals/diaries, fiction and

nonfiction books on plants.

Blocks

Table Toys / Math

Science

Measuring objects, different

size plants, sorting cups for
seeds, sorting mats.

Seeds, plants, microscopes,

magnifying glasses, scale.

Computer

Outdoors

Add seed maracas to the

music area!

Paint, markers, crayons, plant

stems (to paint with). Small pots
(to paint), plastic flower tops to
stamp with, pine branches to
paint with.

Wooden blocks, building

tools.

Informational games on the

life cycle of plants, games on
planting and plant nutrition.

Gardening tools, gloves,

garden (or big sensory
table filled with dirt).
Sticks, leaves, and tree
rounds.